Pub talk

I mentioned in a previous post how after one of the driest February's on record, March and April turned out complete opposites, as not only were these months characterised by persistent, and at times heavy rainfall, but temperatures too seemed way below average. I was reminded of this the other evening whilst looking through some photos, trying to find some to help illustrate a post I was writing at the time. From the dates on the photos, it appears March and April 2022 were characterised by plenty of sunshine and relatively warm temperatures. Many trees were also in leaf, and we're talking here about pictures taken in April.

Something seems to have gone horribly wrong this year, because apart from the odd warm day, May has continued in the same vein. The wind has a chill to it which, by right, should have disappeared long before, but it's the rain that's been the most annoying, and with low pressure hanging over the country, drawing in wet fronts from the Atlantic, there doesn't even seem to be any end in sight,

This topic came up last Thursday, when I joined members of West Kent CAMRA at the Nelson Arms, in Tonbridge, for a presentation marking the pub achieving Branch Pub of the Year. One friend I was talking to, said exactly the same thing about the weather, and being a keen walker like me, was equally cheesed off. We’d both concluded that with conditions under foot being far too wet and slippery, the risk of falling over, or becoming stuck in the mud, were sufficient to detract from the usual pleasures of hiking in the great outdoors. Consequently, like me, my friend has done very little walking this spring.

Another topic of conversation that evening, was the news concerning the Black Sheep Brewery of Masham, North Yorkshire, being on the verge of going into receivership. This is bad news for anyone who likes a decent pint, and sad news too for a company which celebrated its 30^th anniversary last year. Founded in 1992, by Paul Theakston, of the famous brewing family, Black Sheep became a major force in Yorkshire brewing. Now it is facing a “perfect storm” of post-COVID debt, rising costs, and uncertain demand.

There had been a fair amount of debate on one the local West Kent CAMRA WhatsApp groups, about possible reasons for Black Sheep’s troubles, with one of the younger members stating, that the beers the company brewed weren’t exciting enough to appeal to his generation. Several of us responded that whilst there might be the odd grain of truth in this, not everyone wished to drink beers with a strong citrus flavour. I made the point that with very few pubs of their own, Black Sheep might have placed too much reliance on the free trade, and have now found out just how fickle this section of the market can be, and how cut throat is the competition to get their beers on the bars of Yorkshire pubs.

Another contributor chipped in saying that the lack of a flagship brand within the Black Sheep portfolio, was a serious handicap for the brewery.  He claimed that Riggwelter would fit the bill, but it was a beer that drinkers rarely come across, and one that seems to receive very little promotion, certainly outside of its Yorkshire heartland. I personally think that a flagship brand can be a double-edged sword. In the past, breweries have been purchased by a larger rival, that just wants to get its hands on the better known, named beer.

Theakston’s Old Peculier was one such beer, and after the original family company fell into financial difficulties, the brewery was purchased by Matthew Brown of Blackburn. This turned out to be a bad move for the Lancashire company, as their ownership of Theakston’s attracted the attention of a much larger fish, in the guise of Scottish & Newcastle. The latter didn’t give two hoots about Matthew Brown, its brewery or its beers, they just wanted to add the Old Peculier brand to their portfolio.

Sure enough, following a rather bitter takeover battle, S&N acquired the Theakston brands they were after, Matthew Brown’s Blackburn brewery was closed, and the Brown name very quickly disappeared. If you want to know how quickly, ask how many of today’s drinkers have heard of Matthew Brown? I suspect there is a large proportion of CAMRA members who haven’t heard of the brewery, either.

I’ve laboured things rather on this last point, and we’ve drifted way off topic from my opening remarks about the weather, but this is often what happens with many conversations that take place over a few pints. There’s no getting away though from the point that, like the weather, the brewing industry and pub trades are both in a state of flux, with no-one really knowing what the end game will be. As with all the other bad stuff that is going on in the world at the moment, a little stability, would be most welcome, but whether or not it materialises, is anyone’s guess.