Grim news for bitter drinkers

[Barry]

Fullers have decided to shut the Gales brewery at Horndean .

HSB (High Speed Bitter) to be brewed in Chiswick

Philistines. Barbarians.

Armaggedon must be just round the corner.

[Lorry]

What a shame.  I had to go to Horndean Brewery on business once.  No samples thought, but P&O used to sell HSB and I'd usually take a "just in" case

[Andy Zarse]

Horndean bitter has to come from Horndean as far as I'm concerned. We took HSB to Lm last year and jolly refreshing it was too. Bloody vandals. I mean why buy it unless they're going to run it as a brewery? I expect the brewery building will be converted into luxury appartments, just like the Badger Bastards of Ringwood did to the wonderful old King and Barnes brewery in Horsham. K&B Sussex Best is now brewed in Dorset, so work that one out. As you say Barry, they're a bunch of Palestines, c**nts all.

[Andy]

Bar  stards
I come from 'ampshire, & and a fine brewery it is, traditional ales for all seasons
It can't stay as HSB you are right its not brewed in Horndean
FSB it has to B
(lots of swear words.............)

[jpchenet]

I wonder if anybody (consumers and landlords) will make a stand against this? If it hits their bottom line then they might take notice, but obviously by then it's too late as the brewery would already be closed.

It needs people to let them now how they feel NOW!!!

[Robspot]

Horndean bitter has to come from Horndean as far as I'm concerned. We took HSB to Lm last year and jolly refreshing it was too. Bloody vandals. I mean why buy it unless they're going to run it as a brewery? I expect the brewery building will be converted into luxury appartments, just like the Badger Bastards of Ringwood did to the wonderful old King and Barnes brewery in Horsham. K&B Sussex Best is now brewed in Dorset, so work that one out. As you say Barry, they're a bunch of Palestines, c**nts all.

Don't you come round here tarnishing my home town (Ringwood) with the Badger Bastards brush. The Badger Brewery is in Blandford which is the best place for it. Ringwood's only brewery is called, funnily enough, Ringwood Brewery, home of such fine ales as Forty Niner and Old Thumper (of which I shall be taking a 36 pint keg to LM this year).

[Doris]

I'm no ale drinker but I totally get that local brewerys being shut down is a bad thing!  The pub I work in quite often gets Gales bitters - especially their seasonal ones - and they always go down well with the punters.  What truly worries me is this line from the statement made by Fullers on Monday.

Some of Gales seasonal beers will continue to be brewed and available at various times as part of the seasonal calendar.

Some??  Which ones??  For how much longer?? 

Big breweries buying out smaller ones and moving prodcution is bad news for the whole industry as far as I'm concerned.

There's a petition lurking on here http://www.savegales.org.uk/

Dx

[Barry]

Some of Gales seasonal beers will continue to be brewed and available at various times as part of the seasonal calendar.

Some??  Which ones??  For how much longer?? 

Most of the beers will survive in name except for Gales bitter, which will disappear totally, but they will be brewed at Fullers main brewery in Chiswick.
Usually when there is a change in brewery the character of the beer changes totally, usually for the worse.
Whether this is due to using a different water in production, or the 'lets change this ingrediant, or production process, so we make more profit' is open for debate.
Good beers rarely are the same when production is moved, and it never seems to be for the better, Courage Director's being a prime example in this area. Even applies to lager, Kronenberg used to a primium lager when it was introduced in the 70's, and brewed abroad, and as for the rubbish that is labelled Kingfisher today, well I'll take the stuff that was brewed in India, not Burton on Trent. And please don't start me on how cr*p UK brewed Fosters is compared to Aussie brewed.
UK brewers take a good foreign beer, start brewing it in the UK, and in 6 months it tastes like Harp, if the younger members of this site don't remember Harp, then they are lucky , cos it was gnats. 

[gibberish]

Well said Barry.  Bloody shame it all has to be so true.

Awe knats to it........Think I'll have some of Harveys finest Sussex Bitter this evening......at £1.90 a pint.  Not bad for these southern parts 

[Mr Toad]

HSB = High Speed Brain Damage 

[Barry]

Was so upset at the demise of my favorite beer that I got my HSB's muddled up with my HSD's, which is easy to do if you have had a few pints of either.

Gales HSB is affectionatly known by us as Highly Silly Bitter, which was the comment that was made by one of my friends when we discovered it at the age of 17.
St Austall HSD is High Speed Death, as anybody seeing the locals in Cornwall drinking lots of it and then getting in their cars will know.

[Black Granny]

As another who grew up weaned on Gales beers, I too am saddened by the closing of the brewery and the loss of some fine beers.

As has been said before although the name may continue the beer will change in character by being brewed elsewhere.

As a general swilling bitter I always prefered the ordinary bitter (BBB) or Butser Best Bitter as it got named in the 80's in some silly competition. Even now older drinkers still ask for a pint of 'ordinary' only to be given a blank look by the younger bar staff.

No more trips up the road to the brewery shop the day before departing for Le Mans then.

[Robbo SPS]

I lived inb Horndean for 8 years an d a nice place it is too.

I wonder what it will do for the job front.

I can see the local pubs being ruined with Alco Pops now.

The ship and Bell, next to the brewery was great in winter for the christmas specials....

If anyone needs some" HORNDEAN " watered beer before it goes belly up, let me know.

[Andy Zarse]

Robbo, I maight just take you up on that offer.

God I wish this thread was entitled "Bitter news for Grimburgen Drinkers". There's been little mention of the dreaded G recently thank heavens.

[BigH]

There's been little mention of the dreaded G recently thank heavens.

Well, you may say that, but there's been plenty mention of it round these quarters!

I spent a few nights in Brussels recently, and was taken advantage of in a bar by a waiter who should have known better. I asked for a Jupiler, a nice little thirst quencher that won't have you dancing on the tables before you can say "Breugalesque landscape", and he turned up with something he said was very similar. Similar my arse, it was some special x-rated version of Grimbergen that completely knocked me bow-legged. I didn't think to check the strength on the bottle, trusting the spotty little herbert, it turns out to be some turbo charged mixture kept, I can only imagine, so as to stop the poor old Monks running away. I had a very strange half hour leaving voicemails on strangers phones before I settled down. I believe I then ended up in a bar called 'The Drug Opera'. Holy sh*t!
H