Sometime in the mid-1970s, What's Brewing printed the gravities of beers they'd had analysed. Not just cask beers, importantly. I'd love to get my hands on it. Does anyone know where I might be able to find it?
Cameron
Hartlepool,
County Durham.
Founded: 1852
Closed: still open
Tied houses: 700
Cameron was one of the largest independent breweries in Northeast England. They were well-represented throughout the region, stretching as far south of Yorkshire. It's a rare survivor of brewers of this size.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Best Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1036 | well-balanced |
| Strongarm | Pale Ale | draught | 1042 | not sweet |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1033 | Dark Mild |
| Tartan Keg | Pale Ale | keg | ||
| Icegold Lager | Lager | keg | 1038.4 | |
| Special Light Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
| Export Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
| Strongarm | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
| Old Scranton Barley Wine | Barley Wine | bottled | ||
| Special Brown Ale | Brown Ale | bottled |
Carlisle State Management
Carlisle,
Cumbria.
Founded: 1756
Closed: 1984
Tied houses: 170
Now here’s an oddity: a state-owned brewery. During WW I, there was concern about the workers who had moved into the town to work in the munitions factories were drinking too much. In reaction, the drinks trade in the town was nationalised. Two of the three breweries were closed and all the pubs served from the one that remained.
In the early 1970s, the Conservative government decided to privatise it in the most stupid way possible, first selling the pubs, then trying to offload the brewery. Surprisingly, they did manage to sell the brewery to Theakston in 1974. Who used it to brew Theakston Bitter for the free trade. The brewery closed after Theakston was acquired by Matthew Bbrown in 1984.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1036.3 | well-balanced |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1033 | Dark Mild |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | keg | 1036.6 | well-balanced |
| Mild | Mild | keg | Dark Mild | |
| Light Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
| Nut Brown Ale | Brown Ale | bottled | ||
| Export | Pale Ale | bottled |
Castletown
Castletown,
Isle of Man.
Founded: 1860
Closed: 1986
Tied houses: 36
One of two breweries on the island, Castletown operated under different legislation to the mainland UK. Brewers had to stick to the pre-1880 rules. That is, only malt, hops, sugar and water were allowed. No adjuncts. Castletown beers weren’t regularly available outside the island. In 1986 they merged with Okell, the other local brewer, and were closed.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1036 | well-balanced |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1036 | Light Mild |
| Pale Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
| Nut Brown Ale | Brown Ale | bottled | medium sweet | |
| Liqueur Barley Wine | Barley Wine | bottled | ||
| Jubilee Stout | Stout | bottled | brewed under licence from Bass Charrington |
I drank Camerons in the Railway Inn in Mansfield a few years ago. Nice pint , a bit like a cross between Shipstones and Home Ales.
ReplyDeleteCamerons Strongarm was, and is, a deep ruby red ale, while classed as a pale ale. Quite unusual. Google images and you'll see what I mean.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1970s they had a few tied houses north of the Tyne. If you ever watch old episodes of Heartbeat, set in North Yorkshire, you'll see it in all its glory.
It has gone largely back to cask; in the 70s it was always keg or tank.
Thank you CAMRA.
As for flavour, it was quite sweet and still is. As a home brewer I've approximated a Camerons using a fair amount of Caraaroma which give luscious caramelly flavours along with the colour.
https://cameronsbrewery.com/strongarm-ale-camerons-flagship-brewery/
Looks like quite a strange ale.
DeleteOscar
Oscar, reddish beers were quite common in the region, such as Vaux Samson and Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter. Camerons brewed in Hartlepool that's more aligned with North Yorkshire than with Tyneside where the S&N and Federation draught bitters tended more to the Amber.
DeleteThanks for that never thought a ruby coloured ale could be described as pale.
DeleteOscar
Do the brewery's in the IOM still operate under the pre 1880 rules?
ReplyDeleteRichard I believe so.
DeleteOscar
I drank Castletown beers in 1977 and 1978 when at the TT ,also managed a brewery tour of Okells.I prefered the Okells beers.Both brewerys brewed mild then,still my favourite style of beer
ReplyDeleteIn Ireland we have an ale that is very close to mild.
DeleteOscar
To my lasting regret, my first visit to Carlisle was in summer 1973, so I missed the beer from the State brewery (which had closed that May), though in later years I did drink Theakston’s that had been brewed there. I only visited the Isle of Man once – on a day trip to Douglas in the mid to late seventies. The boat journey from Liverpool lasted about three hours each way, with only an hour and a half in Douglas – but that was enough time for a pint each of Okell’s and Castletown (bitter in both cases, I think). I can’t remember what the beer tasted like, or which, if either, I preferred. As for Cameron’s, they did, in fact, produce a lot of cask-conditioned beer throughout the seventies: it was available in around 40 per cent of Cameron’s pubs. (Many of the pubs in the north east in the first few editions of the Good Beer Guide sold Cameron’s.)
ReplyDeleteI didn't realise that Anthony Avis (see many of your previous posts) was the last chairman of Castletown Brewery. In his book he explains how Okells offered to buy Bass Charrington's substantial shareholding and BC said yes without even consulting the people in Castletown. It's the angriest passage in the book. He thought they behaved utterly dishonourably and I agree.
ReplyDeleteThe two breweries were much cherished on the island. I can remember the waiter in the bar, on the Mona's Isle about 1982, when I asked for a pale ale, saying imperturbably "Okell's or Castletown, sir?" The bitter was a most unusual beer. An old drinker before I went told me I'd find Okells a decent robust bitter, but Castletown, he said, a little misty-eyed, "Castletown is the drinker's drink". The first time I drank it, I thought it was sharp and a bit off. Somewhere near the end of the first pint it suddenly 'clicked', and after that I drank it wherever I could find it, the Bridge on Douglas quay and the Mines Tavern at Laxey, right in the Electric Railway station, being two favourite places. Also I think, the Glue Pot (the Castle Arms) in Castletown.
It was more than a shame when it went, and that it was Okells trying to build a monopoly only made it worse.