Brands such as Bombardier which was once as ubiquitous as Doom Bar is now, the Mansfield range - unless something does remain, but that isn't clear - Jennings Cumberland, and more will cease to be available from the end of the year. Even iconic beers such as Bank's Mild and Marston's Old Empire (despite
its slightly dodgy name) haven't been spared the axe. But don't worry, you
can still get McEwan's Export, which nowadays is mainly a beer sold in
supermarkets. That's all right then.
Of course, a cynic might say that these are lacklustre beers which nobody will really miss, but this is surely the thin end of a very predictable wedge which will inevitably result in even more brand loss and further diminishing of choice. It also gives a clear indication of the simple fact that if Carlsberg says something is safe, be deeply suspicious. Its record speaks for itself. Their total retreat from cask beer is now much more than a blurred and indistinct dot on the horizon. It is a clear and predictable reality. It is a pity too, if that is their intention, that they didn't offer the discontinued brands to someone else who might have made a better fist of them.
Now does this matter? Well, not if you don't care for the future of British indigenous beer styles and the fact that foreign ownership does not seem to have brought much stability to the UK beer market. Prepare for more of the same I'd say. Fewer brands means less choice and the restricted nature of entry to bar counters due to ties and contracts means you can't expect the independent sector to take up the slack- much as they'd like to. Too much of the market simply isn't open to them. Sadly the cask market in many areas will continue to be dominated by a smaller set of poorly designed beers, brewed as weakly as possible, down to a price. Seek independent and family brewers while you can.
So what's the good news? I read that Marble Brewery in Manchester has restored Pint to its original 3.9% from 3.4%, apparently in response to customer demand. Well done for customer power, and it is good to see this small reversal in the march towards weaker beers. At the same time, I read that Acorn Brewing has returned to the original owners from the business development company that had control. This is good news for those of us that like Acorn beer and I feel their future is now a little more secure and frankly, any good news in the beer game is worth a mention.
Win some, lose some I suppose, but I've a feeling there will be many more losses than wins coming along the road.
I had the pleasure of two pints of the fantastic Gorlovka Stout at the weekend and at 6% it was glorious.
Of the brands mentioned above, I feel that Banks's Mild could have some kind of future in the right hands, but it isn't going to happen. If you can completely feck up Tetley Bitter, nothing is impossible.
