Friday, 31 January 2025

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part forty-six)

Three more Big Six breweries for you. One Allied and two Bass Charrington.

Can you guess which was my favourite? It's not hard.

Wrexham Lager Brewery
Wrexham,
Wales.
Founded:    1878
Closed:    2000
Tied houses:    

Bought by Ind Coope in 1949. One of the first dedicated Lager breweries in the UK that didn’t collapse after a few years. I can’t remember ever seeing their beer anywhere. Not that I would have tried them, as they were Lager.


Bass Charrington (Tadcaster)
Burton-on-Trent,
Staffordshire.
Founded:    early 18th century
Closed:    still open
Tied houses:    247

The Tower Brewery was purchased by Hammond in 1946. I never cared much for their beer. XXXX Mild was way inferior to Tetley’s Mild.

beer style format OG description
Brew Ten Pale Ale draught 1036 enjoyable
Extra Light Pale Ale draught 1034 thin
Mild Mild draught 1033.7 fruity
XXXX Mild Mild draught 1031.8 thin
Toby Light Pale Ale draught 1031.8 very thin


Bass Worthington (Burton)
Burton-on-Trent,
Staffordshire.
Founded:    1777
Closed:    still open
Tied houses:    

The original Bass brewery, which merged with M & B in 1961.Home of the magnificent Draught Bass and Worthington White Shield, two beers which were run through the union sets. 

beer style format OG description
Draught Bass Pale Ale draught 1044 well-hopped and distinctive
Worthington Best Bitter Pale Ale draught 1036 pleasant and refreshing
Joules Bitter Pale Ale draught 1035  
Light Mild (or M) Mild, Light draught 1033.1 thin
Worthington E Pale Ale keg 1040  
Worthington White Shield IPA bottled 1052 nutty
Bass Red Triangle IPA bottled 1052 same beer as White Shield
Bass Blue Triangle IPA bottled 1052 filtered Red Triangle
Nut Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled 1033.2  
Light Ale Light Ale bottled 1031  
BB Pale Ale bottled 1036.6  

10 comments:

Matt said...

Wrexham Lager has been relaunched and the company which produces it is now part owned by the Hollywood actors who bought and turned round the fortunes of the town's football club.

Bribie G said...

Wrexham Lager has been revived under new owners and they must be brewing a fair bit as I came across it at a good price last week in a Dan Murphy's store (biggest Australian liquor barn chain). I'm not interested in 4% stuff so didn't buy it, went for a pack of DAB German Dort but surprised to see the Wrexham there.

Anonymous said...

Wrexham Lager reborn in 2011. Website says when the brewery was demolished in 2002 all documents and brewery artefacts were lost - sheer vandalism. As of last year, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds (the Hollywood guys who own the footy club) are co-owners of the brewery.

Anonymous said...

Interesting to see a brewery still brewing two milds in the 1970’s.
Oscar

Whorst said...

Wrexham Lager is contract brewed in The US now. Somewhere in Chicago I believe.

Ed said...

Good call on not drinking lager!

Grayson said...

Bribie, we just started getting DAB dort beer here in the Southwest US about a year ago, maybe less, I guess it's funny I've never heard of it before 2024 and now it's seemingly everywhere. I get the maibock too 7%

Wrexham I only see in the "liquor barn" big box stores here too, for our market I wonder if it's actually brewed in Wrexham, or contracted by somewhere else.

Grayson said...

Ron, I have had bottled White Shield and the ABInbev American version of bass maybe 10 years ago at the latest. I absolutely loved bottled White Shield, it had the CAMRA logo on it "closer to cask" on the side. That started my love of English ales, and it's absolutely exploded from there. I found your blog chiefly because I started googling information about that beer. Fun times it's been.

When I had White Shield, I also bought a bottle of Red Shield, I never see that listed, but it was truly great. I wonder what that was exactly.

Anonymous said...

Red Shield was a 4%-ish golden ale, with some Cascade hops if I'm not mistaken.

Bribie G said...

Next time I'm in Australian Dan Murphy's I'll check, they have to state the country of origin. Ours could well be the UK genuine stuff as they get in a lot of UK beer here such as Shepherd Neame, Hook Norton, Adnams, Sheepshagger, Old fart, you name it.