It's so long ago when I visited the Higson's brewery tap in Liverpool that I was underage at the time. Obviously, being the 1970s, getting served at 17 was no problem.
I remember Holts from the 1970s, too. Not from beer festivals, but from a visit to Manchester in 1979. I was wandering around Salford. As you do. When I spotted this rather nice looking Edwardian pub. Which brewery owned it? No indication on the exterior. Inside, no pumpclips on the handpulls. Leaning over the bar, I was able to make out the brewery name on the bottled beer: Holts. There's low-key advertising for you. In the late 1970s, lack of a brewery name on the outside usually indicated a Watney's house.
Holdens remain what the were then: a solid, small Midlands affair. Selling loads of lovely Mild.
Higson
Liverpool,
Merseyside.
Founded: 1780
Closed: 1990
Tied houses: 160
The last independent brewery in Liverpool, Higsons was bought by Boddington in 1985. I drank their beers when in Liverpool in 1973 and was reasonably impressed. After closure, the brewery reopened as Robert Cain and was passed around between a few owners and endured a couple of bankruptcies.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1039.3 | well-flavoured, well hopped |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1033.4 | Dark Mild |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | keg | ||
| Mild | Mild | keg | ||
| Pale Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
| Double Top | Brown Ale | bottled | 1033.9 | |
| Stingo Gold | Barley Wine | bottled |
Holden
Woodsetton,
Worcestershire.
Founded: 1875
Closed: still open
Tied houses: 8
One of the small breweries in the Black Country which started life as a brewpub. Considering their small size, they brewed a decent range of beers. And pretty good ones at that.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1039 | well hopped, sweetish |
| Special Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1052 | full bodied, hoppy |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1036 | Dark Mild, well balanced |
| Old Ale | Old Ale | draught | 1065 | full bodied |
| Golden Keg | Pale Ale | keg | full flavoured Bitter, chilled and filtered but not pasteurised | |
| Pale Ale | Mild | bottled | A Dark Mild |
Holt
Cheetham,
Manchester.
Founded: 1849
Closed: still open
Tied houses: 80
One of several independent breweries in the Manchester area, Holt was of a fairly modest size. Its tied estate was fairly concentrated in the Greater Manchester area. In the 1970s, they sold pretty much exclusively to their own pubs. They didn’t usually even supply beer festivals. Their beers were pretty good. Especially the Bitter, which truly lived up to the name.
| beer | style | format | OG | description |
| Bitter | Pale Ale | draught | 1038.5 | well balanced traditional brew |
| Mild | Mild | draught | 1033.4 | malty Dark Mild |
| Pale Ale | Pale Ale | bottled | ||
| Six X | Barley Wine | bottled | ||
| Diamond Ale | Brown Ale | bottled | strong Brown Ale | |
| Brown Stout | Stout | bottled | 1040 | medium sweet |
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