Beer Guide to the 1970s (part five)

I'll warn you now. There were around 90 independent breweries in the mid-1970s. At the rate of three per post, I'll be busy for more than a month. If I can be arsed to keep it up. Then there are the 40-odd breweries owned by the Big Six.

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