20 fun facts on story of Newcastle ‘Broon’
WORLD-FAMOUS BEER WENT ON SALE NEARLY 90 YEARS AGO
THE Chronicle reported this week on the arrival of a new 1920s-style speakeasy bar in Newcastle.
Colonel Porter’s – full name Colonel Porter’s Tavern, Botanical Garden and Rhum Bar - will open next month in Milburn House, Dean Street.
It was the good Colonel, of course, who in 1924 came up with the recipe for the region’s most famous tipple - Newcastle Brown Ale.
Colonel Porter said of his potent new concoction: “We tried for a long time, all ends up. I wanted something different but not far too strong. No one was allowed to mention what was going on, but we varied it so much that few really knew.”
All of which is rather timely as ‘Brown Dog’ - as it’s sometimes called - celebrates its 90th birthday next month.
(On a personal note, I recently bought a bottle or two of ‘Broon’ for the first time in years, and had forgotten how good it is - in moderation of course!)
And so, to toast nine decades of Newcastle Brown Ale, we recall the story of the famous beer in 20 fun facts. ■■1. On April 25, 1927, Newcastle Brown Ale was advertised for sale for the first time in our sister paper The Journal. Five days later, Newcastle United were crowned league champion - their last league title to date! ■■2. The drink’s launch was Newcastle Breweries’ response to a steep rise in the demand for bottled beer after World War I. ■■3. An updated bottling facility was commissioned in Bath Lane, close to the Tyne Brewery in Newcastle, as the company geared up for expansion. ■■4. The new beer recalled the earlier so-called ‘Audit Ale’ - a special seasonal strong beer only brewed at the end of each financial year. ■■5. The Evening World, which became part of the Evening Chronicle, declared in April, 1927: “Newcastle Brown Ale needs little mention any more. There is no
better bottled beer in Britain.” ■■6. The Blue Star logo was introduced to Newcastle Brown Ale bottles in 1928. ■■7. By 1937 the beer was widely distributed in bottles and cans and continued its popularity surge to become the favourite beer of North East men who worked in the shipbuilding, mining and engineering industries. ■■8. Between then and the 1960s, the beer continued to symbolise the strong manual-working tradition of the North East. ■■9. In 1960, Newcastle Breweries expanded to become Scottish and Newcastle. ■■10. In the 1970s - and indeed before and after - the not unpleasant smell of brewing beer regularly wafted over the city. ■■11. The phrase “bottle of dog” was derived from the phrase “I’m going to walk the dog” - a euphemism for “I’m going to the pub”! ■■12. Who remembers Newcastle Amber Ale - a lighter beer sold in a bottle with a blue instead of a brown label? It went on sale for the final time in the 1980s. ■■13. Brown Ale’s famous Blue Star logo adorned Newcastle United’s shirt during long periods of the 1980s and 90s - and the club and brewery enjoyed a strong and longlasting relationship. ■■14. Newcastle Brown underwent a resurgence in the late 1980s and early 1990s with a cult revival in student union bars. ■■15. By the late 1990s the beer was the most widely distributed alcoholic product in the UK. ■■16. As the 2000s dawned, there were huge sales in the United States where fans included Dirty Harry star Clint Eastwood who said it was his favourite beer. ■■17. In 2005 the beer’s manufacture was moved from Newcastle to the Federation Brewery in Gateshead. ■■18. In 2010, it controversially moved out of the North East to Tadcaster in North Yorkshire. ■■19. In 2014, British actress Liz Hurley advertised Newcastle Brown Ale in a major campaign for the American market. ■■20. In 2015, Heineken, the brewers of Newcastle Brown Ale, confirmed they were removing the caramel colouring from the drink. The great taste would remain unchanged, however.
Happy 90th birthday, Newcastle Brown Ale.