Travelling in the UK in 1994, I + new wife stayed mostly in B&Bs, visiting the local for dinner and a pint or three after a hard day's sightseeing.
There was one (pub) in particular that stands out, but the name has long fled my memory.
It was an old tudor-style place (authentic, to my ignorant eyes - I had to duck down to get through the doorways!) in a place called Wargrave - Berkshire, I think - near Henley-on-Thames. It's not the pub I've forgotten so much as the name of the local ale - I can remember it came from a brewery that only serviced half a dozen pubs in the district. Any ideas?
Almost certainly a Brakspears pub. Brakspears had considerably more than half a dozen pubs but in 1994 they were still a small regional brewery. Sadly they stopped brewing about 2 years ago and are now a non-brewing pubco. 'Brakspears' beers are now brewed under contract by Refresh UK at the Burtonwood brewery in Cheshire, over 150 miles away. There are plans to move the brewing operation to Refresh's Wychwood plant in Witney, Oxfordshire.
This change was a major loss to the the UK cask beer scene, especially in Southern England. Search back in groups.google.com for much more info and comment about this.
There are quite a few like that near Henley on Thames (and Wargrave is very near Henley), even more if you're tall like me. Can you tell us a few more details - near a river?, views out the window etc etc?? Considering your description, it was a Brakspear's pub though.
It wasn't the "Little Angel" was it?
[snip]
well, you say that, but, apart from a few seasonal ales, it wan't much of a loss. Henry on Thames was very good, as was the 2.5, but Brakspear's Best wasn't up to much really. Still, a loss to the brewing scene it was.
I used to work in Henley and I have much fond memories of the Cottage Inn (! yes, it really is called that). down by the river. And the other pubs that sold Brakspears, though we spent most of our time in the Slug and Lettuce, and the Rainbow up in Asendon.
Brakspear sounds familiar. IIRC, Wargrave itself is on the river, isn't it? Can't remember window views, I was studying my pint/s, dinner, and the pub's interior :-)
That sounds familiar, too.
Ditto for fond memories - I lived in Shiplake for most of 1974 - the visit in '94 was very much a nostalgia trip.
erm, well, you say that, but IMO (& many others) the brewery itself was a beautiful working museum, the family & company had a fine history of brewing in the town since before its official date of 1779, the 'ordinary' bitter was anything but, & was delicious when kept well
- seriously dry & bitter, the company had invested heavily both in sensible modernising (new bottling-line, replacing plastic vessels with stainless, organic beers, using wheat, honey, rye, new hop strains, etc) & in keeping worthwhile traditions alive (150+-year-old multi-strain yeast, open FVs & dropping system, whole-hop brewing, all maris otter malt).
I know that it was Brakspear's themselves who closed the brewery, and that they seemed to have made very unwise decisions about sales & pricing, & the future of the company, but their beers & brewery are sorely missed by many.
which beer was "Best"? - do you mean the Bitter or Special?
I think I would agree with John Mortimer, Michael Jackson & others about the "ordinary" bitter perhaps being the best bitter in the country.
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MikeMcG (former member of Brakspear's brewing team, 1998-2000)
I e-mailed my CAMRA friend who lives in Wargrave and got the following reply:
'The pub in question is the Bull in Wargrave. The brewery now shut, was in Henley and was called BRAKSPEAR. It still serves ale under the same name but is brewed under licence elsewhere and tastes pretty good.'
The comment about the taste is a matter of opinion. Most informed beer drinkers reckon that the current Brakspear's, which is brewed at the Thomas Hardy Burtonwood Brewery in North West England, is not a patch on the original. On the basis of the one pint I have tried I would agree, but it may have been hanging around in the pub too long.
The current owners of the Brakspear brands, Refresh UK, are bringing them back to their brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire, with much of the original Henley Brewery's equipment, so we await the Brakspear's bitter brewed there with interest.
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