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

We're getting close to the end of the independent breweries. Just a couple of dozen left to go. Then we'll just have the homebrew pubs and national brewers to go. So another 20 parts or so to go. Lots for you to look forward to.

Two of today's trio of breweries are still going strong - Robinson and St. Austell. Two solid regional brewers with decent-sized tied estates. Brewers which are still pursuing the vertically-integrated approach. Back in the 1970s, pretty much all brewers, large or small operated that way. Other than Guinness, obviously. The one brewery in today's set which has closed - Ruddle - abandonned this system in the 1970s. Which is probably why they no longer exist.


Robinson
Stockport,
Greater Manchester.

Founded:    1838
Closed:            still open
Tied houses:    318

One of the largest independent brewers in the Manchester area, Robinson endeared themselves to CAMRA by serving cask beer in all their tied houses. Their beers were pretty solid and enjoyed a good reputation. I quite liked them, too.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Best Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1042	well hopped
Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1035
Best Mild	Mild	draught	1032	Light Mild
Old Tom	Old Ale	draught	1079	not too sweet
Cock Robin	Pale Ale	keg
Einhorn Lager	Lager	keg	1035.9
Light Ale	Pale Ale	bottled
Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled		stronger
Party Brew	Pale Ale	can		Bitter in a 4-pint can
Old Tom	Old Ale	bottled	1079
Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled
Unicorn Stout	Stout	bottled		medium sweet

Ruddle
Langham,
Rutland.

Founded:    1858
Closed:            1998
Tied houses:    44

One of the early cult cask breweries, Ruddle took a rather unusual tack. In 1978, they sold off all but one of their tied houses to concentrate on the supermarket trade. A brave move, which ultimately didn’t work out. The brewery was bought by Grand Metropolitan in 1986, who sold them on to Grolsch in 1992. Who in turn sold them to Morland in 1997. I never cared for either of their Bitters. County was far too sweet and heavy. I never understood why some drinkers ratted it so highly.

beer	style	format	OG	description
Bitter	Pale Ale	draught	1032	agreeable
County	Pale Ale	draught	1050	exceptionally strong and well hopped
Barley Wine	Barley Wine	draught		seasonal
Classic	Pale Ale	keg	1050	kegged County
Keg	Pale Ale	keg		stronger and hoppier than many keg beers
Bitter	Pale Ale	keg	1032	kegged Bitter
Mild	Mild	keg		Dark Mild full bodied
Langdorf	Lager	keg
Light Ale	Pale Ale	bottled
Export	Pale Ale	bottled
County	Pale Ale	bottled
Rutland Ale	Barley Wine	bottled
Bob Brown	Brown Ale	bottled
Strong Brown	Brown Ale	bottled	1046

St. Austell
St. Austell,
Cornwell

Founded:    1860
Closed:      still open
Tied houses:    132

One of the few independent breweries in Cornwall, St. Austell’s tied estate was mostly in the Southeast of the county. They served cask in a little more than half of their pubs. Unlike some brewers in the Southwest, they did still brew a Mild. Though it was pretty rare, especially in cask form. I can only remember coming across their beer at festivals. I thought they were OK, but nothing special.
 

beer	style	format	OG	description
BB	Pale Ale	draught	1031	good malty flavour
Hick's Special	Pale Ale	draught	1050	rich and distinctive
XXXX	Mild	draught	1032	Dark Mild
St. Austell Extra	Pale Ale	keg	1037	introduced in the early 1950s, filtered but unpasteurised
Light Ale	Pale Ale	bottled
Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled
Duchy Special Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled
Smuggler's Ale	Strong Ale	bottled
Prince's Ale	Barley Wine	bottled		first brewed for Prince Charles' 21st birthday. One of the strongest beers in the country