[Drinking] Dark Star to leave Sussex

[wuntbedruv]

all this made me think i should get in a mini keg of Partridge. disappointed to see they've followed trend to sell 8 variations on IPA. even their new Best is described as citrusy. not worth saving.

Get yourself a mini keg of Revelation, it might be hoppy for you but is a decent strength and goes as easy as lemonade,

At 5.7% after 4 pints you won't care how hoppy it is.

 

[fataddick]

It leaves the West of the county seriously under brewed compared to the East. I know the origins were in Brighton, but it was sort of filling a King and Barnes size whole. Not sure which is the next biggest brewer in West Sussex, they all look pretty small scale.

Hardly. There are about 50 breweries in West Sussex and maybe five in East Sussex. Horsham and its hinterlands remain a huge brewing hotbed (Firebird, Hepworth, Kissingate, etc) and most Brighton born breweries actually brew in West Sussex (eg Hand Brew and Cloak & Dagger in Worthing, Laine in Horsham, Downlands in Small Dole, etc). Dark Star have been as bland as Harvey's (one brewery no one would miss) for many years now, sadly.

 

[Blue3]

My personal favourites were the APA, Revelation and the occasional autumn small batch brews the used to turn out.
In truth when Dark star sold out to Fullers it marked the start of it’s inevitable decline it was quickly sold onto Ashanti who unlike Fullers are not a bad brewery but with costs rising and drinkers in pubs dwindling Dark Stars life cycle now nears its sad end.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Hardly. There are about 50 breweries in West Sussex and maybe five in East Sussex. Horsham and its hinterlands remain a huge brewing hotbed (Firebird, Hepworth, Kissingate, etc) and most Brighton born breweries actually brew in West Sussex (eg Hand Brew and Cloak & Dagger in Worthing, Laine in Horsham, Downlands in Small Dole, etc). Dark Star have been as bland as Harvey's (one brewery no one would miss) for many years now, sadly.

When you say "maybe five in East Sussex", I can think of five off the top of my head without even getting off the toilet.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

. Dark Star have been as bland as Harvey's (one brewery no one would miss)

Bizarre. Can I just say I’d miss them. A lot.

 

[keaton]

When you say "maybe five in East Sussex", I can think of five off the top of my head without even getting off the toilet.

Yeah, there are 5 good Breweries in just Lewes, Ringmer and Glynde

 

[keaton]

Bizarre. Can I just say I’d miss them. A lot.

Harvey's are very much the Beatles of the beer world on NSC with anyone who doesn't like very keen to tell others

 

[Notters]

Not surprised. A small brewing operation like that would never bring economy of scale to a big macro brewer.

Same thing happened up in the Lakes with a brewery I forget - Colston Moors has been slowly reducing them down until shutting recently

Shit I didn't know Jennings was closing. My second favourite after Harvey's

 

[zefarelly]

Dark Star make great beer. I've never been a fan of their bottles though, that's a different art, and have always been dissapointed the locals in Shoreham don't stock it as much as they used to . . . . I don't think its because they don't want to Either. . . Something strange has been going on since the buy out.

Hophead
APA
Revelation
Sunburst

All top top beers.

£3.80-£4.60 a pint in Shoreham . . . . . Which probably explains why I rarely drink in Brighton!

 

[jakarta]

Shit I didn't know Jennings was closing. My second favourite after Harvey's

Apparently they will still be brewing the same beers down at Burton, I'm sure that they will taste the same as well, just like the Hall and Woodhouse versions of K&B Beers.

Oh, they don''t do them any more do they?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

And then Asahi. Brewery killed by some accountant half a world away who doubtless never even heard of Dark Star and cares even less

You are very wrong

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

I went off them when they binned off the darker beers because everything had to be hoppy under the new regime.

Original and Best (later Patridge). Hopefully the brewery do a cameo of those before they bugger off.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

My personal favourites were the APA, Revelation and the occasional autumn small batch brews the used to turn out.
In truth when Dark star sold out to Fullers it marked the start of it’s inevitable decline it was quickly sold onto Ashanti who unlike Fullers are not a bad brewery but with costs rising and drinkers in pubs dwindling Dark Stars life cycle now nears its sad end.

Interesting how you define Dark Star's life cycle.

As has been indicated on this thread, people are quick to criticise, point the finger at big companies. In this age where many get their information from shit sources then quote these as fact. I could bore the arse off everyone about this a I was involved from the early stages of what was announced this week. As well as being a Quality Manager for Asahi I'm also a representative who sits regularly with the CEO of Asahi UK.

To say it's a closure is wrong, the roots of the brewery started, as many know in Brighton but this began to be lost once it broke free of the city walls, when it went to Ansty and again when it moved to Partridge Green. It had become a nomadic brewery well before it was bought by Fullers Smith & Turner, I use the full name of the then brewer for a reason.

FST approached Asahi asking them to buy the brewing arm, allowing them to concentrate on their pubs and hotels. Asahi bought Fullers (not FST) for 250m, actually this was paid for in cash that had been some of the profits from Asahi UK the previous year. A few months later Asahi (Japan) bought Carlton & United Brewery in Australia for about 10 Billion. Therefore a little perspective to how big a deal the Fullers deal was.

Part of the agreement was that FST signed a 5 year contract to use Asahi for their beers and distribution. That is as far as the relationship goes with FST and Asahi. FST are not obliged to have any Dark Star products in their estate, but due to its popularity it is a mainstay currently. In truth the contract with FST is nowhere near the top supply contracts within the UK for Asahi.

For a number of years Hophead has been brewed at Chiswick, this allowed Dark Star to concentrate on the seasonal output.

At Chiswick the recipes are adhered to, the water is Burtonised (but remember the moving of the Dark Star Brewery this would have had to be done anyway). Incidentally the yeast cultures held at Chiswick, Gales, Fullers and Dark Star are all kept separately and will never be used together to stop cross contamination.

Currently the brewing output at Dark Star is currently only at 15%, mainly due to the current financial situation we all find ourselves in. Meantime has a capacity of 40% but also the ability to expand in the future with the purchasing of the adjacent building that was being used by the British Museum. Moving the Dark Star Brewery to the Meantime site makes financial sense. The ongoing cost of the Partridge Green site was too high considering the output. This along with the fact the site was leased, with the lease time limited.

The 2 brews will be distinctly separate, with their own identities but brewed within the same building. The brew house is one of the most modern in the country and will in fact help the Dark Star brews to give better quality products.

This move in fact ensures that the Dark Star beers survive and indeed it will focus on the brand. IMO Hophead will expand massively countrywide.

The important thing is to remember where it originates from, this was though somewhat diluted well before it was bought.

 

[Springal]

Personally I’m not sure you can use a small brewery growing and having to move around Sussex as justification why a move out of the region , of what was a regional brewery to some macro breweries HQ in London is ok. Of course makes business sense but THPP is kind of right with this regard.

Also of course removing Hop Head from their brewery will have a big impact on the productivity surely. Take away any breweries most popular beer and I’m sure you’d see similar.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Absolutely ridiculous to see a Asahi employee dare to suggest the brewery sites in Ansty and Partridge Green were 'nomadic'.

Just shows how removed big business are from the concept of local produce. Good grief.

 

[pb21]

This move in fact ensures that the Dark Star beers survive and indeed it will focus on the brand. IMO Hophead will expand massively countrywide.

That's the crux of it really, the brand.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Absolutely ridiculous to see a Asahi employee dare to suggest the brewery sites in Ansty and Partridge Green were 'nomadic'.

Just shows how removed big business are from the concept of local produce. Good grief.

If it had stayed in Brighton you'd have a point but it moved around Sussex why? I haven't got an issue with a brewery moving all that's happening is it's being moved again. That is the point I made it has not had roots since Brighton. Hepworth's moved from Foundary Lane Horsham to its current site.

The sites at Ansty and Partridge Green are hardly steeped in brewing history are they?

To call it local produce is misleading as the only thing local was the water!

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

If it had stayed in Brighton you'd have a point but it moved around Sussex why? I haven't got an issue with a brewery moving all that's happening is it's being moved again. That is the point I made it has not had roots since Brighton. Hepworth's moved from Foundary Lane Horsham to its current site.

The sites at Ansty and Partridge Green are hardly steeped in brewing history are they?

To call it local produce is misleading as the only thing local was the water!

Not local produce but a proper well supported local business - local local brewers, suppliers, customers and a product made with care by people passionate about giving customers what they want. If you went to either of these sites before tha takeover you'd get it. Not just selling out to a big site mass producing iffy pints of Hophead and generic IPAs that are far-removed from the beer so many were passionate about in the 00's.

It is almost insulting to say it became a Nomadic brewery when it moved to Ansty.

Slightly relieved i never got round to purchasing one of those 'Straight outta Sussex' t shirts they were selling.

A dark day.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Personally I’m not sure you can use a small brewery growing and having to move around Sussex as justification why a move out of the region , of what was a regional brewery to some macro breweries HQ in London is ok. Of course makes business sense but THPP is kind of right with this regard.

Also of course removing Hop Head from their brewery will have a big impact on the productivity surely. Take away any breweries most popular beer and I’m sure you’d see similar.

Asahi bought Fullers, Dark Star were owned by FST so became part of the deal. FST was already brewing Hophead at Chiswick due to the capacity needed. Yes it could possibly be brewed back at PG but then you're massively increasing the cost of transport etc, that doesn't meet the current green ethos. The main issue was the premises aren't owned by Asahi and expanding the operation in future is impossible. The cost of running three brewery sites, relatively close doesn't make business sense.

If the company was to make the decision many large breweries have done they'd be outcry. HUK brews in massive industrial centres as do Molson Coors. The brew purporting from around the world is indeed brewed here.

If Asahi sold the archaic site at Chiswick and sold the Meantime site and moved to a far better location such as Woking (where the company HQ is) people rightly would say they are killing the heritage of the brews. Instead they are rationalising the breweries to help keep those sites going. The company could decide to stop importing our beers from their country of origin but they will not change their stance on that. Peroni, Grolsch, Tyskie, Kozel and Pilsner Quell are all still imported from their breweries in the country of origin. Asahi own these breweries and have never indicated they will stop this process.
Birra Moretti is brewed in Edinburgh, yet many believe it's Italian. Peroni is brewed in Italy

I'd finally point out if there is distain over what Asahi have done perhaps go back to why Dark Star sold its soul back in 2008 to FST.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Not local produce but a proper well supported local business - local local brewers, suppliers, customers and a product made with care by people passionate about giving customers what they want. If you went to either of these sites before tha takeover you'd get it. Not just selling out to a big site mass producing iffy pints of Hophead and generic IPAs that are far-removed from the beer so many were passionate about in the 00's.

It is almost insulting to say it became a Nomadic brewery when it moved to Ansty.

Slightly relieved i never got round to purchasing one of those 'Straight outta Sussex' t shirts they were selling.

A dark day.

Who sold it to FST blame them don't blame Asahi they bought Fullers.

I grew up with King and Barnes, I knew Bill King, he never wanted to sell but the Barnes family did. I was devastated when it went. But out of that you got Hepworths and King & co. Both started their breweries in Horsham.