Goodbye Boddies...
Posted by: seagull on 24 January 2005
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4201569.stmEven though the beer "isn't as good as it used to be" ©Commissioner Gordon, it's a real shame to lose one of the famous old breweries. The multi-national mega brewers don't seem to care what rubbish they pump out so long as it makes a profit for their shareholders. This closure has been on the cards for a long time but all the while they were still brewing there was some hope.
Beer brewed under licence is never the same as the original, even if it is just down the road.
Posted on: 24 January 2005 by Nigel Cavendish
Boddingtons has been crap for several years now. Frankly, I wish it will never be brewed again - and I wish Tetleys would disappear also.
There are too many beers being peddled under a brand name, none of which are anything like the original.
Brewing is a precise science these days. Beer brewed under licence can be, and often is indistinguishable from the "real thing".
Posted on: 24 January 2005 by Berlin Fritz
The German Beer Purity Law of 1516 could well be considered the best on earth ! Talking of dregs, I didn't know that the Big Apple melts all it's snow in giant incinerators, innit.
Fritz Von Bamboozlesasalways
Posted on: 24 January 2005 by seagull
Unfortunately the history of brewing is littered with stories like this.
Small local brewery builds reputation for quality. Bigger brewer comes along, buys smaller brewery, promotes brand and increases production and brews at another site. Quality takes a dive and sales drop. Small brewery closed and sold off to property developer. The beer continues in name only and most likely as a bland, lifeless, nitro-keg.
The mega brewers have no time for real ale. They are steadily allowing their real ale brands to wither and die. Once revered names are mere shadows of their former selves.
When I think back to the beers available locally when I started drinking; Bass, Ruddles County, Courage Directors (brewed in London), King and Barnes Sussex, Gales HSB, none are available in the original form (HSB is still brewed by Gales but reduced strength 4.8% down from 5.1%).
On the positive side there are now more breweries than at anytime in my lifetime, just not enough outlets for them due to the way the big players circumvented the Beer Orders.
Posted on: 24 January 2005 by Steve Toy
Add to your list Ind Coope's Burton Ale - Camra winner back in 1991.
It is now brewed in Leeds and tastes nothing like how it did when brewed in Burton.
Posted on: 24 January 2005 by Berlin Fritz
Steve, I had a feeling you'd pop up mate, I always like a drop of Youngs mesen. Since the re-unifícation here,(15 years) literally hundreds of ancient local breweries have been forever lost to Parryesque progress, I'll just ponder on the beach playin stranger on the shore I reckon !
Fritz Von All'snotlostyetinparadise
Posted on: 24 January 2005 by Steve Toy
Youngs Special used to be a nice pint.
Most London beers are.
My two fave ales of all time are
1) Fullers ESB
2) Ind Coope's Burton Ale.
The first is still brewed in Chiswick and still tastes great.
Another beer that's gone for a Burton is Bass - now brewed in Luton by the Evil Empire.
Posted on: 25 January 2005 by Tim Jones
Youngs and Youngs Special (mmm - chocolaty) are both served in the pubs roud Putney way - and brewed two miles down the road in Wandsworth. Tastes great to me - and the only beer I'll drink these days.
Tim
Posted on: 25 January 2005 by Mike Hughes
Bodingtons as a beer is indeed no loss. Tetleys hasn't deteriorated much IMHO. Just go to Yorkshire and you'll soon spot the difference between what we get forced to drink as Tetleys elsewhere and the real thing.
Mike
Posted on: 25 January 2005 by Two-Sheds
Very sad news. And I was all happy in this area since I'd just found an booze shop selling black sheep ale near to me in Toronto.
Posted on: 25 January 2005 by Berlin Fritz
Eldridge Pope, now there's aloss and a half !
Fritz Von Hardy stuff wunnit
Posted on: 27 January 2005 by Richard S
Seagull summed it up perfectly.
The only exception to this was in Liverpool when the Cain's Brewery rose from the ashes of the former Higsons Brewery. One change of hands later and it goes from strength to strength.
It would be good if someone could take over Boddies and return it to its former glory but I am unaware of any such proposal.
The brew closest in character to Boddies in its 80's heyday is Taylor's Landlord fortunately widely available in bottles in supermarkets.
regards
Richard S
Posted on: 27 January 2005 by Nime
quote:
Originally posted by Two-Sheds:
Very sad news. And I was all happy in this area since I'd just found an booze shop selling black sheep ale near to me in Toronto.
Excellent! I've had a couple of bottles of the stuff over the last fornight. The supermarkets over here have had quite a range recently.
"Spitfire" didn't please that much.
"Bishop's Finger" was much better.
HRH Charles' Eco "Duchy" is now my wife's favorite bottled beer. Though too light for my taste. One never needs more than one bottle of this stuff to enjoy the rest of the evening! The other bottles have now gone back so I can't remember the other names we've tried.
Nime
