Newcastle Brown Ale will not longer be brewed on Tyneside, Scottish & Newcastle has announced, making you wonder what appreciation anyone at the brewing conglomerate has of its world famous brand. Brewing will be shifted to Tadcaster, but the drink will still be labelled ‘Newcastle’ and sold by the boatload around the world. What a sham.
In fact, the last true bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale was brewed in April 2005, after which S&N’s Tyne brewery was closed and demolished, and production was moved across the River Tyne to Gateshead, at the Federation Brewery. The ‘Fed’ will now close, with the loss of 63 jobs.
Given that Scottish & Newcastle has previously closed its Edinburgh brewery, you could be forgiven for suggesting that it should now just call itself ‘&’.
Created by Colonel Jim Porter in 1925, Newcastle Brown Ale is one of the world’s most famous and bestselling beers. But if it isn’t brewed in Newcastle – or at least on Tyneside – then shouldn’t the famous name be abandoned?
Certainly, there’d be hell on if Geordies started producing champagne. That’s because of the appellation control that prevents food and drink from being manufactured outside specific regions. So Melton Mowbray pork pies, Parma ham, Jersey Royal potatoes, Feta cheese, Dutch Gouda and Welsh lamb are all protected.
But there is no such protection for Newcastle Brown Ale. I, for one, will never buy it again until its place of manufacture matches the name on the bottle. Now I’m off to Greggs of Gosforth to buy a Cornish pasty.
I co-edited and contributed reviews to The Non-Beardy Beer Book.
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