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Thread: Random news of the day

  1. #2891
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post
    As I recall Watney's Fined Bitter was introduced in 1975/1976. It was brewed in Norwich. Ind Coope Burton Ale followed in 1976/1977 and was rightly much better received.
    This is all from memory but I think the dates are right.
    Sounds about right. IIRC Burton was simply unprocessed Double Diamond, rather as, conversely, Worthington E was processed Bass.

  2. #2892
    This Space For Hire Aqualung's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NickDavies View Post
    Sounds about right. IIRC Burton was simply unprocessed Double Diamond, rather as, conversely, Worthington E was processed Bass.
    You're right but it was bottled Doubled Diamond as the keg product was some watered down rubbish.

    I've just remembered how Watney's did have one reasonable product and that was a bottled barley wine called Stingo (I think?).

  3. #2893
    This Space For Hire Wittenden's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post

    I've just remembered how Watney's did have one reasonable product and that was a bottled barley wine called Stingo (I think?).
    Remember it, never tried.
    "At that moment I would have given a kingdom, not for champagne or hock and soda, or hot coffee but for a glass of beer" Marquess Curzon of Kedlestone, Viceroy of India.

  4. #2894
    Old & Bitter oldboots's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post
    I assume we are just talking cask here so Worthington Bitter was a Burton brewed option but not that common in London which was awash with Charrington IPA or less likely Bass. It's still going but brewed by Brains for Mouldy Corpse.

    My recollection of timescales is that Red Barrel was replaced by Red in late 1969 or early 1970. I think Red Barrel was an attempt to create an Irish Red Ale but the new Red was dismal. It was accompanied by a huge advertising campaign urging people to join the Red Revolution featuring supposed Communist leaders and was about as funny as an emergency visit to the dentist. This was the era of the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Cuban missile crisis so was arguably a lot more offensive than recent sexist beer names and pump clips.
    As I recall Watney's Fined Bitter was introduced in 1975/1976. It was brewed in Norwich. Ind Coope Burton Ale followed in 1976/1977 and was rightly much better received.
    This is all from memory but I think the dates are right.
    Sounds close but Red Barrel had been around since the late 1950s although based on the original 1930s keg beer, the Red Barrel trade mark had been thought up in 1930 as a competition (won by Mr E.W. Rankin of Alperton, Middlesex). I don't think anyone had heard of "Irish Red ale" in the 1960s I thought it was a marketing ploy of the 1990s along with that Caffreys and later Smithwicks rubbish. AFAIK Red Barrel was just their bitter, filtered, pasteurised and carbonated as per Tankard, John Courage, Brew XI, Worthington E and all the rest of the pish. Worst of the lot was Watney's Starlight a keg made from recycled ullage. The Red Revolution didn't go well for Watneys (or Grand Metropolitan the owners of the brand at the time), they ended up painting their pubs any colour but red, I remember some trying to look like Fullers pubs with their style of stripes. I only found the beer offensive not the ad's featuring bad lookalikes.

    Fined Bitter (Stag) appears in the 1977 GBG, the first I still have, while Tamplins, Manns Bitter and Norwich Castle Bitter (all brewed in Norwich) are also there in the 1978 edition. London Bitter makes an appearance in 1979. Norwich closed in 1985 and the beers quickly faded away after that, the only "Watney's" cask beer being produced by Wilsons, Websters and Ushers until they all got closed.

  5. #2895
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post
    I assume we are just talking cask here so Worthington Bitter was a Burton brewed option but not that common in London which was awash with Charrington IPA or less likely Bass. It's still going but brewed by Brains for Mouldy Corpse.

    My recollection of timescales is that Red Barrel was replaced by Red in late 1969 or early 1970. I think Red Barrel was an attempt to create an Irish Red Ale but the new Red was dismal. It was accompanied by a huge advertising campaign urging people to join the Red Revolution featuring supposed Communist leaders and was about as funny as an emergency visit to the dentist. This was the era of the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Cuban missile crisis so was arguably a lot more offensive than recent sexist beer names and pump clips.
    As I recall Watney's Fined Bitter was introduced in 1975/1976. It was brewed in Norwich. Ind Coope Burton Ale followed in 1976/1977 and was rightly much better received.
    This is all from memory but I think the dates are right.
    As Nick pointed out it was probably Worthington E that I drank .

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    Quote Originally Posted by oldboots View Post
    Sounds close but Red Barrel had been around since the late 1950s although based on the original 1930s keg beer, the Red Barrel trade mark had been thought up in 1930 as a competition (won by Mr E.W. Rankin of Alperton, Middlesex). I don't think anyone had heard of "Irish Red ale" in the 1960s I thought it was a marketing ploy of the 1990s along with that Caffreys and later Smithwicks rubbish. AFAIK Red Barrel was just their bitter, filtered, pasteurised and carbonated as per Tankard, John Courage, Brew XI, Worthington E and all the rest of the pish. Worst of the lot was Watney's Starlight a keg made from recycled ullage. The Red Revolution didn't go well for Watneys (or Grand Metropolitan the owners of the brand at the time), they ended up painting their pubs any colour but red, I remember some trying to look like Fullers pubs with their style of stripes. I only found the beer offensive not the ad's featuring bad lookalikes.

    Fined Bitter (Stag) appears in the 1977 GBG, the first I still have, while Tamplins, Manns Bitter and Norwich Castle Bitter (all brewed in Norwich) are also there in the 1978 edition. London Bitter makes an appearance in 1979. Norwich closed in 1985 and the beers quickly faded away after that, the only "Watney's" cask beer being produced by Wilsons, Websters and Ushers until they all got closed.
    I think Irish Red Ale is an American style and saw plenty of it in Florida in the 90,s.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wittenden View Post
    Remember it, never tried.
    Remember it.Tried it once 1974.Horrible stuff although a mate of mine often mixed it with his beer.

  8. #2898
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldboots View Post
    Sounds close but Red Barrel had been around since the late 1950s although based on the original 1930s keg beer, the Red Barrel trade mark had been thought up in 1930 as a competition (won by Mr E.W. Rankin of Alperton, Middlesex). I don't think anyone had heard of "Irish Red ale" in the 1960s I thought it was a marketing ploy of the 1990s along with that Caffreys and later Smithwicks rubbish. AFAIK Red Barrel was just their bitter, filtered, pasteurised and carbonated as per Tankard, John Courage, Brew XI, Worthington E and all the rest of the pish. Worst of the lot was Watney's Starlight a keg made from recycled ullage. The Red Revolution didn't go well for Watneys (or Grand Metropolitan the owners of the brand at the time), they ended up painting their pubs any colour but red, I remember some trying to look like Fullers pubs with their style of stripes. I only found the beer offensive not the ad's featuring bad lookalikes.

    Fined Bitter (Stag) appears in the 1977 GBG, the first I still have, while Tamplins, Manns Bitter and Norwich Castle Bitter (all brewed in Norwich) are also there in the 1978 edition. London Bitter makes an appearance in 1979. Norwich closed in 1985 and the beers quickly faded away after that, the only "Watney's" cask beer being produced by Wilsons, Websters and Ushers until they all got closed.

    I must admit my Irish Red Ale theory was plucked from the ether and would seem to be a complete load of cobblers! The anonymity of Watney pubs takes me back. The Ee-Aaw group are continuing that tradition with the "Craft Union" chain of pubs where the craftiest beer I've found is Hobgoblin Gold.

  9. #2899
    Old & Bitter oldboots's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aqualung View Post
    I must admit my Irish Red Ale theory was plucked from the ether and would seem to be a complete load of cobblers!
    I don't guarantee I'm right but it's certainly my recollection. A few internet sources witter on about Kilkenny in 1710 as the source but that sounds like complete bollocks, obviously they are American home brewer/beer review sites that are well known for publishing utter rubbish. Sounds like they swallowed a load of blarney.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pangolin View Post
    I see that the Morning Advertiser have updated their occasional list of "most popular pub names", which has attracted a little mainstream media coverage. Sadly it seems to be based on MA subscribers, so is not especially accurate as a quick cross-check of our own excellent live list quickly shows. Even allowing for possible differences in method (like ignoring suffixes so that Railway, Railway Inn, Railway Tavern, Railway Hotel etc are all counted as Railway) there are some pretty wide variations and obvious omissions.
    3 out of 10 for getting the top three right! Apart from The Railway, another of our top 25 they missed is The Station. They must have found an old Dr Beeching list!
    It is a shame that they do not give the number of each pub name so we can see how many pubs they have failed to find!

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