The acquisition of the Courage brands by Wells & Young's seems a good move that should preserve two of Britain's best known cask ales, Courage Best and Directors.
Courage Best drinkers, in particular, are fiercely loyal to their pint and seem, in my experience, to stick with it whatever fine alternative attractions adorn neighbouring handpumps.
Scottish & Newcastle's decision to concentrate on brewing the fizzy yellow stuff is understandable. It has never given its cask brands the care and attention they need, whereas Wells & Young's have the capacity and the marketing wherewithall to make Courage a major name again.
I await their interpretations of the classic courage brews with interest.
Monday, January 22, 2007
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I don't agree that this represents a "good move", I'm afraid. Indeed, I'd be entirely indifferent to the news, were it not for the fact it further highlights the sad direction Youngs has taken since it teamed up with Wells. The Courage "brands" are just that - brands. Beers under the name have been brewed in several different breweries by a number of different companies, and as such they bear no relation to the Courage beers of the past. So what is the point in making Courage a "major name again"? Why is that a good thing, if the name means nothing? If Wells & Young's want to brew good beers, why don't they do it under their own names? This whole thing is a victory for marketing, a defeat for the cause of good beer. Don't play along with it. My own take on the news was here: http://stonch.blogspot.com/2007/01/wells-youngs-take-courage.html. I don't drink Wells Bombardier, I no longer drink Young's Bitter, and I certainly won't drink "Courage", wherever its brewed.
As you're growing up as a teenager, there are a number of things that you look forward to; getting your drivers license, graduating
from high school, going to your senior prom, having your first date and having your first beer. The problem with this last one is
that the drinking age and the thing you want make it something that you just can't have yet. And still, you want it and will go to
any lengths to get it.
Underage beer drinking is certainly no secret and to try to sweep it under the carpet isn't going to make it go away. But the most
odd thing about underage drinking when it comes to beer is that even after kids sneak their first beer, they still want to have
another one. If you're wondering why that sounds so strange then you need to think back to when YOU had your first beer. It was
pretty nasty tasting. Let's be honest, beer is bitter and is an acquired taste. Very few people, if any at all, enjoyed their first
beer. Many even get sick after it because of the taste or the fact that they're not used to the alcohol yet.
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