Goodbye Meantime

Algarveaddick

The club will no longer be able to advertise that our in-house beer is brewed a mile away. No doubt the savings the brewco will make will be passed on to the consumer... 🤔

I wonder what the "continuation  of brewing" will entail? A bloke with a hand knitted jumper and a beard using a Geordie Home Brew kit? Let's be honest, it will almost certainly be shelved before it starts due to some "unforseen" circumstance blamed on health and safety. 

 https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2024/03/06/camra-claims-asahi-brewery-move-is-blow-to-british-brewing?fbclid=IwAR0w6X7kBPNJYDbv6gZgNyhuDoP2-cBkJeqh4dUCM9C9jybCgWdo3-tiJes

   

Stig

Sounds like It'll be brewed at the Fullers Brewery along with old Gales beers and, as they state in that article, Dark Star. Keeping it local the Katriene Meire way.

A real shame and something that was perhaps predictable when they were taken over. I suppose the one small positive is that it'll still be in London.

Algarveaddick

Stig said:

Sounds like It'll be brewed at the Fullers Brewery along with old Gales beers and, as they state in that article, Dark Star. Keeping it local the Katriene Meire way.

A real shame and something that was perhaps predictable when they were taken over. I suppose the one small positive is that it'll still be in London.

Yes a it's a consolation, but brewers always claim that a different water supply results in a different beer taste. Hopefully anyone who wants to stay with the company will remain employed in the new project.       

ken_shabby

The blurb Asahi put out to explain away it's decision veered between meaningless cliche's, and the usual swerve around the actual reasons for the move. Basically it looks like cost cutting, and everything else is just words. Ther was some extra blurb at the end about maintaining some sort of presence in Greenwich with some sort of extra beer.
But essentially this is how corporate business moves, and this was probably somewhere in the background since Meantime was sold in 2016. Maybe Chelsea can take over selling the beer for us, and rebrand it as 'Near-Meantime' .

killerandflash

Disappointing. The big brewery companies are terrible custodians of micro and craft breweries, as they eventually lose their soul, and just become meaningless brand names.

milo

Algarveaddick said:

Stig said:

Sounds like It'll be brewed at the Fullers Brewery along with old Gales beers and, as they state in that article, Dark Star. Keeping it local the Katriene Meire way.

A real shame and something that was perhaps predictable when they were taken over. I suppose the one small positive is that it'll still be in London.

Yes a it's a consolation, but brewers always claim that a different water supply results in a different beer taste. Hopefully anyone who wants to stay with the company will remain employed in the new project.       

Brewers filter the water and then add to this to get the required composition/taste. The process is known as Burtonisation, usually adding gypsum, etc, eg: to mimic the superior water composition in Burton on Trent. So where they brew shouldn’t be an issue to taste theoretically (as long as they don’t cut corners to save money).  

It is how Meantime has been able to make passable German lagers with London water supply and how Asahi was brewed for a number of years at Shepherd Naeme mimicking the original recipe.

Still a shame that Meantime is leaving the borough.

Algarveaddick

milo said:

Algarveaddick said:

Stig said:

Sounds like It'll be brewed at the Fullers Brewery along with old Gales beers and, as they state in that article, Dark Star. Keeping it local the Katriene Meire way.

A real shame and something that was perhaps predictable when they were taken over. I suppose the one small positive is that it'll still be in London.

Yes a it's a consolation, but brewers always claim that a different water supply results in a different beer taste. Hopefully anyone who wants to stay with the company will remain employed in the new project.       

Brewers filter the water and then add to this to get the required composition/taste. The process is known as Burtonisation, usually adding gypsum, etc, eg: to mimic the superior water composition in Burton on Trent. So where they brew shouldn’t be an issue to taste theoretically (as long as they don’t cut corners to save money).  

It is how Meantime has been able to make passable German lagers with London water supply and how Asahi was brewed for a number of years at Shepherd Naeme mimicking the original recipe.

Still a shame that Meantime is leaving the borough.

Cheers Milo - interesting info. I am sure there are those that would claim they could tell the difference (I'm not one of them).  

usetobunkin

ken_shabby said:

The blurb Asahi put out to explain away it's decision veered between meaningless cliche's, and the usual swerve around the actual reasons for the move. Basically it looks like cost cutting, and everything else is just words. Ther was some extra blurb at the end about maintaining some sort of presence in Greenwich with some sort of extra beer.
But essentially this is how corporate business moves, and this was probably somewhere in the background since Meantime was sold in 2016. Maybe Chelsea can take over selling the beer for us, and rebrand it as 'Near-Meantime' .

They would put sand in it!!

killerandflash

milo said:

Algarveaddick said:

Stig said:

Sounds like It'll be brewed at the Fullers Brewery along with old Gales beers and, as they state in that article, Dark Star. Keeping it local the Katriene Meire way.

A real shame and something that was perhaps predictable when they were taken over. I suppose the one small positive is that it'll still be in London.

Yes a it's a consolation, but brewers always claim that a different water supply results in a different beer taste. Hopefully anyone who wants to stay with the company will remain employed in the new project.       

Brewers filter the water and then add to this to get the required composition/taste. The process is known as Burtonisation, usually adding gypsum, etc, eg: to mimic the superior water composition in Burton on Trent. So where they brew shouldn’t be an issue to taste theoretically (as long as they don’t cut corners to save money).  

It is how Meantime has been able to make passable German lagers with London water supply and how Asahi was brewed for a number of years at Shepherd Naeme mimicking the original recipe.

Still a shame that Meantime is leaving the borough.

Personally I find Meantime's products pleasant enough, but nothing special or distinctive, especially with the glut of new craft breweries that have opened in recent years in London. These small independents, run by enthusiasts, are so much nimbler, constantly creating new brews in different styles, whereas Meantime were that awkward size, too big to have that flexibility, but also too small to have scale.

Much nicer to have them at The Valley instead of bog standard lager or John Smith's though.

Redvaliant

It's very disappointing. The small breweries started to grow due to frustration with the big boys and lack of choice. Now it seems they are all being picked off by them., although it's hard to be profitable these days especially after COVID.

oohaahmortimer

What they renaming it to Shepherd’s Bush Piss 

Oggy Red

killerandflash said:

Disappointing. The big brewery companies are terrible custodians of micro and craft breweries, as they eventually lose their soul, and just become meaningless brand names.

Yes, like Doom Bar, for example. 

Went from one of the best Cornish beers to bland caramel supermarket nothingness. 

sam3110

Oggy Red said:

killerandflash said:

Disappointing. The big brewery companies are terrible custodians of micro and craft breweries, as they eventually lose their soul, and just become meaningless brand names.

Yes, like Doom Bar, for example. 

Went from one of the best Cornish beers to bland caramel supermarket nothingness. 

I remember when I was younger (20 years ago or so now) and we used to get Doom Bar on gravity pour at the pub my parents ran, and everyone used to get excited whenever we had it. 

No doubt meantime will go the same way in a few years and just become a brand name 

MrOneLung

Don't blame Asahi, blame the Meantime owners who sold to them in 2016

Leuth

killerandflash said:

milo said:

Algarveaddick said:

Stig said:

Sounds like It'll be brewed at the Fullers Brewery along with old Gales beers and, as they state in that article, Dark Star. Keeping it local the Katriene Meire way.

A real shame and something that was perhaps predictable when they were taken over. I suppose the one small positive is that it'll still be in London.

Yes a it's a consolation, but brewers always claim that a different water supply results in a different beer taste. Hopefully anyone who wants to stay with the company will remain employed in the new project.       

Brewers filter the water and then add to this to get the required composition/taste. The process is known as Burtonisation, usually adding gypsum, etc, eg: to mimic the superior water composition in Burton on Trent. So where they brew shouldn’t be an issue to taste theoretically (as long as they don’t cut corners to save money).  

It is how Meantime has been able to make passable German lagers with London water supply and how Asahi was brewed for a number of years at Shepherd Naeme mimicking the original recipe.

Still a shame that Meantime is leaving the borough.

Personally I find Meantime's products pleasant enough, but nothing special or distinctive, especially with the glut of new craft breweries that have opened in recent years in London. These small independents, run by enthusiasts, are so much nimbler, constantly creating new brews in different styles, whereas Meantime were that awkward size, too big to have that flexibility, but also too small to have scale.

Much nicer to have them at The Valley instead of bog standard lager or John Smith's though.

Between this and your opening track choices I'm beginning to suspect you might be that most dastardly of things: a Fellow Hipster

Oggy Red

sam3110 said:

Oggy Red said:

killerandflash said:

Disappointing. The big brewery companies are terrible custodians of micro and craft breweries, as they eventually lose their soul, and just become meaningless brand names.

Yes, like Doom Bar, for example. 

Went from one of the best Cornish beers to bland caramel supermarket nothingness. 

I remember when I was younger (20 years ago or so now) and we used to get Doom Bar on gravity pour at the pub my parents ran, and everyone used to get excited whenever we had it. 

No doubt meantime will go the same way in a few years and just become a brand name 

Exactly, Sam. 

As you say, 20 years ago people used to rave about Doom Bar, brewed by Sharps at their microbrewery at Rock, just across the Camel estuary from Padstow, Cornwall.

It took 2nd place in the national CAMRA awards.

The they were bought out by Coors. 
What did they do to it? 🙄

cafc_harry

Thats really disappointing, always enjoyed going in to the taproom when I was in the area. The 2 for 1 on tank fresh lager in the evening was great.