oakwell brewery

[london calling]

According to reports on other beer sites it looks like Oakwell have closed the brewery and made everyone redundant.The Sheakspear where we drank on our last meet up closed in April.

[Pubsignman]

I heard this rumour too. I hope the Shakespeare's Head finds someone to take it over - it was one of the more memorable ports of of call on our crawl.

I'm told that these two pubs have also closed, although I suspect this is the tip of the iceberg.

Devonshire Arms (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/6577/)

Jolly Miller (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/74412/)

[Aqualung]

According to reports on other beer sites it looks like Oakwell have closed the brewery and made everyone redundant.The Sheakspear where we drank on our last meet up closed in April.

It's a great shame to see a brewery closing just short of it's 20th anniversary, but this seems to be an odd one as it apparently has a fairly large tied estate.

Glancing through the pics of their pubs they seem to have taken on some of the most ghastly looking modern estate pubs I have seen in a long time. I checked out the details of another one in the Telford area which is actually in the middle of nowhere a few miles to the NW of Telford and has some very limited opening hours.

The history of microbreweries is littered with ones that expand into pub ownership in a big way and then fail. This brewery's estate on the face of it may have contributed to that.

My other point is that the brewery portfolio seems to be stuck in a time warp when coal mines and other heavy industries provided a captive audience for mild and bog standard bitters. I will ignore the keg lagers that they brewed.

I can only think of one brewery of any description that has been around for over twenty years totally unchanged and that is the Legend that is Batham's.

Even the other Legend from the area Holden's have added to their portfolio over the years.

[aleandhearty]

It's a great shame to see a brewery closing just short of it's 20th anniversary, but this seems to be an odd one as it apparently has a fairly large tied estate.

Glancing through the pics of their pubs they seem to have taken on some of the most ghastly looking modern estate pubs I have seen in a long time. I checked out the details of another one in the Telford area which is actually in the middle of nowhere a few miles to the NW of Telford and has some very limited opening hours.

The history of microbreweries is littered with ones that expand into pub ownership in a big way and then fail. This brewery's estate on the face of it may have contributed to that.

My other point is that the brewery portfolio seems to be stuck in a time warp when coal mines and other heavy industries provided a captive audience for mild and bog standard bitters. I will ignore the keg lagers that they brewed.

I can only think of one brewery of any description that has been around for over twenty years totally unchanged and that is the Legend that is Batham's.

Even the other Legend from the area Holden's have added to their portfolio over the years.

You make some very interesting points there, Aqualung. There is tremendous sentimental attachment locally to the Barnsley Bitter brand, as powerful as that with Tetleys in Leeds. It probably does hark back to the time when the mines kept the local economy buoyant. As regards unchanged breweries, I think you've overlooked the dinosaur that is Sam Smiths - so unpopular with (ex) employees it has its own website!

From a West Yorkshire perspective, it's almost as if Oakwell brewery doesn't exist. It would seem they've turned their back on anywhere north of Barnsley. certainly there are no pubs locally, with just The Magpie in Carlisle. Plus, the beers are as rare as hens teeth. I think I've only seen Barnsley Bitter in a pub once, remarkable for a brewery just ten miles away.

[Aqualung]

You make some very interesting points there, Aqualung. There is tremendous sentimental attachment locally to the Barnsley Bitter brand, as powerful as that with Tetleys in Leeds. It probably does hark back to the time when the mines kept the local economy buoyant. As regards unchanged breweries, I think you've overlooked the dinosaur that is Sam Smiths - so unpopular with (ex) employees it has its own website!

From a West Yorkshire perspective, it's almost as if Oakwell brewery doesn't exist. It would seem they've turned their back on anywhere north of Barnsley. certainly there are no pubs locally, with just The Magpie in Carlisle. Plus, the beers are as rare as hens teeth. I think I've only seen Barnsley Bitter in a pub once, remarkable for a brewery just ten miles away.

I knew there would be one I had overlooked, but Sam's doesn't really register with me as their one cask is mediocre rubbish but I assume they still have some nice bottles.

I've a feeling I may have tried their Barnsley Bitter at a CAMRA festival in the nineties, but don't remember much about it (can you tell yet that I don't keep any notes or records?).

Of course another thing is just how many microbreweries are there in Yorkshire now?

[aleandhearty]

Of course another thing is just how many microbreweries are there in Yorkshire now?

If you tot up East, North, South and West Yorkshire, there are around 110 -115. In West Yorkshire alone we have 50, which even allowing for the odd duff one is still pretty impressive.

[Al 10000]

Barnsley bitter and mild were cracking drinks and always very cheap.

The brewery had two pubs in Nottingham,the Moulders Arms set in a quaint area of Radford and the Foresters Arms on huntingdon street,i had heard about a month ago that the Foresters was going to close down so the brewery closure may have been planned a while ago.

[london calling]

[QUOTE=aleandhearty;55245]If you tot up East, North, South and West Yorkshire, there are around 110 -115. In West Yorkshire alone we have 50, which even allowing for the odd duff one is still pretty impressive.[/QUOTE
Even more impressive according to Quaffale Yorkshire currently has 133 brewers.

[gillhalfpint]

I have heard that the Shakespeare's Head in Leicester is to re-open as a free house.

[Quinno]

I have heard that the Shakespeare's Head in Leicester is to re-open as a free house.

Excellent news!

[sheffield hatter]

Just back from a random visit to The Devonshire Cat (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55761/) (set out to go to the The Red Deer (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43326/) but there was folk music being played there :eek:). I'd forgotten that Oakwell Barnsley Bitter is one of their regulars. Bought a pint of the excellent Oxfordshire Marshmellow (http://www.oxfordshireales.com/ox-ales/marshmellow/) and spotted the Oakwell pump clip out of the corner of my eye as I left the bar, so had a half of that as well, for old time's sake. It's slightly lighter and less malty than the Acorn Barnsley Bitter which I was told will replace it at the Dev Cat, though as the barman reminded me, both breweries claimed to be following the original recipe.

I can't think of any Oakwell pubs around here, though have often drunk Oakwell Barnsley Bitter at The Red Lion Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/60909/). This is, sorry, was a well balanced brown bitter of the sort that is dying out in the face of the fashion for American and other foreign hops. I have to disagree with Aqualung on this point - Sam Smiths is (in my view) an excellent beer in a similar mould: well balanced, bitter and malty. I know it's unfashionable, but I like a beer that lingers on the palate in a way that doesn't have me reaching for the mouthwash and a good long gargle to get rid of the grapefruit flavours.

On a positive note, it's good to see Oxfordshire beers making it this far north - I had their Finest (http://www.oxfordshireales.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Finest4.5-e1361966650521.jpg) in Leeds the other day as well as tonight's sighting of Marshmellow in the Dev Cat.

[Wittenden]

Just back from a random visit to The Devonshire Cat (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55761/) (set out to go to the The Red Deer (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43326/) but there was folk music being played there :eek:). I'd forgotten that Oakwell Barnsley Bitter is one of their regulars. Bought a pint of the excellent Oxfordshire Marshmellow (http://www.oxfordshireales.com/ox-ales/marshmellow/) and spotted the Oakwell pump clip out of the corner of my eye as I left the bar, so had a half of that as well, for old time's sake. It's slightly lighter and less malty than the Acorn Barnsley Bitter which I was told will replace it at the Dev Cat, though as the barman reminded me, both breweries claimed to be following the original recipe.

I can't think of any Oakwell pubs around here, though have often drunk Oakwell Barnsley Bitter at The Red Lion Inn (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/60909/). This is, sorry, was a well balanced brown bitter of the sort that is dying out in the face of the fashion for American and other foreign hops. I have to disagree with Aqualung on this point - Sam Smiths is (in my view) an excellent beer in a similar mould: well balanced, bitter and malty. I know it's unfashionable, but I like a beer that lingers on the palate in a way that doesn't have me reaching for the mouthwash and a good long gargle to get rid of the grapefruit flavours.

On a positive note, it's good to see Oxfordshire beers making it this far north - I had their Finest (http://www.oxfordshireales.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Finest4.5-e1361966650521.jpg) in Leeds the other day as well as tonight's sighting of Marshmellow in the Dev Cat.

Sorry to see a brewery go: I,too enjoyed the Oakwell Barnsley Bitter at the Red Lion, Litton, particularily as it acted as a foil to a heavyweight from Abbeydale. A good amber session bitter, as I recall.The same comments moreor less applied to the BB from Acorn, albeit on the sweeter side. Does anyone have first hand experience of the original BB? My early CAMRA memories are full of the demise of that firm.

[aleandhearty]

Thought people might like to know the latest regarding Oakwell. The following is an extract from a recent Wakefield CAMRA ebulletin, including a section forwarded from the Barnsley branch.

'Oakwell Brewery which disappeared so suddenly seems to have achieved re-incarnation as Stancill's Brewery, at a new site, still in Barnsley so that a Barnsley Bitter can be legitimately brewed. Here's what Nigel Croft has posted on the Barnsley CAMRA Website 25th August:


Yesterday (Saturday 24th August) I was invited down to Oakwell brewery to see the removal of the brewery plant slowly and very carefully being unbolted, lifted and transported about 100m (300ft) to its new site Stancill Brewery, Beevor Street, Barnsley S71 1HN.
The owners Tom Gill and Adam Hague told me that they hoped the brewery will be up and running by the middle of October with a range of beers including Barnsley Bitter 3.8% abv. This will be identical to the one brewed on the Oakwell plant when it closed earlier this year. The beers will be brewed on the same brewery plant with the same brewer "Jonny Stancill" using the same water and ingredients.
In addition to Barnsley Bitter Jonny Stancill will be brewing a Dark Mild, Blonde Ale, Best Bitter and a Ruby Ale all available to the free trade and with a distribution of about 30 miles from the start of production.
“Keeping the original Barnsley Bitter brewing here in Barnsley is a must” said Tom, “keeping the excellence of Jonny brewing the beer is also a must added Adam”, Jonny acknowledged the enthusiasm of both Tom and Adam and their passion for the brewery and real ale.'