Beer Guide to the 1970s (part twenty-nine)

Yet another set of three breweries from the 1970s. I'm gradually churning through them. Again, only one of them is still brewing.

And we have another example of a respected brewery that was fucked by Greenall Whitley. Who caused more destruction in the brewing world than some of the Big Six. And what happened after taking over and closing so many breweries? They just exited brewing to become a short-lived pub company.


Samuel Smith
Tadcaster,
Yorkshire.

Founded:    1757
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    280

Sam Smith was a bit of a funny one. On the one hand, they were committed to cask beer. And to wooden casks. However, the latter commitment led them to discontinue all cask beer except Old Brewery Bitter. In my first year of university, (1975-76) I drank a shitload of their Bitter in the student union bar. A lovely beer. Then, in the summer of 1976, they had yeast problems and the beer was never the same again.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Old Brewery Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1039.9	malty
Light Mild	Mild	draught	1031.8
XXXX Best Mild	Mild	draught		Dark Mild
Strong Ale	Strong Ale	draught
Super Bitter	Pale Ale	keg
Special Mild	Mild	keg
Super XXXX	Mild	keg
Super Strong Ale	Strong Ale	keg
Sovereign Bitter	Pale Ale	keg
Alpine Lager	Lager	keg	1036.1	brewed under licence
Taddy Light	Pale Ale	bottled
Taddy Bitter	Pale Ale	bottled		more bitter than the Light
Sovereign Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled		strong
Old Samson	Old Ale	bottled
Taddy Golden Ale	Barley Wine	bottled
Taddy Nut Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled	1035.9	medium sweet
Alpine Lager	Lager	bottled

Simpkiss
Brierley Hill,
West Midlands.

Founded:    1934
Closed:            1985
Tied houses:    17

On of the surviving small breweries in the Black Country, Simpkiss brewed beers which were well-liked. That is, until they were bought by Greenall Whittley. Who not only immediately closed them, but threw away all the beer in the fermenters. The bastards.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Best Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1038	well hopped with a good flavour
Mild	Mild	draught	1034	Dark Mild
Old Ale	Old Ale	draught	1050	October to March
Keg Bitter	Pale Ale	keg		introduced in 1972, distinctively flavoured
Extra Special Bitter	Pale Ale	bottled		bottled Best Bitter
Old Ale	Old Ale	bottled		winter only
Nut Brown	Brown Ale	bottled

South Wales & Monmouthshire United Clubs
Pontyclun,
Mid-Glamorgan

Founded:    1919
Closed:            1989
Tied houses:    350 clubs

One of three surviving club breweries in the 1970s. Later in the decade the name was changed to the Crown brewery. The cask beers were also sold in tank form. Which is what many clubs wanted. They merged with Buckley in 1989 and stopped brewing. I can’t recall ever drinking their beers.
 

beer	style	format	OG	description
CPA Clubs Pale Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1033	hoppy  and bitter
SBB Special Best Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1036	light and pleasant
Crown Keg Beer	Pale Ale	keg		pasteurised
Clubs Amber	Pale Ale	bottled		Light Ale
Clubs Special	Pale Ale	bottled		stronger
Clubs Extra	Pale Ale	bottled		strongest
Clubs Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled		sweetish