Beer Guide to the 1970s (part nine)

Another trio of 1970s breweries. Though, this time, two of them are still operating. Good news, eh? Interestingly, both of the survivors are at the small end.

It makes me realise just how random it is which breweries disappear. In the case of smaller breweries, it's often down to personalities. And whether there's a family member willing to take on running the brewery. It's a dilemma which is catching up with many of the pioneers of the craft brewing industry.

Donnington
Donnington,
Gloucestershire.
Founded:    1865
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    17

A small brewery with one of the most idyllic locations of any in the UK. The tied estate is scattered around the surrounding villages.

beer	style	format	OG	description
BB	Pale Ale	draught	1033	well-balanced
SBA	Pale Ale	draught	1040	stronger and sweeter
XXX	Mild	draught	1033	Dark Mild
Light Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1033	BB bottled
Double Donn	Pale Ale	bottled	1040	SBA bottled
Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled	1033	XXX bottled

Eldridge Pope
Dorchester,
Doset.
Founded:    1837
Closed:            1998
Tied houses:    200

Another decent-sized regional brewery from the West Country, based in the county town of Dorchester. They were best known for the powerful Hardy Ale, one of the strongest beers brewed in the UK and one of a handful that remained bottle-conditioned. They unwisely split the brewery and tied estate in the 1990s. with the inevitable result of the brewery closing.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Best Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1032.6	malty and heavily hopped
Special IPA	IPA	draught	1041	malty, stronger
Royal Oak	Pale Ale	draught	1048	malty
XXXX	Old Ale	draught
Double Mild	Mild	draught	1029.8	Dark Mild
Crystal Bright	Pale Ale	keg	1029.7
Master Keg	Pale Ale	keg		higher gravity
Konig Lager	Lager	keg	1033.5
Crystal Light Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1029.7
Green Top Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1041	bottled IPA
Old Master Strong Ale	Strong Ale	bottled
Goldie	Barley Wine	bottled	1085.3
Dorset Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled	1024.9	medium sweet
Konig Lager	Lager	bottled
Konig Diabetic	Lager	bottled		sugar free
Konig Imperial De Luxe	Lager	bottled		high gravity
Hardy Ale	Barley Wine	bottled	1120	bottle-conditioned

Elgood
Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire.
Founded:    1795
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    65

Located right in the north of Cambridgeshire, Elgood’s tied estate stretched into Norfolk and Lincolnshire. Which I suppose it still does today. They’ve been saved from takeover both by their small size and family ownership. The beers were pretty good, though the only time I came across them was a beer festivals.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1037	lightly hopped
Mild	Mild	draught	1030	slightly sweet Dark Mild
Keg Bitter	Pale Ale	keg		darker than many keg beers
Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1030
Fenman	Pale Ale	bottled		stronger
Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled	1030	not too sweet
Russet Ale	Brown Ale	bottled		full sweet
Old English	Old Ale	bottled		heavy and sweet
Stout	Stout	bottled	1030	sweet
Iceberg Lager	Lager	bottled	1033.8