Magnet loses its pulling power
Heineken UK, Dutch owner of Scottish & Newcastle, has announced it will stop production of John Smith's Magnet. "What is John Smith's Magnet?" I hear you cry. The beer is so little seen that most younger beer drinkers have probably never heard of it let alone drunk it. The last time I came across it was in a pub in Southampton in 2005, a long way from Yorkshire. Not that it's been brewed in Yorkshire for some time: S&N; didn't let such a low-volume beer trouble its fermenters in Tadcaster and had it brewed under licence elsewhere.
The reason given by Heineken is that the beer is now sold in only 100 outlets. That speaks volumes for the priorities of the global brewers. I can think of many brewers who would love to have a beer that was sold in 100 outlets but brewers the size of Heineken can't be bothered with such tiny volumes.
Magnet was a 4% cask beer and it was a nice drop. While it was only 2% stronger than John Smith's Bitter and had an identical recipe, it had an appealing malty and fruity character. And it has been a victim of the law of diminishing returns: a brewer doesn't promote a beer then wonders why it doesn't sell and finally cuts off the blood supply.
It makes me wonder what future such once revered cask brands as Boddington's, Draught Bass and Draught Burton Ale have. Bass once accounted for more than two million barrels a year but first Bass and now AB InBev have allowed it to wither on the hop bine. When I first drank Boddington's in Manchester in the 1970s I didn't think beer could be that good. But that fine beer has all but disappeared.
Draught Burton Ale was a such a sensational success in the late 1970s that it played a vital role in the first cask beer revival. It's the only beer produced by a national brewer to have won the Champion Beer of Britain competition. It was an Ind Coope brand brewed in Burton but when the brewery closed it moved to Tetley in Leeds and has scarcely been seen since. When the Tetley brewery closes either this year or next, I have no doubt that Burton Ale will fall into the mass grave of unloved and unpromoted beers from the past.
The reason given by Heineken is that the beer is now sold in only 100 outlets. That speaks volumes for the priorities of the global brewers. I can think of many brewers who would love to have a beer that was sold in 100 outlets but brewers the size of Heineken can't be bothered with such tiny volumes.
Magnet was a 4% cask beer and it was a nice drop. While it was only 2% stronger than John Smith's Bitter and had an identical recipe, it had an appealing malty and fruity character. And it has been a victim of the law of diminishing returns: a brewer doesn't promote a beer then wonders why it doesn't sell and finally cuts off the blood supply.
It makes me wonder what future such once revered cask brands as Boddington's, Draught Bass and Draught Burton Ale have. Bass once accounted for more than two million barrels a year but first Bass and now AB InBev have allowed it to wither on the hop bine. When I first drank Boddington's in Manchester in the 1970s I didn't think beer could be that good. But that fine beer has all but disappeared.
Draught Burton Ale was a such a sensational success in the late 1970s that it played a vital role in the first cask beer revival. It's the only beer produced by a national brewer to have won the Champion Beer of Britain competition. It was an Ind Coope brand brewed in Burton but when the brewery closed it moved to Tetley in Leeds and has scarcely been seen since. When the Tetley brewery closes either this year or next, I have no doubt that Burton Ale will fall into the mass grave of unloved and unpromoted beers from the past.
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