Higsons Bitter reborn
A legendary name in Liverpool brewing is returning to the city's pubs after an absence of almost 20 years.
The first pints of Higsons Bitter are due to go on sale in the next few weeks, produced from a new brewing plant housed in the old boiler room of the former Glaxo factory at Speke.
The man behind the scheme is local businessman Keith Tomlinson, who hopes to start production at the 10-barrel plant this week. Higsons was an independent family brewer owning more than 100 pubs across Merseyside before being sold to Boddingtons, which was in turn acquired by Whitbread. In the early 1990s, Whitbread axed production. Higsons was one of the first beers to run a regional TV advertising campaign during the 1970s, fronted by Merseyside comedian Jimmy Tarbuck.
From the 1920s, the company owned the Stanhope Street Brewery in Liverpool, which is now operated by Robert Cain.
Branscombe makes most of wreck
The shipwreck of the container vessel Napoli off the Devon coast has provided a lucrative return for local brewer Branscombe Vale. The ship ran aground on 20 January and one month later Branscombe Vale created a commemorative ale - Napoli's On The Rocks.
Graham Luxton, co-owner of the 15-year-old brewery, described the 4.1% abv ale as "mid-brown in colour, aromatic with a mellow taste that is easy to drink". The ale is made with Brambling Cross hops and pale malt. The first two brew runs, each of 50 firkins (nine gallons), quickly sold out and the third brew was started at the end of March.
Luxton said the shipwreck can be seen from the grounds of the brewery and "a lot of people coerced us into brewing an ale to mark the event". Despite the popularity of the beer, Luxton said: "We might run out of capacity in mid-June because we have to juggle production around our four regular beers, and we can't really handle a fifth at the same time."
Branscombe Vale was founded in 1992 by Luxton and business partner Paul Dimond and is located on National Trust land.
Three of the brewery's regular ales are: Branoc (a 3.8% abv, light brown, session beer); Draymans (a 4.2% abv, mid-brown ale); and BVB Own Label (a 4.6% abv reddy/brown ale).
Camra fights for Hanson's Mild
The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) has called on Marston's Brewing Co to reconsider its decision to axe Hanson's Mild Ale. Marston's has announced that the ale, which is described as a 3.2% abv mid-to-dark brown mild with a malty, roasted flavour and aftertaste, will cease to be brewed from the end of this month.
The brewer hopes that outlets currently stocking the ale will switch to Banks's Original, which has an abv of 3.35% and is an amber coloured, well-balanced, refreshing session beer.
Camra contended: "While Banks's Original is a great beer in its own right, it is completely different in taste to Hanson's Mild. Hanson's Mild has been starved of promotion for many years, yet still retains a very strong local following [in the Midlands]."
Camra is running an online petition on its website (www.camra.org.uk) to try to get Marston's to reverse its decision.
Hanson's was acquired in 1943 by Banks's; its brewery in Dudley was closed in 1991 and production switched to Wolverhampton.
Hanson's eventually became part of Wolverhampton & Dudley, now renamed Marston's.