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Sunday, 2 February 2025

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

Three Bass Charrington breweries today. All in the Northwest. All closed as production was switched to the disastrous Runcorn plant.

I've absolutely no idea what any of their beers were like. Doubtless better than the stuff churned out by Runcorn.

Bent
Liverpool,
Merseyside.
Founded:    1810
Closed:            1975
Tied houses:    514

Bought in 1967 by Bass Charrington, soon after its formation. One of the breweries closed to make room for Runcorn.

beer style format OG description
Red Label Stout Stout bottled 1045.2  


Case
Barrow-in-Furness,
Cumbria.
Founded:    1860
Closed:            1972
Tied houses:    60

Bought by Hammond's United Breweries Ltd. 1959. One of the smallest breweries operated by Bass Charrington.


Catterall & Swarbrick
Blackpool,
Lancashire.
Founded:    1871
Closed:            1971
Tied houses:    104

Bought by Northern Breweries in 1961.

The above is an excerpt from my latest book, "Keg!".

Get your copy of "Keg!" now!

10 comments:

  1. Richard2 February 2025 at 03:27

    Beer is still brewed in part of the old Bent's Brewery in Stone, Staffs by Lymestone Brewery

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  2. Anonymous2 February 2025 at 11:27

    Bents seem an interesting brewery, and some great info on them and wonderful beer labels on the Brewery History Society pages. Any recipes available? King Hal Pale Ale, Old Tom, and the Imperial Stout look super interesting - although the Coronation Ale, Yeoman Ale, and the Special Gold Bitter sound great too. And a brown ale. What a line up!
    https://breweryhistory.com/wiki/index.php/Bent%27s_Brewery_Co._Ltd

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous3 February 2025 at 05:47

      Interesting that they brewed an imperial stout.
      Oscar

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2 February 2025 at 14:43

    What sort of stout was red label stout.
    Oscar

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous2 February 2025 at 23:34

      Ron has a couple of tables that feature Red Label Stout in his 2015 series on bottled stout in the 1950's - OG, FG, ABV etc. - two versions from 54 and 59 (I googled Bents Red Label Stout)

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    2. Anonymous2 February 2025 at 23:37

      And an advert from 1957 came up as well that describes red label stout as 'Sweet! Strong! Delicious!'

      Delete
    3. Anonymous4 February 2025 at 05:32

      So milk stout.
      Oscar

      Delete
  4. Chris Pickles10 February 2025 at 02:05

    Ron, are you going to come back to this great series? So far as I can see you haven't finished Bass Charrington, there is still M&B and Charringtons to go, then there is Courage, Watney Mann, Whitbread, S&N and Guinness and their various subsidiaries still to go.

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    Replies
    1. Ron Pattinson12 February 2025 at 00:31

      I had been intending to leave there as I've finished and published "Keg!:. Sort of as an incentive to buy the book. Anyone else interested in seeing it continued?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13 February 2025 at 04:15

      Yes, keep it up!

      Delete