Gaz Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Firkins? Oh yes. Simply the greatest pub known to man. It's not the same since they painted the ceiling a few years ago and got the new floor in last year, though... it's becoming too "trendy" to go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmy_cammy Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I was always intrigued by McEwans lager because throughout my pre-drinking years it was the lager you always heard about. However when I started drinking it was nowhere to be seen in offies or pubs in Dumfries. I have managed to have one pint of the stuff in the Kensington near Cessnock underground on the Paisley Road West whilst doing a 'Sub Crawl' last year. I actually thought it was pretty decent, it had the general lager taste of all the common tap lagers without being ridiculously fizzy like most of the common tap lagers (Fosters being the worst offender). Do you remember Colt 45??? There was still a pub in Leven that sold that on Draft during my formative under-age drinking experience!!! (The Golf for those that know it)!!! It got you pissed!!! Ah that explains the Afroman song! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBairn Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Oh yes. Simply the greatest pub known to man. It's not the same since they painted the ceiling a few years ago and got the new floor in last year, though... it's becoming too "trendy" to go there. When they started putting chart music in the Juke Box I stopped going. I used to love going to the Star Wars bar and putting Metallica, Nirvana, Motorhead etc on. Then it all changed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qos_75 Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I was always intrigued by McEwans lager because throughout my pre-drinking years it was the lager you always heard about. However when I started drinking it was nowhere to be seen in offies or pubs in Dumfries.I have managed to have one pint of the stuff in the Kensington near Cessnock underground on the Paisley Road West whilst doing a 'Sub Crawl' last year. I actually thought it was pretty decent, it had the general lager taste of all the common tap lagers without being ridiculously fizzy like most of the common tap lagers (Fosters being the worst offender). Ah that explains the Afroman song! When I worked in Greens, McEwans lager was on tap. I think they still had it up to a few years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZCARS Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 when i started going to the discos the choice was either skol lager or double diamond, that was really minging the worse lager i have ever swallowed was norseman yeeuch and it is really hard to get a pint of mcewans export now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I would rather have Carling than any of the ones you included. Becks on draught is decent. Five or six of them bad boys and you know about it!! German beer is superb. What you really need to do is get yourself over to the octoberfest if you are a lager drinker. Cos 5 or 6 of them 9% volume bad boys and you'll really know about it. Seriously if you are a lager drinker the octoberfest is brilliant. In fact it should be compulsory for all lager drinkers to attend at least once in their lifetime.A bit like muslems do for the hajj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I seem to remember a tinned lager by the name of Hampden Lager, again from about the 70's. No idea what it tasted like, but I assume it would have been cheap and nasty. Hampden Lager yeah we used to buy hunners of that from some dodgy off license in Ayrs Main Street. Probably Haddows. If we couldn`t get that we would end up with Charger Lager which was equally rubbish. We used to go down the beach in the summer and put it in a poly bag and lob it in the sea to cool it down. They didn`t seem to have the cheap shitty lager in the fridges back then. I also used to buy a bottle of John Barr (smoother by far) whisky and would leather into that as well. I havent seen tht whisky for ages either. It was rubbish but it must have been about five or six quid cheaper than Bells or Grouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Hutchwright Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Apparently Kestrel Super is still available, though! A warm can of Kestrel Super is by some distance the foulest alcoholic beveridge I ever tasted. I was but a callow youth when I drank it but the memory remains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest weecountyman Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 It has already been flattened. No. The famous Fountain Brewery, established by William McEwan in 1856 was demolished circa 2004 - the Caledonian (thankfully) is still going strong. It brews McEwan's Export (and other Scottish & Newcastle brands) as well as its own Deuchars and Caledonian labels. It also brews Calders for Carlsberg-Tetley - Calders was a famous (Alloa) brand of yore, the name being resurrected by Carlsberg. McEwans were the first Scottish brewery (not Tennents) to produce and market lager, circa 1880. However, they were unable to maintain the quality, so they dropped it after about 4/5 years. Tennents brought in two lager brewers from Germany to Glasgow around the same time and they were able to produce a consistent Pilsner beer which continues to this day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hebridean Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 McEwan's is the best buy the best buy the best buy McEwan's is the best buy the best buy in beer. Advertising used to be so simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centralparker Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 It also brews Calders for Carlsberg-Tetley - Calders was a famous (Alloa) brand of yore, the name being resurrected by Carlsberg. I remember McClay's beer, I think they were an Alloa brand as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightswoodBear Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 No.The famous Fountain Brewery, established by William McEwan in 1856 was demolished circa 2004 - the Caledonian (thankfully) is still going strong. It brews McEwan's Export (and other Scottish & Newcastle brands) as well as its own Deuchars and Caledonian labels. It also brews Calders for Carlsberg-Tetley - Calders was a famous (Alloa) brand of yore, the name being resurrected by Carlsberg. McEwans were the first Scottish brewery (not Tennents) to produce and market lager, circa 1880. However, they were unable to maintain the quality, so they dropped it after about 4/5 years. Tennents brought in two lager brewers from Germany to Glasgow around the same time and they were able to produce a consistent Pilsner beer which continues to this day. I tell you what. As first posts go thats not bad at all. Informative and interesting. Good one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kebab Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 While this Thread has been ressurected, can I throw another one into the ring... Gillespies, an early 90's "Scottish" introduction to the "Irish Stout" market!!! It was more like Murphy's than Guinness, but it was very good!!! Only ever saw it in Edinburgh Pubs, can you still get it anywhere, even in bottles or cans, or did it die a death??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djn Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 No.The famous Fountain Brewery, established by William McEwan in 1856 was demolished circa 2004 - the Caledonian (thankfully) is still going strong. It brews McEwan's Export (and other Scottish & Newcastle brands) as well as its own Deuchars and Caledonian labels. It also brews Calders for Carlsberg-Tetley - Calders was a famous (Alloa) brand of yore, the name being resurrected by Carlsberg. McEwans were the first Scottish brewery (not Tennents) to produce and market lager, circa 1880. However, they were unable to maintain the quality, so they dropped it after about 4/5 years. Tennents brought in two lager brewers from Germany to Glasgow around the same time and they were able to produce a consistent Pilsner beer which continues to this day. I tell you what. As first posts go thats not bad at all. Informative and interesting. Good one! I was just thinking the same - excellent first post! I'll think better of McEwans Export now I know it's the Calley who make the stuff - love the Caledonian range They used to make loads of ale in Alloa didn't they? Was it the good water or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djn Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 While this Thread has been ressurected, can I throw another one into the ring...Gillespies, an early 90's "Scottish" introduction to the "Irish Stout" market!!! It was more like Murphy's than Guinness, but it was very good!!! Only ever saw it in Edinburgh Pubs, can you still get it anywhere, even in bottles or cans, or did it die a death??? I used to drink that for a while, it was about the same time as Beamish and all those other "Stout" brands that you don't see any more. Funny how you forget about old drinks - takes me back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CS Ayr Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 McEwan's is the best buythe best buy the best buy McEwan's is the best buy the best buy in beer... Advertising used to be so simple. ...AYE MCEWAN'S! The best buy in beer. I was always led to believe that S&N began to phase out McEwan's Lager and spend their time and cash promoting Miller instead. Maybe they saw McEwan's as something drunk in dingy wee Scottish pubs, but their "Miller Time" ad campaign had a slicker, American bar look about it. Whether or not it tasted better than McEwan's is debatable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Kebab Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Dont think you can get McEwans anywhere in Dumfries, you could get Youngers Tartan Special in Greens for a while. Was in a pub in Brechin this season, and they had that on draught, hadn't seen it in years, in fact they had the old style tap as well, no big brassy pipework or anything!!! Can't remember the name of the pub, but it was on the corner of the main road through Brechin and a side street, it had a seperate pool room through the back with no tips on any of the cues!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good Ship Albion Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Haven't seen a tin of McEwans Lager for about 6 years, let alone ina pub. I assumed it was now defunct? Skol, now there was a lager! Still is in fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest weecountyman Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Gillespies was brewed by Scottish & Newcastle at the Fountain Brewery - now ceased. Not sure where the name came from - some of the big brewery chains resurrect the title of one of the concerns that they bought out years earlier - but I've no link to either William Younger or William McEwan (the two Scottish parts of S & N) having taken over a brewer name Gillespie. Tennent Caledonian have produced Sweetheart Stout ever since their predecessor Northern Breweries took over George Younger & Sons of Alloa in 1960. Look at a can next time you are in a supermarket and you'll see "Younger of Alloa" on the label. There were three brewers by the name of Younger - William (Edinburgh), George (Alloa) and Robert (Edinburgh) - the last of these was a branch of the Alloa family who went his own way in the mid 19th century. William Younger and George Younger were totally separate concerns. To further complicate matters, the Alloa Youngers were related my marriage to William McEwan (born and raised in Alloa) whose firm merged with William Younger in 1931 to form Scottish Brewers, the forerunners of Scottish and Newcastle - later S & N took over Robert Youngers in 1960. Robert Younger was small concern compared to William Younger and George Younger - but their beer had a high reputation. They won THREE medals for different ales in international competition in the late 1950's - a feat unequalled by any other Scottish brewery. Edinburgh and Alloa were the two centres of brewing in Scotland - all the major breweries in Alloa have gone (there is one small concern operating, the Williams Brothers) and only the venerable Caledonian (which still uses direct fired coppers) remains in Edinburgh. Elsewhere, Tennents in Glasgow and Belhaven near Dunbar are the only two remaining big breweries in Scotland. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadgersNadgers Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 The McEwan's Export is a quality ale, 7%-odd but goes down smoothly. You can get it in Tesco's for about £1.39 a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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