Beer Guide to the 1970s (part thirty-three)

And here we are, at the end of the independent breweries. A milestone of sorts. Still lots of breweries to go though.

All three of today's breweries are closed. Though one, Young, still operates as a pub company. With its own beers. All brewery closures are a reason for sadness. But it's especially true of a couple here. One, a small local brewery wih a ver limited trading area. Another a rare example of a clubs brewery, founded in the aftermath of WW I.


Yates & Jackson
Lancaster,
Lancashire.
Founded:    1811
Closed:            1984
Tied houses:    43

The other brewery in Lancaster, Yates & Jackson had a small tied estate in and around the city, extending to Morecambe on the coast. Did I drink their beer? I surely did. As I remember serving it at the Great British Beer Festival. Pretty decent stuff. Bought by Thwaites in 1984 and immediately closed.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1035.2	well hopped
Mild	Mild	draught	1030.1	Dark Mild, not too sweet
Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled		similar to the Bitter
Nut Brown	Brown Ale	bottled		medium sweet

Yorkshire Clubs
York,
North Yorkshire.
Founded:    1924
Closed:            1975
Tied houses:    200 clubs

One of the three clubs breweries that made it to the 1970s. But, sadly, not for much longer. I can remember drinking a Mild of theirs at the Covent Garden Beer Festival in 1975. It was coal black and rather nice. Bought by Northern Clubs Federation in 1973 and closed a couple of years later.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Light Bitter	Pale Ale	draught		well flavoured, well hopped
4X	Pale Ale	draught		well flavoured, well hopped
6X	Pale Ale	draught		well flavoured, well hopped
Dark Mild	Mild	draught		Dark Mild, equivalent to Light Bitter in strength
Best Mild	Mild	draught		Dark Mild, equivalent to 4X in strength
Bitter	Pale Ale	bottled
4X	Pale Ale	bottled
Special	Pale Ale	bottled		strongest
CB Brown	Brown Ale	bottled		medium sweet

Young
Wandsworth,
London.
Founded:    1675
Closed:            2005
Tied houses:    140

A well-loved London brewer, Young stood out by their commitment to cask beer. The only brewer in the capital to do so. Which obviously put them in CAMRA’s good books. Most of their tied houses were in the Southwest of London, though there were a few north of the river. I drank quite a bit of their beer in the early 1980s as my landlord was a big fan. I thought their beers were OK, but much preferred Fullers. They still operate as a pub company, with the beers being brewed at Marston.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Ordinary Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1036	very well hopped
Special Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1047	stronger sweeter
Best Malt Ale	Mild	draught	1030	Dark Mild
Winter Warmer	Old Ale	draught	1055
Keg Bitter	Pale Ale	keg	1035.5
Saxon Lager	Lager	keg	1032.7
Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1030.5
Ram Rod	Pale Ale	bottled	1047.6	strong
Strong Export Bitter	Pale Ale	bottled	1062.6	very strong, for Belgium
Old Nick	Old Ale	bottled	1084.2
Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled	1031.7	medium sweet
Saxon Lager	Lager	bottled	1032.7