More on how British beer got from where it was to where it is with this attempt to identify some key points in the development of what we’re beginning to think of as an ‘alterno-beer’ culture. (That is, beer and pubs for awkward sods.)
We’re sure there are lots of points to add and that some of those we’ve come up with aren’t perhaps as significant as we imagine them to be: additions and corrections very welcome, as always. Be gentle with us.
- Does anyone else see a story of something taking hold outside London and working its way in?
- For us, the birth of CAMRA and the development in the 1970s-90s of the ‘real ale Mecca’ — pubs with more than three real ales, often from microbreweries — is the direct ancestor of ‘craft beer’.
- Or did the brown and dusty real ale pub mate with the chromed style bar to create ‘craft beer bars’?
- So many of the early microbreweries, brewpubs and ‘craft beer’ bars didn’t make it: they were before their time.
- Please excuse us including the founding of a beer blog as an important event, but we think it was, alright? Back off.
And some gaps:
- When did UK supermarkets start selling US and Belgian beer?
- Where was Britain’s first Belgian beer bar and when did it open? The Dovetail opened in around 2000, we think. Any earlier?
Updates 12/07/2012 in red. Updates 19/07/2012 in blue. Updates 24/08/2012 in green.
| 1963 | Homebrewing legalised. | |
| 1963 | Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood founded in Epsom. |
First ‘good beer’/anti-Big Five campaign group. |
| 1971 | CAMRA founded. | Presents an alternative to ‘monopoly beers’. |
| 1973 | Durden Park Beer Circle founded by Dr John Harrison and others. | Homebrewing culture institutionalised. |
| 1972 | Selby Brewery, North Yorkshire, re-opens after eighteen year hiatus. | First British brewing company to open since at least World War II. |
| 1973 | Westbury Ales begins brewing at the Miners Arms in Priddy, Somerset. | First new brewery. |
| 1974 | The Big Book of Brewing by Dave Line published. | First really useful homebrewing manual. |
| 1974 | Litchborough Brewery founded in Northamptonshire by Bill Urquhart. | First new brewery selling to the free trade. |
| 1975 | Pollard’s Brewery founded in Stockport by David Pollard. | Early microbrewery. |
| 1976 | The Hole in the Wall, Waterloo, makes a name as a specialist real ale pub. | Early ‘beer exhibition’ real ale specialist pub. |
| 1976 | Old British Beers and How to Make Them published by the Durden Park Beer Circle. | Inspirational recipes for historic beer styles. |
| 1976 | John and Betty Blackwell take over the Barley Mow, St Albans, eventually selling 18 real ales. | Early (the first?) ‘beer exhibition’, must-visit real ale pub. |
| 1977 | Godson’s brewery opens in Clapton. | First new London brewery. |
| 1977 | The World Guide to Beer by Michael Jackson published. | Inspirational beer Bible. |
| 1978 | Ringwood Brewery founded by Peter Austin. | Early microbrewery. |
| 1978 | Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy by Dave Line published. | Inspirational recipes for cloning commercial beers. |
| 1979 | Firkin brewpub chain founded by David Bruce. | Early microbreweries/new British brewpubs. |
| 1979 | Marler’s Bar opened by Tim Martin. | First Wetherspoon’s pub. |
| 1979 | Butcombe Brewery founded. | Early microbrewery. |
| 1980 | Two Brewers Off Licence, Pitfield Street, London opens. | Makes available German and Belgian beer. |
| 1980 | Franklin’s founded by Sean Franklin. | Early microbrewery; use of exotic hops. |
| 1982 | Pitfield Brewery founded. | Revival of historic styles and recipes. |
| 1987 | Summer Lightning launched. | Early (successful) ‘blonde’ British ale. |
| 1989? | West Coast Brewing founded by Brendan Dobbin. | ‘Hop-forward’, openly US-influenced British ale featuring ‘new world’ hops. |
| 1990 | Alastair Hook sets up Packhorse Brewing in Ashford, Kent. | First ‘craft keg’ brewery. |
| 1990 | Kelham Island founded by Dave Wickett. | Influential in development of ‘craft beer’ culture in the UK. |
| 1990 | Michael Jackson’s The Beer Hunter shown on Channel 4. | Belgian, German and US beer treated with respect and admiration. |
| 1992 | Belgo opens in London. | Belgian beer in a trendy bar/restaurant. |
| 1993 | Rooster’s founded by Sean Franklin. | Yet more ‘hop-forward’ British ale. |
| 1994 | Dark Star Brewery founded by Rob Jones. | Influential in development of ‘craft beer’ culture in the UK. |
| 1994 | Freedom Brewery founded. | First UK ‘craft lager’ producer with wide distribution. |
| 1996 | Mark Dorber takes over at the White Horse. | First (?) ‘craft beer’ pub/bar in the UK. |
| 1997 | North Bar opens in Leeds. | Early ‘craft beer’ bar. |
| 1999 | Meantime Brewing founded by Alistair Hook. | German-inspired UK lager and wheat beer production; attempts to revive historic British styles. |
| 2000 | Zero Degrees brewpub opens in Blackheath, London. | Lager brewing; style-bar and beer geek destination. |
| 2001 | Microbar opens in London. | Early ‘craft beer’ bar. |
| 2002 | Progressive Beer Duty introduced by the Government. | Makes opening/running smaller breweries more financially viable. |
| 2004 | Thornbridge founded. | Early product of ‘noughties’ brewing explosion. |
| 2006 | Rake Bar opened. | Centre of ‘noughties’ ‘craft beer’ explosion. |
| 2007 | Stonch’s beer blog founded. | First widely-read UK beer blog. |
| 2007 | Brewdog founded. | Self-identified ‘craft’ brewery. |
| 2008-2012 | London brewing explosion. | 7 breweries in London in 2007; 25 open or announced in 2011. |
| 2009 | Cask opens in Pimlico. | Sign that London might support more than one ‘craft beer’ pub. |
Cor, blimey — we’ve used so many distancing quote marks in that, we might as well have put the whole thing in one big pair.