Real Ale Branding

[Cudzoziemiec]

I am fortunate in that some of the best beer brewed on these islands comes from the brewery that is geographically closest to where I live: Crouch Vale, in South Woodham Ferrers.

The brewery geographically closest to me is probably Bristol Beer Factory. There used to be a Courage brewery closer but I don't think it's there anymore. It also happens to be beer that I like and it has fairly plain labels devoid of stupidity. Perhaps even a bit too plain, but that's not too serious.

As for Fullers, I don't know about their rapaciousness but the mere fact of siting a brewery in Chiswick seems somehow wrong to me.

[rogerzilla]

It ain't real ale unless it's called Dead Squrrel, Old Fartblaster or McCririck's Knob.

I'm not a real ale fan; there is good bitter and bad bitter, and the spectrum of mass-market ales is sufficiently wide that some of it is literally unpalatable while some is very nice.  Unfortunately Swindon is a desert as far as drinkable beer is concerned unless you find one of the few pubs that sell Wadworth.  The rest are owned by Arkell's, who make a range of hideous local brews which all taste of earwax.

[border-rider]

I once had a decent pint of Arkells. Just the one, in 14 years of drinking it though, and that was at the brewery.

We're blessed here - excellent ales all around.  The local Wye Valley brewery stuff is top-notch

[keepontriking]

I've recently acquired a taste for Arkells 3Bs but it is only because of a good landlord. They are starting on a few specials too which seem a bit better than the normal brews. The Royal Bassett was pretty good.

If I pop down one of my local pubs it will usually be the Flack Manor Catcher though, or a Bowmans Swift One.

[Cudzoziemiec]

there is good bitter and bad bitter, and the spectrum of mass-market ales is sufficiently wide that some of it is literally unpalatable while some is very nice.

One summer I worked behind the bar in a pub in the centre of Brizzle. The landlord/manager used to get pissed off when customers asked if he had any real ale. "It's all real, do you think it's made of plastic?" The cheapest, supposedly plasticy beer was called IIRC Triple Crown, the poshest was some variety of Ruddles. On one occasion when the Ruddles had run out - don't know if this was due to bad stock-keeping or what - he switched the barrels round so Triple Crown was served through the Ruddles pump and TC was off. I remember that one drinker complained but several said what good beer it was.

[robbo6]

The animosity against Fullers stems from their purchase of the Horndean-based Gales' brewery, not least because they transferred production of their beers to Fulham.

...and they continue to use 'George Gale & Co Ltd' on their advertising and pumpclips for HSB without any reference whatsover to the Fullers Chiswick brewery.
Many people are mislead into thinking it is still a Hampshire beer rather than from a factory in London.

See also Hartleys (Ulverston) Ltd, owned and brewed by Robinsons of Stockport, and the Lake District pubs that still display "Hartleys" on the outside wall.

[tonycollinet]

Real ale has a serious image problem, and Camra's lame attempts to address it are rarely helpful. It's not just the naff names and silly  images, it's the advertising too - I will never drink Wychwood Hobgoblin even if it's the best beer in the world (which I doubt).

Favourite beers at the moment are Kernel, which are bottle only and have plain brown paper hand-printed labels. Pics here: http://thekernelbrewery.com/

Why would you need anything else on the label?

d.

Hobgoblin - currently my favorite beer.

[RW]

The animosity against Fullers stems from their purchase of the Horndean-based Gales' brewery, not least because they transferred production of their beers to Fulham Chiswick.

Same thing with Youngs, and for several years King and Barnes Sussex had been made in Blandford.  Horrid bland stuff, and there's a huge estate of pubs across Sussex selling it.  All to be avoided. 

On the bright side we've got three independent breweries in Horsham, Kings, Hepworths and Weltons, and Dark Star in Partridge Green, all of them producing good beer and plenty of variety, not all brown bitters.

[Billy Weir]

Finest beer in the land.  I do like the simple, traditional branding as well.

Completely different kettle of fish to another Scottish brewer: BrewDog.  Don't get me started on their branding and approach to marketing in general.

[citoyen]

BrewDog certainly talk a good game...

[Mr Larrington]

Anyone who can come up with a beer called "Tactical Nuclear Penguin" is either an insane genius or just plain insane...

[Riggers]

Had this on holiday, and it really really smells and tastes incredibly strongly of chocolate. It's alcoholic too which makes drinking it very odd. One can't help imagining drinking a 'hot chocolate drink' gone cold. Weird, weird.

[rogerzilla]

It isn't real ale, but on the rare occasions that I am sent north of the border I do like a pint of Caledonian 80/- ale, aka "heavy".

[Oscar's dad]

My real ale / cider selecting criteria ...

1. Locally brewed.  It annoys me that some pubs in Essex sell Doom Bar which I think is from Cornwall. 
2. Funny name or amusing pump clip.

I am rarely let down when using the above criteria.

[Basil]

After many years of presence, Old Speckled Hen has been taken off the stick at my Brum local.  Ok. Not a real Real Ale, but certainly my favorite general pub stick ale.

[citoyen]

It isn't real ale, but on the rare occasions that I am sent north of the border I do like a pint of Caledonian 80/- ale, aka "heavy".

It was a real ale until a few years ago. Fucking S&N bastards.

S&N are far more rapacious than Fuller's. Or were - until they were acquired by the yet more rapacious Heineken.

d.

[Bledlow]

As for Fullers, I don't know about their rapaciousness but the mere fact of siting a brewery in Chiswick seems somehow wrong to me.

When Fullers started up it was normal for breweries to be local. Transporting beer was very expensive relative to the cost of the beer unless you were on a waterway, & there was no refrigeration. Only high-alcohol or heavily hopped (or both) beers could be transported reliably for much of the year, & only premium (read strong) beers sold at a price which would enable recovery of the costs. Hence IPA, of course.

Chiswick was an excellent location for a brewery. It was upstream of most of London's pollution, so had usable water. It was close to the largest market for beer in the world. River transport extended the distance the beer could be economically sold over. Effective (via the river) proximity to the greatest port in the world enabled export of suitable beers.

Railways were about to transform the ease & cost of transporting beer, but the location was still an excellent one.

[Bledlow]

Real ale has a serious image problem, and Camra's lame attempts to address it are rarely helpful. It's not just the naff names and silly  images, it's the advertising too - I will never drink Wychwood Hobgoblin even if it's the best beer in the world (which I doubt).

Favourite beers at the moment are Kernel, which are bottle only and have plain brown paper hand-printed labels. Pics here: http://thekernelbrewery.com/

Why would you need anything else on the label?

d.

If every beer had a plain brown label with the name in smallish plain print, it'd make the lives of both bar staff & beer drinkers more difficult. Large print (easy to read at a distance/in a poorly lit bar/formerly, through clouds of smoke) is useful. So is a distinctive design. Best is a simple, colourful, uncluttered label different enough from others to be recognised immediately without having to read it by anyone familiar with it, with the name in large, clear type so that anyone unfamiliar with it can easily find out what it is.

The Kernel label is good because it is unique and therefore easily recognisable.

[citoyen]

ESB is a bona fide classic.

d.

[keepontriking]

ESB is a bona fide classic.

While Gales Fullers HSB used to be.

[citoyen]

The Kernel label is good because it is unique and therefore easily recognisable.

Indeed.

What I really like about the Kernel's branding, though, is the fact that the label contains only the information you need to know what's in the bottle. The beers are not named fancifully, as most beers are, but very precisely according to their style/characteristics, hop variety and alcohol content.

That and the plain labelling add up to a kind of anti-branding brand image, if you like. The brewery is telling you that its focus is very much on the beer itself rather than on the marketing. Which is, of course, a very clever marketing technique...

d.

[citoyen]

ESB is a bona fide classic.

While Gales Fullers HSB used to be.

While I mourn the closure of Gale's in principle, I don't think I ever drank HSB, so I find it hard to get too upset about the loss of that specific beer. It's just one of many that have gone the same way. Newcastle Brown and Guinness were once fine beers, according to legend, but have never been in my lifetime.

d.

[keepontriking]

While I mourn the closure of Gale's in principle, I don't think I ever drank HSB, so I find it hard to get too upset about the loss of that specific beer.

The main issue with HSB is that Fullers try to pretend that it is still brewed by Gales.

Now if brewers were to be honest and put on pumpclips the name of the brewery, that would be fine.
But they don't and in my book that's misleading the customer 

[citoyen]

It ain't real ale unless it's called Dead Squrrel, Old Fartblaster or McCririck's Knob.

Actually, thinking about it, Newcy Brown (named after its place of origin and beer style), Guinness (named after its brewer) and Fuller's ESB (named after brewer and beer style) highlight the fact that giving beers fanciful names is a very recent invention. Nothing traditional about calling a beer Dead Squirrel or Old Fartblaster. The Kernel anti-branding is really just going back to the old way of doing things.

d.

[citoyen]

The main issue with HSB is that Fullers try to pretend that it is still brewed by Gales.

Not really. It's hard to pretend something is made by a brewery that doesn't exist. Gale's only exists as a brand these days, a brand that's owned by Fuller's, so it's perfectly legitimate for them to use the name in that way.

Newcastle Brown is brewedmanufactured in Yorkshire by a Dutch company these days. The classic LeicestershireRutland beer brand Ruddles is brewed in Suffolk by Greene King. There are many other examples I could give you of exactly the same thing.

Caveat emptor.

d.