Belhaven Bought Out.

[bradmcm]

Greene King Snaps up Another

Sept 16, 2005 - UK brewer Greene King has agreed to pay $337million for Belhaven Brewery, Scotland's largest independent brewer.

Belhaven, founded in 1719, will keep its name, brands and brewery which is located 30 miles north of Edinburgh..

Greene King owns some of the UK's best-known beers such as Abbot Ale. Belhaven's products include 80 Shilling, Best, and St Andrews Ale.

Belhaven's 200 tenanted pubs and 100 managed pubs will now come under the umbrella of Greene King's estate of 2,064 pubs.

"It is a unique opportunity for us to gain immediate scale in the important Scottish market," said Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand.

The purchase comes a month after Greene King completed the purchase of family-owned brewer TD Ridley, which resulted in the closure of its brewery. Since 1996, Greene King has snapped up more than 1,600 pubs in eight separate deals worth more than 1.3bn.

Belhaven chief executive Stuart Ross, said the company had achieved 15 years of unbroken growth and the cash offer reflected the quality of the business.

 

[kook]

Old news

 

[wee stu]

Old news

[post="81503"][/post]​

Old, but still not good news.

Bugga!

As Sean says on the other thread Belhaven is too malty for his (and presumably many English, and other) tastebuds. The malt driven backbone though made it, at its best, a shining example of good Scottish ale. Besides which I weaned myself on the stuff.

In recent years they have started to nitrogenize the draught version and sell it in widgetised cans, making it more and more like a homogenised English cream bitter, or an Irish Red Ale. I can only fear for more of the same, with the product retaining the Belhaven name, but not necessarily the more challenging aspects of its character.

It all started going South when the marketers intervened and ditched the old lovable Belhaven Bill fisherman characture and went up market with misty depictions of the old white walled brewery.

With Scottish Courage closing down their Edinburgh brewery too, I sometimes wonder if I will find something I can regognise as a Scottish ale when I eventually make the long awaited visit back there.

It's beer Jim, but not as we knew it.

awrabest, in mourning

stu

 

[Sean]