Monday 23 September 2013

Crafty Spoons?


 


Following his post last week, about "craft keg", I promised Curmudgeon,  that I would provide details of what I thought was "craft keg" being sold at our local JDW in Tonbridge, the Humphrey Bean. Well I'm not certain I would class "Revisionist Craft Lager" from Marstons as "craft", although I'm not sure about the American Pale Ale from Shipyard Brewing Company of Portland, Maine, USA. Strangely enough, this 4.5% beer is not listed on their website, which makes me wonder, if the beer being brewed over here, and if so, are Marstons the company behind it? Can anyone shed a little more light on this, please?

For the record, I didn't try either beer, as it was shortly after 9am yesterday, and I was in Spoons for breakfast! Also, I never want to be served with the first pint of the day from the beer lines, regardless of whether it's cask or keg, and I know the Humphrey Bean has a particularly "long  pull" from the cellar to the bar.

7 comments:

ShadowHider said...

Shipyard is brewed at Ringwood believe, which is of course in the Marston's stable.

John Clarke said...

Yes, I thought Shipyard was from Marston's too.

Cooking Lager said...

The Tuborg used to be craft when it was 4.6% and the strongest lout you could get free with the burger. Now it is 4% it is clearly vile macro filth.

Paul Bailey said...

Thanks for confirming what I already suspected, ShadowHider and John. So if Marstons are behind this watered down version of an American Craft Beer, does it count as "craft" over here? Also, what about their "Revisionist Craft Lager"?

Without a proper definition of the word "craft", when it comes to brewing, the term becomes meaningless. Already the waters seem to have been mudied by one of the bigger breweries muscling in on the act, and where one leads, others will follow!

Sat In A Pub said...

I don'tthink anyone would class those as 'craft' particularly as they mislead over their origins. So the hunt for Spoons craft goes on!

Unknown said...

Press release about this can be found here:

http://beerpulse.com/2013/04/shipyard-brewing-collaborates-with-marstons-on-shipyard-american-pale-ale-in-uk-183/

Paul Bailey said...

Tyson, the hunt for "craft" in Spoons, definitely goes on.

Colin, thanks for the link. Marstons obviously decided to brew a weaker version of the Shipyard beer. Was this because they thought the US strength stuff wouldn't sell, or were they just trying to appease the anti-drink lobby, here in the UK?