Friday 11 October 2024

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part eleven)

It's been a while since the last instalment. I've still loads more, though. Nice to slip some 1970s nostalgia in with all the boring trip reports.

Today's trio are all, sadly, no longer with us. With a few exceptions, the passing of any brewery is a reason for sadness. They were around for very differing lengths of time. From almost 250 years to just five.


Gale
Horndean,
Hampshire.
Founded:    1847
Closed:            2005
Tied houses:    102

A brewery with a good reputation for its beers, but with little in the way of investment. When they sold up to Fullers in 2005, the brewery was totally knackered and required a complete rebuild. A shame, because they brewed some interesting beers. Partly because of the unlined wooden fermenters. Source of all the weird stuff in Prize Old Ale.

beer style format OG description
Bitter Pale Ale draught 1037  
HSB Best Bitter Pale Ale draught 1051 moderately hopped and sweetish
Light Mild Mild draught 1030 lightly hopped
Dark Mild Mild draught 1031 thin and rare
XXXXX Old Ale draught 1045 winter; dark and sweet
Gale's Keg Pale Ale keg   full-flavoured for keg
Pale Ale Pale Ale bottled    
Champion Ale Pale Ale bottled    
Tudor Pale Ale Pale Ale bottled    
Prize Old Ale Old Ale bottled 1095 matured for a minimum of 18 months in cask and bottle
Nut Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled   medium sweet
Nourishing Stout Stout bottled   sweet



Gibbs Mew
Salisbury,
Wiltshire.
Founded:    1750
Closed:            1997
Tied houses:    55

This was a bit of an odd brewery. Despite being quite small, Gibbs Mew enthusiastically embraced keg and, for a while, I believe they brewed no cask beer. Which didn’t exactly endear them to CAMRA. They brought back cask, but it was only available in a few of their pubs. I’m sure that I tried their beer at festivals. Didn’t leave much of an impression, though. Their tied estate was spread around Wiltshire and reached as far as the Isle of Wight.

beer style format OG description
Premium Bitter Pale Ale draught 1039 malty
Bishop's Tipple Barley Wine draught 1066 full bodied
Special PA Pale Ale keg    
Blue Keg Pale Ale keg 1034.7 stronger
Anchor Keg Pale Ale keg 1040.6 strongest
Super Mild Mild keg   sweet Dark Mild
Light Ale Pale Ale bottled    
Sarum Special Pale Ale bottled   high-gravity Pale Ale
Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled    
Extra Stout Stout bottled   medium sweet



Godson
Old Ford,
London.
Founded:    1977
Closed:            1982
Tied houses:    0

One of the earliest new breweries which, sadly, wasn’t around for very long. Not sure that I ever came across their beer. 

beer style format OG description
Anchor Bitter Pale Ale draught 1042 hoppy
Black Horse Pale Ale draught 1048 unusual and malty


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember last century visiting friends in the West Country. Gibbs Mew Bishop's Tipple and Inch's cider - a powerful combination when drunk together. Modern day versions of both are not a patch on the originals.

Chris Pickles said...

Gibbs had a pub in Melbourne, Derbyshire for a while. A place where my family moved to so I often went there. I can't say that it tasted of anything at all.

Grayson said...

I bet Godson was incredible. They just couldn't get off the ground. Someone believed so much in their product that they started a brewery in a time in which most breweries were being sold off. I bet Mr Godson probably has a kid or a grandson around to coordinate this less than scientific thesis.

Martyn Cornell said...

Gibbs Mew was vile. I remember calling in to one of their pubs on my way back from a trip to the West Country, and my pibnt was so bad I couldn't finish it.

B A Thomas said...

Beat me too it! The Gibbs Mew signs were there until recently (and might still be), will have to check tomorrow.