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Pub Guide

White Hart - Great Staughton

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Opening Times

Issue 135 Summer 2008

Download a copy of Opening Times 135 as a PDF file - 1.1 MB

MORE MICROBREWERY TAKEOVERS

Two more major real ale microbrewers and the Deuchars IPA, Hobgoblin and Brakspear brands have been swallowed up by bigger brewers. Scottish & Newcastle have bought out the remaining 70 per cent of the shareholding in Caledonian Brewery of Edinburgh and Marstons have taken over Refresh UK, owners of Wychwood Brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire, brewers of the Hobgoblin and Brakspears brands.

Caledonian will soon be run by Dutch brewers Heineken. S&N are themselves the subject of a current takeover by a consortium of Heineken and Carlsberg and will be operated as part of Heineken.

In 2004 S&N bought the Caledonian brewing site and a 30% share of the brewing business. In the latest deal they have bought the remaining 70% of shares. The former Caledonian directors will retain ownership of Harviestoun brewery in Clackmannanshire, taken over by Caledonian in 2006, which means continued independence for the popular brewers of real ales like Bitter & Twisted and Schiehallion.

Marstons’ latest acquisition follows their purchase of Cumbria brewer Jennings in 2005 and the Ringwood microbrewer in Hampshire last year. Marstons appear to be committed to the continued operation of these breweries as they develop a large portfolio of locally brewed real ales to back up the national Marstons Pedigree brand.

Refresh is also the largest British producer of organic ales, including the Duchy Original real ales in bottle.

And Marstons plan to keep Refresh’s deal to import Inbev brand Löwenbräu and investigate bringing in more strong Inbev brands from other parts of the world.