Beer Guide to the 1970s (part sixteen)

Another mixed set again. All breweries whose beers I definitely drank. All in the less fashionable parts of the North and Midlands.

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