Comments on: Key Points in the Birth of British Alterno-beer?

By: Bailey

Bailey — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:38:12 +0000

Ian — this is really useful stuff, thanks, especially re: Selby, Litchborough et al.

By: Ian Worden

Ian Worden — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 22:57:46 +0000

This is a fascinating subject and if I were retired then it would be a great project for a book (the internet is too ephemeral to provide reliable history). You should try and get a copy of ‘New Beer Guide’ published by CAMRA in 1988 and written by Brian Glover, who was editor of What’s Brewing for a few years. He gives the first new independent as Selby in 1972, although as this was a re-opening he classes the first ‘new wave’ breweries as the Miners Arms (Priddy) in 1973 and the Masons Arms (South Leigh) in 1974. These only sold on their own premises, with the first free-trade brewery being Litchborough in 1974, then followed by Pollard.

Incidentally the book mentions that Wiltshire/Tisbury had the agency for Spaten – no date given but looks like 1986/7.

I lived in Norwich over 1974-9 and when I went there it had c3 (sources vary) real ale pubs. I have the 1977 local beer guide which lists 22 including a few with over 4 beers – revolutionary at the time! The Ten Bells was a favourite in my later years there and I remember that the owner used to go round the Midlands regularly in a van, collecting rare beers to sell in the pub – ‘rare’ then would be something like Batemans. The nearby Golden Star was I think the first brewpub in the area, probably around 1977. It launched with Wifebeater Bitter, a name that was quickly changed.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:10:52 +0000

Lovely post, and immaculately put together. Thanks, guys. Love T’man’s Franklin point…I didn’t know about Brendan til I read his post. Not sure about the Stonch bit though! (only kidding).
Beer Exhibition pubs, eh? Interesting…

By: Curmudgeon

Curmudgeon — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 13:48:33 +0000

I would say that the key tipping point in the development of the “craft beer” movement came when beer enthusiasts on a large scale started brewing new and different beers for themselves rather than simply taking an interest in what was already there. Which happened first in the US. For many years, the vast majority of British micro brewers simply produced beers in the established British styles.

By: Rod

Rod — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 10:04:21 +0000

Martyn Cornell’s Gold, Amber and Black is very good on the development of pale, hoppy “Summer” ales.

By: The Global Aspect of Alterno-beer | Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog

The Global Aspect of Alterno-beer | Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 09:04:57 +0000

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By: Bailey

Bailey — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:38:38 +0000

That’s great, thanks very much. Haven’t heard of most of those breweries! (We are still learning, not ashamed to admit it.)

By: Tandleman

Tandleman — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:55:49 +0000

Sorry about the typos. Done in a rush.

By: Tandleman

Tandleman — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:54:55 +0000

Well Marble came later and were probably best known for the fact their beer was all organic though that has changed since. I believe only one or two are just now. I am more thinking of Phoenix, Coniston, Kitchen (famous for its vegetable beers such as Tormented Turnip, Tubby Tangerine, Carrot Cruncher, Raisin Stout etc. all brilliant I recall), Goose Eye, Linfit, Ossett.Tiger Tops, Barge and Barrel which were all brewing huge diverse beer while London was still feasting mainly on Courage Best.

Pale hoppy beers were emerging from those as well as classic stouts (Englsh Guineas from Linfi for example) barley wines, old ales etc. Most of these led the move from mild, bitter, best bitter.

By: Bailey

Bailey — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:26:13 +0000

Thanks, TM. So we’re talking Marble, Pictish and… any other particular breweries you’d associate with that boom? (We’re probably going to keep working on this post for a few days at least.)

Anyroadup, that’s an equivalent explosion to the London one but several years earlier, and perhaps less obvious because the starting base for the number of breweries wasn’t as weirdly low as London in 2007.