Monday 23 September 2024

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part eight)

Another couple of regional breweries which closed in the 1980s today. As I remarked in an earlier post, that decade seems to have been particularly hard for the larger regional brewers.

It includes one of Greenall Whitley's victims. They had a habit of buying up well-respected breweries, fucking up the beers and then closing them. They were almost as bad as the worst members of the Big Six when it came to destroying beloved breweries.

Davenport
Birmingham,
West Midlands.
Founded:    1739
Closed:    1989
Tied houses:    118

The tied estate of Davenport, though not enormous, was spread over a wide area. In addition to the West Midlands, it reached the East Midlands, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. There was even a pub in Leeds and one in Usk South Wales. The brewery was best known for its home delivery service, which operated pretty much nationally. I quite liked their cask beers. They were purchased by Greenall Whitley in 1986 and closed a couple of years later.

beer style format OG description
Bitter Pale Ale draught 1038 well-hopped
Mild Mild draught 1033 Dark Mild
Drum Bitter Pale Ale keg    
Drum Mild Mild keg    
Continental Lager Lager keg    
Pale Ale Pale Ale bottled    
Best Bitter Pale Ale bottled   weaker and more Bitter
Top Brew Pale Ale bottled   very strong Dark Ale
Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled    
Continental Lager Lager bottled    


Devenish (Redruth)
Redruth,
Cornwall.
Founded:    1792
Closed:    1991/2004
Tied houses:    200

A subsidiary brewery of Devenish since being purchased in 1934. It mostly supplied the company’s pubs in Cornwall. Devenish closed the brewery in 1991. It reopened again under different management, before closing again in 2004. Devenish didn’t have the best of reputations. Which wasn’t helped when it was revealed much of their beer was under 1030º. They did respond by raising the gravities a few degrees to the ones you see below.

beer style format OG description
Bitter Pale Ale draught 1032.5 full bodied
Cornish Best Bitter Pale Ale draught 1042.5 thin but pleasant
XXX Mild draught 1033 fruity Dark Mild


Devenish (Weymouth)
Weymouth,
Dorset.
Founded:    1742
Closed:    1985
Tied houses:    190

Between their two breweries, Devenish supplied tied houses across most of the West Country, stretching as far east as Hampshire. Their beers didn’t have the best reputation. In 1985 all brewing was moved to Redruth and the Weymouth brewery closed.

beer style format OG description
Bitter Pale Ale draught 1043 well hopped
Wessex Best Bitter Pale Ale draught 1032 stronger
Saxon Bitter Pale Ale keg 1030.9  
Dark Keg Mild keg   sweet
Whitbread Tankard Pale Ale keg    
Light Ale Pale Ale bottled 1029.8  
Wessex Pale Ale Pale Ale bottled 1037.5  
Cobbler's Nio Barley Wine bottled    
Bosun Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled 1032.2  
S-W Stout Stout bottled   sweet



 

6 comments:

petalia paul said...

They had a habit of buying up well-respected breweries, fucking up the beers and then closing them. They were almost as bad as the worst members of the Big Six when it came to destroying beloved breweries.
The same as Greed King then,

Chris Pickles said...

You could say the same about Marstons, but at least they and Greene King are still in the brewing business. The possibility exists for them to raise their game and produce some decent ale, unlikely as that may be.

But Greenalls, having bought up and closed a great swathe of popular local breweries and closed them, then proceeded to disappear up their own fundamental orifice, and pouffe, they were gone without a trace.

bigLurch Habercom said...

Thats because they were only interested in the pubs not the breweries, as you say the same as Greene King did to hardy Hansons.

Anonymous said...

Devenish of Redruth must have been the last brewer of mild ale in the southwest of England.

Hate to be a pedant but keg is technically draught beer.

Oscar

Richard said...

The Davenports name has been revived and they are brewing beer again and own a few pubs

Anonymous said...

I remember a delicious pint or three of Devenish Wessex in the Coer de Lion in Bath, probably mid 80s. Light and refreshing, beautifully fresh and hoppy. I must look up the strength, probably 3.7. I think it must have come from the Weymouth rather than Redruth brewery. I was very sad to read they'd closed.