BS: Save Boddies Brewery!

Subject: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Stu
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 06:22 AM

An issue sure to spark debate in a circle of 30 square miles around Manchester city centre is whether Boddies or Robbies is the best ale. Unfortunately, the Belgian firm interbrew who owns Boddingtons wants to shut Strangeways brewery, and so put the mockers on this debate once and for all.

As the cask is all that is made at Strangeways (and mighty fine it is too), the true taste of Boddies is about to disappear for ever. It uses water drawn from a well below the brewery to make the ale (er, perhaps best not to think too hard about that), so anything else will taint the taste of the beer (witness the taste difference between Dublin-brewed Guiness and what everyone else drinks brewed under licence elsewhere - no comparison).

Check out the campaign website

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Stu
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 06:24 AM

. . .which is here:

www.savethecream.co.uk

I pressed the wrong button, hence two posts. Doh!

stigWeard

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 06:45 AM

Sorry mate, but I am not sure the brewery is worth saving; an ugly building with no merit. And the beer is certainly not in my personal top ten in the UK:

Brakspears
Bombardier
London Pride
Flowers
Old Thumper (Hampshire)
Davy's old Wallop (London)
Ma Parlow's (Dudley)
Tetleys
Spitfire
Black Sheep (Yorkshire)

So if the Mancunians themselves cannot even agree to put their own support behind Boddies, as opposed to Robbies, why would the rest of the country, with better beers at their disposal, lift a finger?

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 06:51 AM

Not meaning to be controversial, you understand - but there are many causes worth supporting and only 24 hours in the day. Prioritisation is a must.

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 07:30 AM

I am old enough to remember Boddies when it was worth saving, the product now sold in the guise of Boddington is a poor imitation to the proper stuff.
I recall Paul Grady asking what that folded form was on the floor upon being told it was a Southern (who had only consumed about 5 pints) remarked, with his head resting on his hands holding his walking stick ......... "Ay 'appen it might be"

Sorry cannot support this one


Now if it were John Willie Lee's

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 07:35 AM

El Greko if you change the Tetleys to Theakstons that's an excellent list hic.....

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Skipy
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 07:35 AM

After the closure of Morland Brewery (Abingdon)& the wanton destruction of the site I assumed that Morland bitter would be no more,I was wrong, it is brewed now by Greene King & is surprisingly as good as it ever was. The only change is it now uses St Albans water in stead of Abingdon water.
However I put myself out every Monday eve. & ditto Friday to carry out tests on the product. So far so good.
Never tried it with whelks though!

Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 07:40 AM

Don't mind if I do, Sttaw Legend; consider it changed. And the first one's on me - cheers!

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 07:41 AM

But they've had some brilliant TV adverts. There's a couple of them on this site. By 'ek!

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 08:31 AM

Boddingtons ain't too bad. I think that it will be the same wherever it is made though and as the brewery has no apparant merits I won't be joining I'm afraid. Shame for the people working there though.

Now, if they could do the same as the ex Greenalls employees did with Cains that would be worth saving!

I disagree with both Boddies and Robbies being the best in Manchester BTW - Robbies, good beer that it is, isn't even in our fair city! How can any of them compete with Holts, Hydes and, of late, Pheonix anyway???

Cheers, hic...

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 08:31 AM

Boddies was a good beer before Whitbreads fucked it up. Good ads but beer not worth saving now.

eric

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 08:35 AM

Going back to something Raggytash said - Didn't Boddies buy JW Lees before Whitbread took over Bodds? In which case - Who owns Lees now?

Puzzled.

D.

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Skipy
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 08:38 AM

After the closure of Morland Brewery (Abingdon)& the wanton destruction of the site I assumed that Morland bitter would be no more,I was wrong, it is brewed now by Greene King & is surprisingly as good as it ever was. The only change is it now uses St Albans water in stead of Abingdon water.
However I put myself out every Monday eve. & ditto Friday to carry out tests on the product. So far so good.
Never tried it with whelks though!

Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 09:05 AM

Did you say that before, Skipy, or am I pissed on Boddies;-)

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,MIngulay
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 09:16 AM

You'll probably find that Skipy is pissed and repeating himself. This is a normal state of events usually brought on by a bucket full of slops when the good stuff runs out. This is the time of the GENTS TOILET SING.

Is it possible to get pissed on Boddies, can you stand enough of it. Mr Greko, what's all this about Tetley's. Never knew you drank tea.

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 09:27 AM

Not a fan of Boddington's myself, tastes like soapy water to me. Give me Young's Special, Speckled Hen, Ruddles County,Brakspear's, Adnams, Spitfire, not to mention Owd Roger of course!

RtS

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Stu
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 09:53 AM

Hmmmm.

The cask Boddies always seems pretty good to me. I don't care for keg ale - the keg Boddies is pretty ropey in my opinion. Not sure about the London Pride either, although Bombardier is a joy.

Has to be said though, both Boddies and Robbies can't hold their own against much of the really good modern stuff, amongst which I count:

Pale Rider (or any Kelham Island brew), Rebellion, Theakston XB (I find the ordinary bitter just that) or anything from Storm Brewing in Macclesfield, to name but a few.

Funnily enough, one of the pints opf bitter I remember most fondly was a fine ale brewed on site in a small brewery nestled amongst the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Can't remember the name of the brewery though.

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 09:53 AM

Owd Roger 7.6% of marvellous dynamite

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 10:03 AM

It's me flatcap, Mingulay... Seriously, the British Legion in St Albans recently brought in Tetleys cask to replace the crappy Ansells they had. The new beer is a very decent drop at £1.95p.

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Sttaw Legend
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 10:11 AM

But can we do the rest of the pub crawl from your list El Greko in St Albans on the same night?

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 10:14 AM

No, you can't, that's true. At least, I don't think so - you'd need to drive fair distances for three of the beers. But I'd pick any one on my list against Boddies.

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 10:43 AM

Tetley's is brewed [ they say ] in Leeds and they have trouble selling it at £1.25 a pint in Wetherspoons.

I play in a pub session on Sunday and Taylor's best bitter is £1.85 a pint, excellent beer.

eric

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 11:12 AM

You lucky sods living in more northerly climes. Bitter at under £2 a pint. Here in the swamp part of Middlesex Pride is £2.50 a pint and they don't like filling the glass for that.

Must agree with El Greko that Tetleys is marginally better than Ansells but there really isn't a decent pint from any of the big conglomerates and "local" labelling doesn't alter things.

My younger days were spent drinking Melbournes, "proper" Ruddles, Sam Smiths, Batemans etc. who all produced good 'drinking beer' as well as mighty fine 'sippin' beer'. Oh to be 21 again!

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,skipy
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 06:18 PM

Hi Mingulay, see Erotica thread, forgot bthe toilets sings.

Oh did you know that I have sung in the gents in the House of Lords!

Skipoy

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 21 Oct 04 - 04:00 AM

Why am I not surprised Skipy.

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: John J
Date: 21 Oct 04 - 12:38 PM

Boddington's (=Interbrew) recently changed the recipe of their bitter with the result that is is far more like the old Boddies of around 27 - 28 years ago. The 'new' brew is something like 4.1% abv.
I quite like it and wouldn't like to see the brewery closed down.
John

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Oct 04 - 05:54 PM

From what I understand John the beer will still be made elsewhere but I could well be wrong. I cannot honestly say whether it will be the same or not but as it has already be changed on a few occasions I can't realy see it making much odds where it is made:-(

See you Saturday for a drop or two of Robbies?

Cheers

:D

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 22 Oct 04 - 12:41 AM

Well I can't drink alcohol any more, but Boddingtons never did it for me.

I used to like Theakstons Old Peculiar from the tap. Not keen on the bottled stuff, and guinness of course.

But I could never drink real ales - the sort of stuff they do at these beer fairs. I'd be drunk after 3 or so half pints. And I always liked to drink a lot.

there must have been a technique to drinking the real ales. don't suppose I'll ever know now. but I wonder what it was.....

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Skipy
Date: 22 Oct 04 - 08:31 AM

I don't drink Boddies by choice, however this morning I found 8 cans of Boddies & 14 cans of hieniken in a skip, they are a mere 1 month out of date - no problem there then. Their empty shells will be laid to rest in a recycle skip by Monday. Just a couple of months back I took the challenge of a full slab (24 cans) of Guiness that was 25, yes 25 months out of date"! Tasted odd, but did the lot!

Skipy

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 22 Oct 04 - 08:45 AM

WARNING!!   Skipy has had years of practice at this folks and his intestines are finely honed and immune to being despoiled in this manner.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!

Anyone else finding such a hoard should dispose of it in the correct manner by opening the cans and pouring the contents via a stainless steel funnel directly into












SKIPY'S THROAT

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 23 Oct 04 - 03:22 AM

When they came for Yates and Jackson's I did not complain for I did not drink Y & J. When they came for Bent's I did not ........ When they came for Boddies.........

So, when they come for your's.........

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 04:21 AM

In response to the question as to the ownership of John Willie Lee's I think it is still a privately owned company who fought off a take over bid from Boddies many years ago when Boddies was still independent

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 28 Oct 04 - 04:17 PM

Yer right, Raggy! It took time but the old synapses just completed the connection. It was Oldham Brewery Boddies took over - Just for the mild production if the brain cells don't fail me.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Save Boddies Brewery!
From: Col K
Date: 29 Oct 04 - 02:21 PM

Why save it?
There are plenty of other far better breweries and brews around, Boddies never did it for me in its taste and it could be a pig to work with in a cellar.
Lets have more good quality beers at a reasonable price in our pubs.