FROM THE EDITOR

The last year of the century has been disasterous for Real Ale, with the loss of some famous names from the brewing scene. Vaux of Sunderland and Wards of Sheffield closed in July, Mitchell's of Lancaster ceased brewing soon after, and Bristol's Courage brewery ended production in September. Takeover madness claimed Marston's in Burton, Morland of Abingdon and threatens Mansfield brewery. Closures of at least two breweries are expected.

Punch Taverns beat Whitbread in the bid to acquire the Allied Domecq pub estate, and following on from their failure Whitbread have now acquired the Swallow Group, the parent company of the former Vaux and Wards breweries. Whilst it would appear that consolidation madness and market branding will go forward into the next century, few know that the country's biggest owner of pubs, bars and restaurants is a Japanese bank, Nomura...

Have you noticed how many pubs have recently ceased selling handpumped Real Ale? And some of those who do stock Real Ale automatically go for the 'creamcrap' pump if you just say "bitter". With the "big four" brewers being dubbed the "Undertakers of Real Ale" due to their lack of marketing of the product, whilst expensively promoting nitrofizz, it is little wonder that sales are declining.

Gene Bailey

Letters

Dear Sir,

With The Millennium, we shall presumably pass from the 'nineties to the noughties'.

Briefly during the pre-Titanic 'eighties' Stafford's Stafford Arms had a Naughty Nineties theme, with life-sized wall paintings of can-can ladies meant to evoke the last decade of the nineteenth century.

If Punch taverns now want an original theme for the Stafford Arms, they could turn it into a Naughty Nineties pub!

Yours Faithfully

P.R. Dawson, Sandon Road, Stafford

 

Dear Gene,

I was saddened to see that my name was omitted from that illustrious group of past editors of Potters Bar in issue 86 April/May '99.

I became editor of Potters Bar in 1978 and published 4 issues before I gave up due to lack of input from branch members.

Good luck in your future ventures.

Yours

Roger Machin

Wolstanton

My apologies for omitting you Roger, and apologies also to David Lycett, also of Wolstanton, who informs me that he too produced four editions of Potters Bar. This one is my fifth, so I suppose that is some sort of landmark behind me. (I always was on a loser listing the past editors of this newsletter - lesson learned!)

QUIZ TIME

- All the answers can be found in this edition of Potters Bar

  1. Which former brewery company is Whitbread's latest acquisition?

  2. What may make you want to "go" in Burton upon Trent?

  3. Which Stafford brewery was closed by Punch taverns in September?

  4. Which famous Bristol brewery ceased production in September?

  5. In which city was the now defuct Ward's brewery situated?.

  6. What three seasonal, but unusual, ingredients has the Christmas Crombe beer been reputed to contain?

  7. Which national pub chain now owns the Stafford Arms pub, opposite Stafford railway station?

  8. What official function did Tony Moss of the White Swan, Middleport perform at his daughter's wedding?

  9. What form of entertainment was Faggyoke?

  10. In which Midlands city is the Hoskins & Oldfield brewery?

  11. Which Cheshire town is Beartown?

  12. Spot the odd one out: Banks's, Vaux, Wards, Mitchells?

ARTICLES IN ISSUE 90

Front Page Pub of the Month Pints of View Potteries Pub Preservation Group Titanic News Pub News

Christmas Belgium Beers Soft Drinks Survey Results Beer Stoke Beer Festival 1999

 

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