The Return of Whitbread Pale Ale

Discussion in 'Article Comments' started by BeerAdvocate, Mar 27, 2017.

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  1. BeerAdvocate

    BeerAdvocate Admin (4,017) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    STAFF Pooh-Bah

    Last year Whitbread Pale Ale was relaunched in the UK, brewed by the highly regarded Windsor & Eton. Let’s not worry too much about whether it’s an IPA, Pale Ale, or Light Ale. Just rejoice at the return of Whitbread’s iconic hind logo.

    Read the full article: The Return of Whitbread Pale Ale
     
    #1 BeerAdvocate, Mar 27, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 11, 2017
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  2. DollarBila

    DollarBila Devotee (381) Jan 19, 2008 Michigan
    Society

    I fondly recall drinking Whitbread in Houston 1993-1995 at a couple of English Pubs plus Gingerman. Great memories at a time when good beer was hard to find. Likely would not have enough taste now. Loved it with the salt and vinegar chips.
     
  3. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Great to hear!
     
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  4. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    Loved it back in the day, I'd give it a go.
     
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  5. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    In the US after Interbrew bought Whitbread, Whitbread Pale Ale (along with stablemate, Mackeson Stout) was "brewed under license" at the old Schoenling brewery in Cincinnati that Boston Beer Co. bought in the late 1990s, through the Royal Imports company (a Hudephol-Schoenling spin-off) which previously had the US import rights.

    IIRC, that beer only disappeared from the US market after InBev bought Anheuser-Busch.

    [​IMG]

    The Lion also brewed the licensed version of Mackeson Stout during that period but I don't remember if they also did Whitbread Ale there, too.
     
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  6. NeroFiddled

    NeroFiddled Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,276) Jul 8, 2002 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I've heard this, and I'm quite excited. As a lad Whitbread used to be my favorite, followed closely by Watney's Red Barrel. Whitbread used dual yeast strains and it was a little bit different than other beers. When it was brewed under contract in Cincinnati it didn't taste the same at all, and I don't believe they were using the same yeasts, or even one of them, but that hardly mattered as I felt they got the malt wrong as well. Hopefully this new go-round will be closer to the original. :slight_smile:
     
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  7. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    What years was Whitbread brewed by Schoenling? I can remember drinking the Whitbread back in the ... mid-80s? Maybe? But I honestly can't recall if it was imported or Ohio-brewed.
     
  8. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Opps - sorry that's not clear in my post.

    It wasn't brewed by Schoenling, it was brewed by Boston Beer Co. at the old Schoenling brewery after BBC bought the facility in 1996 when Hudepohl-Schoenling got out of the actual "brewing" business (there were a few years after that when BBC brewed the H-S beers, the two companies sort of switching roles as contractor/contractee brewers).

    Not sure when the US-brewed-under-license Whitbread beers started but it seemed to happen around the same time as Interbrew bought Whitbread in 2000.
     
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  9. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,174) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Ahh -- okay, so what I was trying to enjoy (I was just getting into "different" beers) back then was probably imported.

    My only recollection was a very dry beer -- could have been English hops, but I didn't know about that stuff yet.
     
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  10. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,036) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    A staple of mine back in the 70s when I lived in Orange County California.
     
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  11. zid

    zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Was this a development from the earlier arrangement that had Whitbread brewing Boston Beer brands in the UK? (It's possible I made that up, don't know if I'm remembering my facts right, they at least collaborated on BBC's early nitro beers.)
     
  12. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yeah, that deal came before the brewed-under-license deal (from a BBC SEC filing):
    So, those two companies had a relationship but Hudepohl-Schoenling, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Royal Imports, had been importing Whitbread and Mackeson since 1990, so its hard to say how the US-brewed versions came about.

    After Hudepohl-Schoenling got out of the brewing business entirely in 1999 (from 1996 until then, BBC was contract-brewing their brands) their domestic brands were sold to the doomed Snyder International while the import rights went to the spin-off "Royal Imports" which was owned by Heileman exec, Randy Hull (now with City Brewing).

    I once called BBC's toll-free number and instead of getting a typical rep who just read answers out of a book, they had me leave my number and actually called me back. I got a pretty knowledgeable guy who I then peppered with questions, one of which was what was the deal between BBC, Royal and Interbrew and he denied they (Boston) ever brewed the Whitbread brands (!) - "Oh, no, that was before we bought the brewery in Cincinnati." No it wasn't - the TTB COLAs are all from well after 1997.
     
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