One of my interests is Cask Ale. A wonderful liquid with so many different sides and facets. Every so often something happens which gets me on my High Horse. And now something has. The imminent closure of Sharp’s Cornish Brewery by Molson Coors Beverage Company ,a well known asset stripping company run by accountants in my humble opinion. At least they don’t have the brass neck to call themselves brewers. The brewery opened in Cornwall over 30 years ago and brewed a fine range of quality ales. It grew and was sold but brewing remained in Cornwall. Unfortunately the brewery was then bought by Molson Coors Beverage Company. They kept the brewery open and, despite rumours that only Cornwall was supplied from the brewery, I still drink the beer, a discussion about the quality is for another day.. If the brewery is closed I will not drink the cask version, in fact, as of today I will stop, Breweries are part of our history and heritage, they provide employment, advertise the town, and are a focal point of the community. You can’t morally advertise Sharp’s Cornish Ales if they ain’t brewed in Cornwall.
Another point, in my limited experience, is that beer is a very flighty product with so many variables. Yeast is is one of the main ingredients and one of the most variable. You have to look after it or it will come back and bite you. Anything can upset yeast, a change of recipe with different malt or hops, changed brewing equipment or, god forbid, a change of brewery. If the brewery moves, so be it, they will try to replicate the beer. If you close a brewery, even if you try and replicate their beers, at least be honest and state on the pump clip where the beer is brewed. Oris the asset stripper afraid, very afraid?
And another thing, don’t worry, I was told never to make more than three points in a discussion, what about purists like me? I like to support independent breweries or beers brewed at their original brewery. Is it taking the Michael for a brewery to brew an ersatz version of say, Hobgoblin, 49’er, Pedigree, Bombardier etc and intimate it is still brewed as originally? I submit it is, if you are so proud of your brewing skills, use the recipe by all means but change the name. By all means acknowledge the heritage, but be brave and stand on your own two feet. Do you agree and are you with me?
Having said all this, I now need an list of ersatz brews. Cheers everyone.
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