Nostalgia Corner or what happened to British Brewing since 1972?

[Brakslover]

[QUOTE=NickDavies;24461]CAMRA's 1975 'Beer in London' - probably the first London real ale guide ever done, lists the following:

Bass Charrington
Brakspear (in three pubs)
Courage
Fuller
Greene King (in just two pubs)
Ind Coope (but real ale in "only a few houses")
Marston (one pub)
McMullen
Ruddle
Sam Smith ("about half a dozen pubs")
Shepherd Neame
Theakston (two pubs)
Whitbread
Young

Memories...Mixed emotions thinking back to 60s & 70s drinking! As the self appointed World’s Biggest Brakspears Fan, I remember the three pubs well – Hole in the Wall (haven't seen Brakspears recently), Coronet Bar (long gone) and Tudor Close (now Sam Smith’s Rose of York). Additionally I seem to recall that The Anglesea Arms in South Ken served Brakspears. Happy Days.

[Gann]

Oooh..Seeing this thread pop up again today made me go back and check the original list again.

And this time round I noticed one of my historical favourites, Rayments, is not on the list..

For the uninitiated Rayments was a Hertfordshire brewery in the quaintly named village of Furneux Pelham.
It was originally built in 1860 by William Rayment and was purchased by Greene King in 1928 when it had an estate of 35 public houses.
The brewery was eventually closed by GK in 1987 at which time it was down to brewing only one beer, Rayments BBA.

Perhaps also it is lumped under GK on the list, which would be a shame, because the Rayments ales were a cut above what was coming out of Suffolk at the time, IMHO...

[oldboots]

Oooh..Seeing this thread pop up again today made me go back and check the original list again.

And this time round I noticed one of my historical favourites, Rayments, is not on the list..

Perhaps also it is lumped under GK on the list, which would be a shame, because the Rayments ales were a cut above what was coming out of Suffolk at the time, IMHO...

Mr Bailie does lump Rayments in with the Greene King entry:
"Rayment & Co Ltd, Furneux Pelham, Buntingford, Herts, Tel. Brent Pelham 254

Rayment & Co is a small country brewery which brews independently but also supplies many of the Greene King group beers."

He must have liked their beers too because there's quite long bit about them including where the pubs are and the names of some. He also lists the beers;

BBA
AK Pale Ale
XX Mild
Keg Bitter
Keg Mild (Dagger)

Bottles:
Pelham
Super Ale
Brown Ale
Dagger Brown.

He ends by saying "Because of the increasing popularity of Rayment's draught beers, production at Furneux Pelham is to be concentrated on these. All or most of the bottled beers would then be supplied by Greene King..." He also says top pressure is being introduced...

[Wittenden]

Mr Bailie does lump Rayments in with the Greene King entry:
"Rayment & Co Ltd, Furneux Pelham, Buntingford, Herts, Tel. Brent Pelham 254

Rayment & Co is a small country brewery which brews independently but also supplies many of the Greene King group beers."

He must have liked their beers too because there's quite long bit about them including where the pubs are and the names of some. He also lists the beers;

BBA
AK Pale Ale
XX Mild
Keg Bitter
Keg Mild (Dagger)

Bottles:
Pelham
Super Ale
Brown Ale
Dagger Brown.

He ends by saying "Because of the increasing popularity of Rayment's draught beers, production at Furneux Pelham is to be concentrated on these. All or most of the bottled beers would then be supplied by Greene King..." He also says top pressure is being introduced...

I remember enjoying the AK- a ggod lightish bitter, a style that's gone out of favour, more's the pity. I'm not sure what AK stood for; perhaps it is an Hertfordshire thing, as McMullens, another unfashionable brewery did, perhaps still does, brew a quite tasty example.

[hondo]

I remember enjoying the AK- a ggod lightish bitter, a style that's gone out of favour, more's the pity. I'm not sure what AK stood for; perhaps it is an Hertfordshire thing, as McMullens, another unfashionable brewery did, perhaps still does, brew a quite tasty example.

"What all these beers had in common was that they were light, in both colour and gravity, and also lightly hopped."
http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/98/

[Moonraker]

to find that the only pub in the remote village you're staying in has been gastrified and that the one handpump in use has a London bleedin Pride clip on it does sap the will to live; back to the Guinness.

Guinness in preference to Pride? Your example is, I hope, a heck of a lot better than my travels in Norfolk in the 70s. Lovely village pubs all serving Watney's Red!

[Gann]

I remember enjoying the AK- a ggod lightish bitter, a style that's gone out of favour, more's the pity. I'm not sure what AK stood for; perhaps it is an Hertfordshire thing, as McMullens, another unfashionable brewery did, perhaps still does, brew a quite tasty example.

Yep, AK was my favourite also of the Pelham brews, a very easy drinking beer.. Many thanks to old Boots for the comprehensive reply and bringing back...happy days !

[Moonraker]

Guinness in preference to Pride? Your example is, I hope, a heck of a lot better than my travels in Norfolk in the 70s. Lovely village pubs all serving Watney's Red!

A bit embarrassed, to say the least, that in another thread, I expressed a liking for Watney's Red!

[Wittenden]

"What all these beers had in common was that they were light, in both colour and gravity, and also lightly hopped."
http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/98/

The wonderful Ron Pattinson has an interesting post on AK today:http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2...s-1914-ak.html