[Drinking] Dark Star to leave Sussex

[vegster]

I did plug Goldmark Brewery earlier in this thread, here's today's offerings on tap....

Prices per Litre including plastic container....I notice that Middle Farm charge quite a bit for the bottle now btw.

 

[Boys 9d]

I'm still in mourning from the time Watneys took over Tamplins. I always liked Tamplins Stout.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Ale is a subject and product close to many people’s hearts, including mine, having spent my career in the brewing and pub industry.
Whatever one’s views on takeovers and ‘big business’, as Piltdown Man says, just take a look at the history of pubs and brewing. Different breweries, beers and pubs have come and gone throughout the ages, but the fact remains that there is now a huge range of ales, national and local available throughout the U.K. The choice we now have in the average town would have been unimaginable back in the late sixties and seventies when the whole scene was dominated by the likes of Bass, Allied, Watneys, Courages and Whitbread.
Drink up whatever takes your fancy, there is plenty to enjoy.

I was with Molson Coors when they bought Sharps. They successfully sent the brand countrywide. What it tastes of each very much up for debate.

The issue for real ale is its locality and its customers. The difficulty is taking it out of area. I, like many ale drinkers, don't look for a national brand when away but want to try the local brew. This is at odds with a larger brewer who wants their brands to expand away from their original location. London Pride suffers not because of the product but because of its name and getting people to drink it up north. Hophead to a degree doesn't suffer this as in reality could it come from anywhere. This is why it appeals to Asahi as a brand name. It's easy to look after much like Doombar, conversely London Pride is far more time consuming and complex. What I have written is how large breweries view things, I don't need to agree with it.

To me, real ale should stay regional but to do so it needs to stay independent.

A survey asked a number of drinkers who determined where they as a group would pick as a venue. Discarding the obvious, such as it's where the football is shown, when it came down to the offering it was the ale drinkers who had the most input. Lager drinkers will have their own favourite but will alter their choice if it wasn't available. Ale drinkers are far more likely to choose an outlet that sells their tipple and likely to walk out if it's not available. Harveys drinkers are very particular and if anyone running an outlet in Sussex decides not to sell it they are shooting themselves in the foot. I personally don't like Harveys apart from Tom Paine. I however stamp my feet, if out with friends and they want to go to a pub/bar that only sells kegged products.

Simple answer is ale drinkers know best, apart from all you Peroni drinkers that pay my wages.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I did plug Goldmark Brewery earlier in this thread, here's today's offerings on tap....View attachment 153795
Prices per Litre including plastic container....I notice that Middle Farm charge quite a bit for the bottle now btw.

Battle brewery is worth a visit they have a bar in the high street Battle as well.

 

[BLOCK F]

I was in Lyme Regis a couple of weeks ago and one of the shames, to me, is that nowadays driving past pubs you haven't a clue what they sell, you used to see a Watneys or a FST pub, now nothing. I ended drinking in a Palmers, good old fashioned brewery, I think, and even they didn't bother to put their brewery name on the front!

A sign of the times, pun intended!
Without the domination of the big brewers from yesteryear, many pubs are owned by huge companies such as Stonegate etc. and sell inumerable numbers of ales and lagers, and there are, of course, many houses that are either full freehouses or free of tie houses that can sell what they wish.
I take your point though and I can remember when travelling ‘up north’ many years ago with my then girlfriend, a Stockport lass, I often sought out the smaller breweries pubs, such as Robinsons to taste their ale. Additionally, back then, a Charrington house (part of the Bass empire) in the south, as well as selling the national Bass brews such as Carling Lager and say Worthington E, would stock their own regional bitter which would be different to what their counterpart Bass houses would be selling, in say, the north, Wales or the south-west.
We were recently on holiday near Exmoor in Devon and I enjoyed a few pints of Exmoor Gold, albeit not in the quantities I used to be able to imbibe!

 

[BLOCK F]

I'm still in mourning from the time Watneys took over Tamplins. I always liked Tamplins Stout.

I used to down a few pints of Tamplins bitter in the Old Cross in Chichester, back in the day, and in the White Horse, I used to drink Brickwoods, affectionately known as Brickies, which was a Pompey brewer taken over by Whitbreads in about 1971.

 

[jakarta]

Sounds like they got the old King and Barnes spot on then ?

Er, no... K&B Bitter was an average session brew but both of their Summer and Old Ales were superb.

Christmas Ale in bottles was also lovely if a little moreish at 8% or so...

Can't believe it was 22 years ago they closed down.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

I'm still in mourning from the time Watneys took over Tamplins. I always liked Tamplins Stout.

I was a fan of Courage's Velvet stout a wonderful early morning drink, alas!

 

[Worried Man Blues]

A sign of the times, pun intended!
Without the domination of the big brewers from yesteryear, many pubs are owned by huge companies such as Stonegate etc. and sell inumerable numbers of ales and lagers, and there are, of course, many houses that are either full freehouses or free of tie houses that can sell what they wish.
I take your point though and I can remember when travelling ‘up north’ many years ago with my then girlfriend, a Stockport lass, I often sought out the smaller breweries pubs, such as Robinsons to taste their ale. Additionally, back then, a Charrington house (part of the Bass empire) in the south, as well as selling the national Bass brews such as Carling Lager and say Worthington E, would stock their own regional bitter which would be different to what their counterpart Bass houses would be selling, in say, the north, Wales or the south-west.
We were recently on holiday near Exmoor in Devon and I enjoyed a few pints of Exmoor Gold, albeit not in the quantities I used to be able to imbibe!

I remember going to watch BHA Crewe and having a half of Old Tom, yes they wouldn't let me have a pint, great advert.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Er, no... K&B Bitter was an average session brew but both of their Summer and Old Ales were superb.

Christmas Ale in bottles was also lovely if a little moreish at 8% or so...

Can't believe it was 22 years ago they closed down.

K & B Sussex was far better than Harveys. They also originally brewed their old for Harveys.

I enjoy an Old and Bitter (pint of mother-in-law)

 

[vegster]

Er, no... K&B Bitter was an average session brew but both of their Summer and Old Ales were superb.

Christmas Ale in bottles was also lovely if a little moreish at 8% or so...

Can't believe it was 22 years ago they closed down.

I was pulling your leg a little, the bog standard bitter was a bit ordinary but I loved Festive !

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

I was working at Gatwick in the 80s and one of my colleagues was a Camra member who organised a trip around the K&B brewery in Horsham. It was a very interesting trip and K&B put on a splendid free buffet afterwards to enjoy with their ales. You could still drink at lunch times and the main staff canteen had Harveys on tap for non-airline staff. Happy days

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

K & B Sussex was far better than Harveys. They also originally brewed their old for Harveys.

I enjoy an Old and Bitter (pint of mother-in-law)

Oh great.
"You know that beer you like? It's nowhere near as good as this other beer.
"No, you can't have any. The brewery's gone now. Bad luck, you're stuck with that piss".

Seriously though, I do like a mother-in-law.


Wait, what?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Oh great.
"You know that beer you like? It's nowhere near as good as this other beer.
"No, you can't have any. The brewery's gone now. Bad luck, you're stuck with that piss".

Seriously though, I do like a mother-in-law.


Wait, what?

We were lucky to have WJ KIng for a while with Horsham Best (Sussex K & B) and Red River (festive). Good old Bill King, now co-owner of Firebrand

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Yep. It'll be a sad day. Inevitable though once even Fullers got involved.

Yes indeed, the very same thing happened to Youngs once Charles Wells took over, and to Sharps Brewery once Koors bought them out. Doom Bar is a mere imitation of what it used to be.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Big fan of Hepworths, plenty of West Sussex Non-League clubs have introduced me to that tipple.

Yes indeed, they rule the roost in the Horsham YMCA clubhouse. Excellent they are too.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Yes indeed, the very same thing happened to Youngs once Charles Wells took over, and to Sharps Brewery once Koors bought them out. Doom Bar is a mere imitation of what it used to be.

Only bottled Doom is brewed in Burton, all cask Sharps is brewed in Rock

Also
https://www.inside.beer/news/detail/uk-spanish-brewer-damm-buys-former-charles-wells-brewery/

 

[jackalbion]

Yes indeed, they rule the roost in the Horsham YMCA clubhouse. Excellent they are too.

That was the ground I first tried it at, Sussex Senior Cup tie v Haywards Heath in the weird lockdown where you could only drink beer while watching something. Got a load in for Christmas.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

That was the ground I first tried it at, Sussex Senior Cup tie v Haywards Heath in the weird lockdown where you could only drink beer while watching something. Got a load in for Christmas.

Well l hope you enjoyed your visit. I probably took your money at the gate.

 

[Lethargic]

We were lucky to have WJ KIng for a while with Horsham Best (Sussex K & B) and Red River (festive). Good old Bill King, now co-owner of Firebrand

Do you mean Firebird at Rugwick?

The new boys in Horsham are the Horsham Brewery run by the 2 guys who took over the Horsham beer festival from dear old Gareth, very much learning the trade but they are to be encouraged and supported. We lost Chapeau last month.