Brains Brewery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brains Brewery | |
|---|---|
  |
|
| Location |  Cardiff, Wales, UK |
| Owner(s) | S. A. Brain Ltd. |
| Year opened | 1882 |
| Active beers | |
| Brains Bitter | bitter |
| Brains Dark | Mild ale |
| Brains SA | best bitter |
| SA Gold | golden ale |
| Rev James | best bitter |
| Buckley's Best Bitter | best bitter |
| IPA | India pale ale |
| 45 | Belgian ale |
| Seasonal beers | |
| Bread Of Heaven | best bitter |
| St Davids Ale | best bitter |
| Taff End | best bitter |
| Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land Of My Fathers) | golden ale |
| Retired beers | |
| Arms Park | best bitter |
Brains (SA Brain & Company Ltd) is a regional brewery founded in 1882 in Cardiff Wales by Samuel Arthur Brain.[1] The brewery owns over 250 pubs across South Wales, Mid Wales, the West Country and particularly in Cardiff, and is the shirt sponsor for the Welsh rugby union team.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The company was founded in 1882 by Samuel Arthur Brain and his uncle Joseph Benjamin Brain, when, due to the owners' gambling debts, they acquired the Thomas Brothers' Cardiff brewery which had been established since 1713.[3]
The Old Brewery was expanded in 1914 when a new brewery was built in St Mary Street. The company took over the Llanelli brewery Crown Buckley in 1997, closing down the Llanelli plant, and transferring production to Cardiff.
The former Hancocks Brewery was purchased by Brains in 1999 and production moved to the larger site just on the Cardiff Bay side of Cardiff Central railway station, during 2000. The Old Brewery being developed into a leisure complex.
The current owner is Chris Brain.
[edit] Beer brands
[edit] Brains brand
Brains SA, the company's flagship brand, is a light-coloured malty best bitter which was colloquially known as "Skull Attack". Its formulation has undergone several revisions since the beer was launched in the early 20th century; the most recent revision was launched in early 2006 and increases the quantity of hops in the brew.
Brains Dark is a dark mild ale with an emphasis on roasted malts. There is a smooth variant, which has a smoother texture than its standard equivalent.
Brains Bitter is the brewery's standard bitter and the most commonly available in Cardiff. Many Brains pubs serve only Bitter from a cask. When served pasteurised and Nitrogenated it is termed Brains Smooth.
Brains IPA, an unusually malty example of the India Pale Ale style, is usually seen on cask only in the valleys outside Cardiff, although some pubs stock it as keg beer or in bottles in Cardiff proper.
SA Gold, the newest addition to the line, is - according to a release note sent out to Brains pubs in early 2006 - Brains' attempts to "branch out" into both the English and youth markets, areas in which Brains is visibly struggling. Its official launch was June 2006, but many houses retired it in favour of the bi-monthly guest ale rotation. The beer is hopped with Cascade, Target and Styrian Golding hops.
45 is a keg beer at 4.5% ABV. It is being test-marketed in Cardiff as a competitor to strong lagers such as Stella Artois, though tastes different. In March 2007, the recipe was radically altered from the original used in the January launch after slow market growth and poor in-house response.
[edit] Buckley's brand
Brains purchased the Llanelli-based Crown Buckley in 1998. It continues to produce three Buckley's beers, all at their Cardiff brewery: Buckley's Bitter, Buckley's IPA, and Reverend James best bitter.
[edit] Hancocks brand
Hancocks HB is a 3.6% session bitter originally brewed by Hancock's brewery. The brewery was acquired by Bass in 1968 who sold the brewery to Brains in 1999, but initially retained the rights to the brands. Production later came back to Cardiff.[4]
[edit] Seasonal Beers
St David's Ale is brewed to celebrate St David's Day and is available in February and March. Taff End is available in June and July and celebrates sponsorship of the Glamorgan County Cricket Club. Brains' "Bread of Heaven", named for a traditional Welsh rugby anthem, was launched in 2005 in commemoration of the sponsorship, and is mostly sold during the Six Nations Championship and Autumn internationals.
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land Of My Fathers) was launched in 2006 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Welsh national anthem. It is a golden ale brewed with Welsh honey.
[edit] Marketing
Brains has recently become the shirt sponsor for the Welsh rugby union team. As French law forbids alcohol sponsorship logos from appearing on rugby jerseys, when the team plays in France the word "Brains" is replaced with "Brawn". In the 2007 Rugby World Cup it was changed to "Brawn Again".
[edit] The Old Brewery Quarter
In 2003 Brains vacant Old Brewery was redeveloped into the 85,000 sq ft "Old Brewery Quarter." It is a mixed development of 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m²) of leisure space around an open-air piazza in the heart of Cardiff’s growing city centre together with 42 long-leasehold loft style apartments and penthouses.
The development has attracted a range of bar and restaurant operators including Hard Rock Café, Starbucks, Future 3000, Nandos, Thai Edge, Pancake House, La Tasca, Lava Lounge, Chiquito's and SA Brain's own flagship venue, the Yard Bar and Kitchen.
