Best bitter

[Joe]

When I started drinking, about half a century ago, I don't think any of those beers were easily available. The first I remember was Hopback Summer Lightning, which was stocked by most Wetherspoons, and hence was easy to find.

The American IPAs started appearing after home brewing became legal there, allowing micro-breweries and then small breweries to challenge the big brewers. The latter mostly produced what we would call lagers, and of the same sort of quality as the bitter the UK big brewers made fifty years ago.

[Joe]

I think all the cheaper beers after WW2 were made to 3.0001% alcohol. Only gradually did the big brewers start producing stronger beers. Courage made the 5% Directors', but I think the vast majority of what they sold was JC and Best. It's pretty safe to assume any beer advertised on TV, like any other product, was the bottom of the range. Greene King used to advertise their IPA on radio, but never needed to advertise Abbot, nor did Courage advertise Directors'.

[Colin Bignell]

Red was a revised version of Red Barrel, sweeter and even fizzier. The basic Red Barrel recipe should have produced a decent, if fairly weak beer. However, documents from the time suggest that up to 20% of the beer sold was stale beer that Watneys had added back into the vats, to maximise profits.

[Colin Bignell]

Red Barrel was 2.1%. These days, the limit to need a licence to sell is

1.2%, but back then it was 2%.

[alan_m]

IMO most beers became medicore when they went from being sold in their small original region to becoming a national brand. They were often dumbed down so as not to offend anyone - hence becoming national blands.

[Robin]

I thought 1.2% was for licences for *producers* with the definition for

*supply* still 0.5%. It's set by the Licensing Act 2003 with 0.5% in its definition of alcohol for the purposes of licensing retail sale etc.

[Colin Bignell]

I may well have looked up the wrong link for today, but Red Barrel was still only just above the limit for supply when it was on sale in the UK.

[The Other John]

Does anyone remember Flowers Brewmaster? Horrible stuff IMHO. Tasted like it was some sort of 'instant beer' made from powder and water!

[zall]

That's bullshit, low levels are fine.

[Rod Speed]

alan_m [e-mail]> wrote

Courage Directors has a higher alcohol content than their Best Bitter.

Those aren't necessarily lower alcohol content.

That wikipedia listing isnt a marketing description.

There is much more difference than just the malt.

[Rod Speed]

That wikipedia article isnt marketing guff.

[alan_m]

Exactly. Brew for Directors and water down for Best. It's ABV Alcohol by Volume.

The beer descriptions are.

I take it that you have drunk a lot of both and compared them for yourself.

[alan_m]

For many that is true but it may also depend on how often you normally drink alcohol. You only have to go to a pub at lunch time close to Christmas where those who only drink once a year get rather merry on one glass.

[Rod Speed]

Dont need to, the wikipedia article makes it clear that they arent the one beer watered down.

[charles]

not if you drive in Scotland.

[alan_m]

I suggest that you should taste them in a pub and then make up your mind.

[Rod Speed]

Its far from clear that it is the alcohol doing that or that that is a problem when driving.

[Rod Speed]

No point, whoever wrote that clearly did that.

And even if I can't taste the difference, clearly if someone can in a proper double blind test, they aren't the one beer watered down.

[Rod Speed]

And it is trivial to use a gas chromatograph and see that it isnt just the one beer watered down too.

[Clive Arthur]

You're digging that hole so deep you'll be able to pop up in the UK and try for yourself soon.

"Courage Directors was originally brewed at the Alton brewery under the name of Alton Red and was served exclusively in the Courage's Directors dining rooms." Riiight. Not marketing claptrap at all, no siree Bob.

You never could bullshit your way out of a packet of Pork Scratchings.