Wittenden's recent mention of Frank Ballie's Beer Drinkers Companion and the 88 breweries sent me scurrying for my copy to check out who the 88 breweries were and thinking about what happened to them was interesting, the 88 didn't include the “Big Six” who were very much still with us in 1972.
Some of Frank's comments in his introduction are quite interesting too in the light of later developments, he complains about a lack of information about beer in pubs, “...it would be helpful to know the gravity of the beer...” reminding me that we never spoke about ABV in those days just Original Gravity or OG, apart the fact that ABV is now an almost obligatory statement. He also has a word about tasters, “the occasional landlord has been known to offer a sip of his draught and keg beers to a stranger before he makes the vital decision – a splendid act of public relations which should not be necessary” (on the basis that a proper description would be sufficient). He ends the introduction “this book has been compiled, and it is dedicated to the many beer drinkers who would like to find, know about and drink some of the wonderful beers still left to us before it is too late.”
For the curious here's Frank's list of 88 breweries plus the Big Six, and what happened to them (I think), the 35 still going are in bold, feel free to add to it or correct any mistakes;
Adnams
Ann St (Channel Islands) - closed
J Arkell (Swindon)
LC Arkell Donnington Brewery (now owned by one of the Swindon family)
G Bateman
Daniel Batham
Beard – sold to King & Barnes (also gone)
Boddingtons – fell to Whitbread
Border – bought and closed by Marstons
Brains
Brakspear – brand sold to Marstons, brewery sold for development
Matthew Brown - sold to Scottish & Newcastle
Buckleys – bought by Crown (ex South Wales Clubs) now merged with Brains
Burt (IOW) – closed but a similar named micro brewery company now exists
Burtonwood – no cask ale
Camerons
Carlisle State Management Scheme sold to Jennings, Theakstons (brewery only), Greenall, and Courage
Castletown (IOM) - closed
Cook (Halstead Essex) - closed
Darley – closed by Vaux
Davenports – closed by Greenall Whitley
Devenish - closed
Dudgeon – renamed Belhaven, bought by Greene King
Eldridge Pope – Closed, partly merged with Burtonwood, became pubco
Elgood
Everards
Felinfoel
Fullers
Gales – bought by Fullers
Gibbs Mew - closed
Grey (Chelmsford) – sold
Greenall Whitley – became a pubco then sold its pubs to S&N now it's basically De Vere Hotels
Greene King
Guernsey Brewery - closed
Hall & Woodhouse
Hardy & Hanson – closed by Greene King
Hartleys – bought by Robinsons & closed, the brewery is used as a depot.
Harvey
Higson – closed by Whitbread, Cains brew in the old brewery.
Holdens
J Holt
Home – bought by S&N
Hook Norton
T Hoskins - closed
Hull - closed
Hydes
Jennings – bought by Marstons
JPS (Brierley Hill) – closed was this known as Simpkiss?
King & Barnes – bought and closed by Hall & Woodhouse
J W Lees
Maclay - closed
McMullen
Mansfield – bought by Marstons via W&D
Marstons
Melbourn (Stamford) – closed 1974 reopened 1994, now owned by Sam Smith
Mitchells of Lancaster – Bought by Thwaites
Morland – bought and closed by Greene King
Morrells – closed
Northern Clubs Federation – sold to S&N
Okell (IOM)
Oldham – sold to Boddingtons and closed
Paines - closed
Palmer
Randalls (Jersey) – closed? Now St Saviour?
Randalls (Guernsey)
Ridley – closed by Greene King
Robinsons
Ruddles – sold to Watneys then Grolsch then who knows, ending up with Greene King
St Austell
Selby (Middlesbrough) – closed
Shepherd Neame
Shipstones – closed by Greenall Whitley
Samuel Smith
South Wales Clubs – became Crown, then Crown-Buckley, now merged with Brains
Timothy Taylor
Theakston – sold to Matthew Brown, then taken over by S&N, then bought back by the Theakston family.
Thwaites
Tollemache & Cobbold – a tale of woe then bought by Ridleys then closed by Greene King
Truman – merged with Watney Mann (Grand Metropolitan Ltd) and closed
Vaux – closed, brewery demolished, pubs dispersed
Wadworth
Ward (Sheffield) Closed by Vaux
Wells – merged with Youngs
Wolverhampton & Dudley – absorbed by Marstons
Workington – bought by Matthew Brown who were bought by S&N
Yates and Jackson – closed
Yorkshire Clubs – closed
Youngs – merged with Wells
There are also a couple of subsiduary breweries: Greene King in Biggleswade and Thomas Ushers in Edinburgh (part of Vaux).
He also mentions five working home brew houses, all are still with us;
All Nations
Blue Anchor
Mrs Pardoes Old Swan
Three Tuns
Traquair House – bottles only
The Britannia Inn in Loughborough had just closed.
Finally the Big Six plus Guinness
Allied (Ind Coope, Ansells, Tetley) - part of InBev-AB
Bass Charrington - part of Coors
Courage - breweries went to S&N as ScotCo, pubs eventually to Enterprise, Punch etc via Inntrepreneur
(Guinness)
Scottish & Newcastle – part of Heinekin
Watney Mann - dismembered
Whitbread – now a leisure company (Premier Inns, Costa Coffee, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre etc)