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Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part two)

I'm gratified - if somewhat amazed - that there's at least a handful of people interested in my 1970s brewery guide. Especially delighted that I've a good excuse for posting sections of it here. As it's a chance to get more feedback on the breweries and their beers.

I welcome your input. The best and most relevant comments will be added to the book.

Adnams
Southwold,
Suffolk.
Founded:    1818
Closed:    still open
Tied houses:     70

Just like today, Adnams was a family-owned brewery with a good reputation for quality. While availability of their beers was mostly limited to East Anglia, they were starting to be available in free houses in the London area.

beer style format OG description
Mild Mild draught 1032 Dark Mild
Bitter Pale Ale draught 1036 distinctive
Strong Ale Old Ale draught 1042  
Tally Ho Barley Wine draught 1075 Winter only
Bitter Pale Ale keg    
Champion Pale Ale Pale Ale bottled 1032  
Fishermans Strong Pale Ale bottled    
Braodside Pale Ale bottled 1068  
Tally Ho Barley Wine bottled 1075  
Nut Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled 1029.8 medium sweet



Ann Street
St. Helier
Jersey.
Founded:    1900
Closed:    2003
Tied houses:    50

One of a handful of small breweries in the Channel Islands, Ann Street, unlike some of the others, produced no cask beer. Their beers were only available on Jersey.

beer style format OG description
Best Bitter Pale Ale keg   well hopped
Extra Special Bitter Pale Ale keg   stronger and sweeter
Mary Ann Pale Ale Pale Ale bottled    
Mary Ann Special Pale Ale bottled    
Mary Ann Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled   medium sweet
Mary Ann Stout Stout bottled   Dry Stout



Arkell
Swindon,
Wiltshire.
Founded:    1843
Closed:    still open
Tied houses:    62

A family-owned brewery with a small tied estate mostly fairly close to Swindon. Their beers were, as they are now, in the malty Southwestern style. Around half of the pubs were within five miles of Swindon.  They had some free trade, even as far away as London.

beer style format OG description
BB Bitter Beer Pale Ale draught 1033.2 pleasantly nutty
BBB Best Bitter Beer Pale Ale draught 1038.2  
Kingsdown Ale Strong Ale draught 1060 bitter brew
Keg Bitter Pale Ale keg 1038.2 BBB chilled and filtered but not pasteurised
Pale Ale Pale Ale bottled 1033.2 bottled BB
Best Bitter Beer Pale Ale bottled 1038.2 Bottled BBB
Strong Ale Strong Ale bottled    
Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled    

 

 

 

7 comments:

  1. It's valuable social history Ron. Always surprised there aren't more TV programmes about beer and pubs, given their central place in British culture. The evolution of British beer in a social and historical context would be a fascinating TV series, to me at least. Throw in some historical brewing and Shut Up becomes a Netflix-bankrolled viral hit.

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    1. Ron should send it in to Channel 4, BBC, ITV. RTÉ did a very good programme on beer in medieval Dublin.
      Oscar

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    2. A tv programme on the social history of pubs and beer would be timely, as pubs face inexorable decline and will largely have disappeared as we know them within a generation in the UK

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    3. From the BBC today 'On average, 18 chemists, 16 pubs and nine banks shut down every week between January and June' in Britain.

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    4. From what I have heard it was a very goodshow

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  2. I wonder what Arkell’s keg bitter was like.
    Oscar

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  3. Arkell's 3B was becoming a mainstay of the free trade in the mid 80's. I remember having a pint in a pub just outside the gate of Hampton Court Palace in what would have been 1983. 2B stayed at home, apparently it was traditional in Wiltshire to have it with a dash of lemonade.

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