The Bowsing Ken

Newcastle Breweries : 
      Newcastle Brown Ale

 Perhaps if history had taken a slightly different turn, the Newcastle Breweries we know today, well it used to be called Newcastle Breweries, would never have existed, and the Newcastle Brown Ale we enjoy today would have been called Gateshead Brown Ale. Perhaps.
  As it goes, back in 1770, a man by the name of John Barras opened his brewery on the banks of the Tyne River, but not on the Newcastle side, but across the river in Gateshead - also known as Gateshead-on-Tyne, so named for the ancient Black Gate, which is the portal to the town. The brewery was called simply the John Barras & Company Ltd, located on West Street, but was known locally as the "Brewery." John Barras was succeeded by his son John, who was succeeded by his son John. In 1847, this John Barras brought his nephew, one Charles John Reed, into the business, and when John died in 1861, Charles took over running the brewery, eventually buying out the heirs of the late John Barras to become the sole proprietor. During this time, Colonel Charles Reed was also an active officer, and for a time commanded the 3rd Brigade of the Royal Artillery.
  Under the hand of the successive John Barras', the product of their brewery was mainly a variety of sweet, mild, rather heavy ale, which was quite popular in the local area, and was generally called a "Newcastle sweet ale." This moniker was actually applicable to a number of different beers produced in the local vicinity by a several different brewers. When Colonel Reed took over, he introduced both a lighter, pale ale, which one record from the period noted as "of the Burton Type," as well as a darker stout, described as "of the London type." Still, the "Newcastle sweet ale" was the best seller.

Meanwhile, across the river, there was the Tyne Brewery, on Corporation Street, of which little has been recorded - at least what I can find - other than it was an old established firm that by the 1880s had all but shut down. There is one old reference - dated 1847 - that lists all the breweries in Newcastle for that year, which notes a brewery called “Bells, Robson & Co.”. The address for this brewery is recorded simply as the “Tyne Brewery,” so this could be the brewery in question. Anyway, in 1884, Colonel Reed, realizing that his Gateshead brewery had just about met its capacity, bought the defunct Tyne Brewery, and moved the John Barras & Co. Brewery, in its entirety, across the river, thus beginning a period of modernization and growth.

 Again, recorded history is lacking detail, although I suppose in some dusty library basement one could find more information, but in 1890 four breweries were amalgamated to form one. These firms included John Barras & Co. - with the Tyne Brewery, as well as the lesser used, but still operational Gateshead Brewery, Allison & Co. Brewery, Carr Brothers & Carr - with both their brewery and malt house, and Swinburne & Co Brewery. Again, whether or not it was a takeover, a buyout, an amalgamation, or whatever, is an academic question better left to another day. The current corporate history states that the firm "joined forces," which is good enough for me. Needless to say, the outcome of all this corporate wheeling and dealing was the establishment of the Newcastle Breweries Ltd.

  In the 1920s, another Colonel entered into the history of Newcastle - one Colonel James H Porter, a third generation brewer. Colonel Porter, along with chemist Archie Jones, experimented with various recipes, malts and brewing techniques, and came up with what we know today - lucky for us - as Newcastle Brown Ale. First brewed on April 1927, Newcastle Brown Ale became almost instantly popular, and began snapping up gold medals right from the start, many of which appear on the Newcastle Brown Ale label. And, speaking of the label, the five pointed star, actually adopted as the company's trademark earlier in 1913, represents the five breweries that combined to form Newcastle Breweries - Tyne, Gateshead, Allison, Carr and Swinburne, while within the star there was later added a cityscape in silhouette, featuring the skyline of Newcastle, as well as the iconic Tyne Bridge. Here's another tidbit about the label - Newcastle's label used to be just a simple oval, but with the award winning success of the new Brown Ale the label was modified to include an addition to the top, which today proclaims: "The One and Only." By the way, the local football club is called the Newcastle Blue Stars.
 Ok, so what about today. Well, it would take a few hours, and a few pints of Newcastle Brown Ale, to tell the whole story, so I will just hit some of the high points. In 1960, Newcastle Breweries merged with Scottish Breweries to form Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, and over the next few decades the combined firm acquires more and more breweries, both in the U.K. and overseas, including Theakston, Courage, Bulmers, among others. In April 2005, brewing of Newcastle Brown Ale was moved across the Tyne to the Gateshead, although not to the old Gateshead Brewery, but rather to the Federation Brewery facility, and the old Tyne Brewery was torn down. In 2007, the brewing of Newcastle Brown Ale was moved again, this time to the John Smith's Brewery, in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire. Then, in 2008, the folks at Heineken bought the Scottish and Newcastle Breweries, and that is pretty much where things sit today.
  Of course, all of this is subject to change at a moments notice, and I try not to dwell too much on modern corporate maneuverings, it's just too complicated. What I do know is that Newcastle Brown Ale is still a darn good beer that I enjoy on a regular basis. Maybe I will have on right now - Cheers!

   Good Ol' Newcastle Brown Ale, truly a standard British Ale that is available almost anywhere in North America. For years it had been one of my go-to beers - like Guinness and Bass Ale - that could be found almost anywhere in North America.  Consistent, and consistently good, Newcastle Brown Ale has been on the top of my list for decades.
  Granted, Newcastle can be used as a case study in the globalization of the brewing industry. Heck, it is not even brewed in Newcastle any more, but then again, many of the old standards in the market are no longer brewed in their historic breweries. So the next time you are offered a Newcastle Brown Ale, try to relax, remember the great heritage of the brand, and simply enjoy what is still a darn good beer, regardless of where it was made or who was making it.
   And, speaking of heritage... 

Then came something new...
  In later 2014, the Newcastle folks (yes, the ones at Heineken) decided to field a few special edition ales - what they call Collaboration Editions, owing to the fact that they are brewed up North, at the Caledonian Brewery in Scotland.

 Here's the 2014 Official Press Release: 
Newcastle Introduces Scotch Ale, Inaugural Beer in a
Series of “Collaboration Editions” Created with Venerable European Breweries  

  12 November 2014:  For centuries, the United Kingdom has stood for togetherness, collaboration and union. After all, making the whole better than its parts is a specialty of the British. Take some of the finest cultural exports the U.K. has produced: Tea and crumpets. Bangers and mash. Lennon and McCartney.
  Most Brits know a thing or two about improving through collaboration, and Newcastle Brown Ale is no different. To keep beer discovery fresh and invigorating, Newcastle is kicking off the brand-new series of “collaboration edition” beers made with some of Europe’s finest and oldest breweries.
 To brew the first offering in the series, Newcastle turned to its Edinburgh, Scotland-based sister brewery, Caledonian, to develop a special ale that brings world-class traditional British brewing to casual beer drinkers around the world.
  The Newcastle Scotch Ale collaboration is a limited-time offering from Newcastle and Caledonian that represents the best of English and Scottish brewing: a rich, full-flavored and fulfilling Scottish ale with toffee notes at 6.4 percent ABV and 40 IBUs. Scotch Ale is a bold yet balanced beer that will please lifelong Newcastle fans as well as more adventurous drinkers.
  “Newcastle Scotch Ale is a well-balanced, malt-forward brew with a delightful velvety finish,” said actor, blogger and beer aficionado Wil Wheaton. “Basically, Newcastle and Caledonian made a kick-ass beer that does not suck.”
    Wheaton will star in a pair of videos aimed at making beer connoisseurship accessible and fun for drinks lovers.
  “One of our dreams is to get rid of the ‘intimidation’ factor that prevents so many people from foregoing boring ‘yellow beer’ and enjoying more interesting brews,” said Brett Steen, brand manager for Newcastle Brown Ale. “Wil is an inviting and knowledgeable guy, and we’re stoked that he’s taking this herculean effort of humor and wisdom onto himself so we don’t have to.”

    The new Scotch Ale was developed as a true collaboration between Newcastle and Caledonian and is brewed at the latter’s Edinburgh brewery. The Caledonian Brewery uses only traditional British brewing methods, including using only whole-flower hops and heating the original 1869 copper kettles with open flames. The resulting brew has rich and complex flavors sure to satisfy any beer drinker – adventurous and novice alike.
  The Newcastle Collaboration Series will roll out throughout 2015 and include new beers made in partnership with some of Europe’s oldest breweries. Fans should follow Newcastle on Facebook (facebook.com/Newcastle) and Twitter (twitter.com/Newcastle) for the latest information about Collaboration Series releases.
  Scotch Ale will be available beginning mid November 2014 through February 2015. The brew will be available nationally in 6- and 12-packs and on draught in select markets.

   I bought a few six-packs of the Scotch Ale back at the beginning of 2015. Later, in September 2015, despite the fact that it is no longer in production, I did find a couple more 6-packs at my local bottle shop. Still good, so find it if you can, certainly worth a taste.

A little poem from the book “The Tyne Songster - A Choice Selection of Songs in the Newcastle Dialect” by an unknown author - 1840.