If you know any bottled or keg beers that I've missed, please get in touch. I know that I haven't found information on every beer brewed in the UK in the 1970s. Especially bottled beers. I'm trying to make this the most complete list ever assembled.
Buckley
Llanelli,
South Wales.
Founded: 1769
Closed: 1997
Tied houses: 180
A medium-sized regional brewery in South Wales. Their tied estate stretched along the Welsh coast from Cardigan in the North and Swansea in the South. They were bought out in 1987 and then merged with the Crown Brewery. In 1994 they became independent again through a management buyout. Before merging with Brains in 1997 and closing.
beer | style | format | OG | description |
SB Standard Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1031 | well hopped |
BB Best Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1036 | well hopped |
Bulk Beer (tank BB) | Pale Ale | draught | 1036 | BB filtered for tanks |
Mild | Mild | draught | 1031 | medium dark and fruity |
Welcome Keg | Pale Ale | keg | 1036 | kegged BB |
Bitter Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | bottled SB | |
Welsh Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | a stronger Light Ale | |
Brown Ale | Brown Ale | bottled | medium sweet | |
PBA | Mild | bottled | a sweet Mild Ale |
Burt
Ventnor,
Ise of Wight.
Founded: 1840
Closed: 1993
Tied houses: 11
In the 1970s, Burt was the only brewery on the Isle of Wight. Their small tied estate was mostly around Ventnor in the Southeast of the island. Their beers weren’t usually available outside the island. Their demise was quite complicated. They were taken over and closed in 1993, but the Burts name lived on in a brewpub in Sandown. While the Ventnor Brewery was set up in the old Burt’s premises in 1996 and continued to brew until 2009.
beer | style | format | OG | description |
LB Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1030 | well hopped |
VPA Special Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1040 | hoppy and distinctive |
BMA Mild | Mild | draught | 1030 | dry Dark Mild with an unusual flavour. |
Ventnor Pale Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
Golden IPA | Pale Ale | bottled | strongish Pale Ale | |
Nut Brown Ale | Brown Ale | bottled | medium sweet | |
Strong Brown | Brown Ale | bottled | stronger and sweeter |
Burtonwood
Burtonwood,
Warrington,
Cheshire.
Founded: 1867
Closed: 2004
Tied houses: 300
Burtonwood was one of the largest regional brewers in the Northwest. They owned pubs throughout Cheshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire and North Wales. Never the trendiest of breweries, they produced decent, solid beers.
beer | style | format | OG | description |
Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1036.3 | well-balanced |
Mild | Mild | draught | 1031.8 | Dark Mild |
Light Mild | Mild | draught | 1031.5 | thin but well balanced |
LXR Pale Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
Special Pale Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
Top Hat | Pale Ale | bottled | a strong ale | |
Export | Strong Ale | bottled | Lager-type Pale Ale | |
Buckle Dark Ale | Old Ale | bottled | strong Dark Ale | |
Super Brown Ale | Brown Ale | bottled | medium sweet | |
Stout | Stout | bottled | medium sweet |
Buckley was probably the oldest Welsh brewery until it closed.
ReplyDeleteOscar
Burtonwood Top Hat was a lovely beer.
ReplyDeleteI can remember Burton VPA being a very tasty brew. Don't remember visiting the IOW that often in the 80's. So, perhaps it made into the Portsmouth, & S. Hants areas on occasion
DeleteThat should have read 'Burt VPA'. Unfortunately, my device thinks it knows better!!
DeleteBrains continued to produce Buckley's bitter after the take over, at least until 2001 when I had some in Cardiff. I can't say it made much of an impression. But after being taken over, they had Buckley's* chance of long term survival.
ReplyDeleteAny Aussies will get this.
When I lived in Manchester in the early eighties, of all the outstanding beers available in the area, Burtonwood Bitter and Pale Mild were among my favourites. Top Hat was only keg in those days.
I think that you will be doing this for more than a month. Yes, because we lived through these times, it makes it different . . . and I am really enjoying reading every single one, even though I had never heard of and will never drink a Burt. Overall, there is a wistful sadness reading about them as, evidently, very few of these small regional breweries survive today.
ReplyDelete