Which local brewer produces the best beers?

[slh73 32]

Font in Chorlton is far better than the one in Mancs centre. But Manchester has some great beer pubs now. It was almost in danger of taking over from Sheffield at one point, but fortunately now we have a Brewdog, Henrys brewhouse and Anchorage opening shortly, Sheffield is probably better again. Secod only to Newcastle... And London of course if you can be bothered to travel between all the places...

 

The brewhouse is crap though. All those keg fonts and nothing interesting on them, and the keg range hasn't changed since it opened. That, and the terrible acoustics from those white tiles that reflect and amplify every noise, and the prices (punk ipa costs more in there than it does in brewdog, and they're not known for being cheap), makes it seem a massive waste of potential to me

[jemson 10]

Didn`t get far in Manc. Port Street Beer was very good. Walked past it first time. It got really busy too.

 

Couldn`t find Font so popped into Lasser Gowrie for a last pint.

[HMDF1000 10]

Bradfield Brewery every time - the blue beer nearer Xmas is lush!

[taxman 12]

Bradfield are OK but it's standard stuff really. But if it sells and there is a market for a decent gulpable blonde, a decent ale, a decent stout etc plus nice one offs like the Xmas blue one then good luck to them. For sessions they are fine but I generally prefer beers that grab me by the throat and smack me in the face.

[SteelCityAle 10]

There's a market for easy drinking pale beer. Of course there is. But, Abbeydale and Bradfield (in slightly different ways) have that market sewn up. Thus, there's little point starting a new brewery now to brew that kind of beer...

[jemson 10]

There's a market for easy drinking pale beer. Of course there is. But, Abbeydale and Bradfield (in slightly different ways) have that market sewn up. Thus, there's little point starting a new brewery now to brew that kind of beer...

 

Unless they do it to supply their own pub. This seems to be a popular option, missing out the middle man.

[DnAuK 10]

aren't there also folk producing brown beer and stout. i doubt the market is sewn up as the total output of the 2 breweries can't be more than about 150 barrels per week. I think Stones produced pale beer and produced about 50 times that amount.

 

Agreed but at that time you didn't have the range of breweries you have now across seenmingly every little town and village. Therefore Stones were able to sell far and wide. I remember being dragged along to the 2000 seater maid Marian Club at Chapel St Leonards as a child who must have got through the average micro brewery output themselves each week at peak times.

 

I happen to agree with SCA about the pale market at the moment. Though would have to include Kelham, Ossett, Acorn, Blue Bee etc etc etc in the roundup of local brewers producing them. And it does become rather samey after a while. For those of us that like a little variety in life anyway. It's just a pity that many don't and blindly order their John Smiths Smooth...

 

Therefore I welcome anyone who tries something different. At the Peterbrough beer festival I has a Texan Miso Gose - it was green. And soupy. But not unpleasant. I'm not saying it's for everyone or could be produced in quantity but it still sold. I just wish Steel City could produce more of each beer they make. Then I might actually get to try some more!

[jemson 10]

Agr

 

I happen to agree with SCA about the pale market at the moment. Though would have to include Kelham, Ossett, Acorn, Blue Bee etc etc etc in the roundup of local brewers producing them. And it does become rather samey after a while. For those of us that like a little variety in life anyway. It's just a pity that many don't and blindly order their John Smiths Smooth...

 

Therefore I welcome anyone who tries something different. At the Peterbrough beer festival I has a Texan Miso Gose - it was green. And soupy. But not unpleasant. I'm not saying it's for everyone or could be produced in quantity but it still sold. I just wish Steel City could produce more of each beer they make. Then I might actually get to try some more!

 

Give Blue Bee another chance. New head brewer is a lot more hop focused.

[boldforester 10]

Give Blue Bee another chance. New head brewer is a lot more hop focused.

 

It's a mind set. Go in the Rawson Spring, where there's a good range of well-tended ales, and stand at the bar: 8/10 drinkers wanting "smooth" "carling".

It has something to do with the fact that a mid week in JDWs is like the night of the living dead. And their partners are wanting "lattes". They should never have been taught this crap - they should be in cafes drinking milky coffee outta them Pyrex cups.

So, like Thatcher said, "if it doesn't pay it doesn't stay".

[SteelCityAle 10]

It's a mind set. Go in the Rawson Spring, where there's a good range of well-tended ales, and stand at the bar: 8/10 drinkers wanting "smooth" "carling".

It has something to do with the fact that a mid week in JDWs is like the night of the living dead. And their partners are wanting "lattes". They should never have been taught this crap - they should be in cafes drinking milky coffee outta them Pyrex cups.

So, like Thatcher said, "if it doesn't pay it doesn't stay".

 

problem is... what can any of us do about that? As brewers it doesn't matter how good we make our beer, 90% of people will drink what the TV tells them to. Individually, we can't spend a fraction on marketing of what the fizz peddlers do. Collectively... well... while it's true that brewing is one of the friendliest industries around, the few dozen breweries turning out really good beer probably have a combined turnover less than ImBev's marketing budget.

 

Seem to recall CAMRA doing a generic real ale marketing campaign a few years back, I also recall it being a complete flop in terms of impact (badly thought out and badly targeted)

[DnAuK 10]

problem is... what can any of us do about that? As brewers it doesn't matter how good we make our beer, 90% of people will drink what the TV tells them to. Individually, we can't spend a fraction on marketing of what the fizz peddlers do. Collectively... well... while it's true that brewing is one of the friendliest industries around, the few dozen breweries turning out really good beer probably have a combined turnover less than ImBev's marketing budget.

 

Seem to recall CAMRA doing a generic real ale marketing campaign a few years back, I also recall it being a complete flop in terms of impact (badly thought out and badly targeted)

 

Yup you are absolutely right. You can't even rely on 'craft' to be cool these days, with AB buying out Sharps as there 'craft' brewer and the likes of Greene King and Batemans throwing the word around willy and/or nilly.

 

Guess all you can do is produce the best you can and hope the beer sbobs amongst us do the promotion for you. Although, in the case of Steel City, brewing enough beer to make sure we can actually get some would be a good start... ;c)

[SteelCityAle 10]

Yup you are absolutely right. You can't even rely on 'craft' to be cool these days, with AB buying out Sharps as there 'craft' brewer and the likes of Greene King and Batemans throwing the word around willy and/or nilly.

 

Guess all you can do is produce the best you can and hope the beer sbobs amongst us do the promotion for you. Although, in the case of Steel City, brewing enough beer to make sure we can actually get some would be a good start... ;c)

 

Fortuitously, Coors have just purchased Steel City for £20m so it'll be in every bar in the country soon

 

As soon as people started using the term craft a few of us warned if it didn't get an official definition then before long it'd get misappropriated... lo and behold, some distinctly non-craft breweries (and IMO any brewery from a glorified homebrew outfit to a multinational beer factory can be non-craft) are passing their beers off as craft - and because it's not defined there's nobody that can tell them they can't!