Beer and Nostalgia (or Beer nostalgia)

[Ali]

Good afternoon all.

I've just brewed a Double Diamond clone from Graham Wheelers book . You may well ask "why the hell would you do that?", and I can only think that it must be nostalgia creeping in.

When I first started drinking (albeit illegally!) Double Diamond was one of the 'in' drinks, although I have to say that I really remember it as fizzy pigs p**s. As I have grown older, and things seem to be changing at an ever quickening pace, I just wonder if we want to slow down, hark back to a different 'better' era that we remember with fondness. The more we accelarate away from this 'better' time, the more we want to travel back to it. It was why I chose making this clone I think. The strange thing is, when I tasted it, it certainly brought back a very distinct memory (minus the excess fizziness)and one that I liked so much, it has made me wonder what else I may try and recreate. Watneys Red Barrel anyone? (please God no, not that far!:lol:)

So my questions are, what is your take on beer nostalgia, and what beer of yesteryear would you brew?

Oh and the 'better' time I refered to? Vietnam war, three day weeks, lousy sixties music (I can feel the abuse coming at me now :grin:!), so may be not really better, just different...

 

[Irishwizard]

Yes - "why the hell would you do that"
Lousy 60's music?? -wash your mouth out with DD immediately

 

[terrym]

My old dad used to work in the plant in Burton where they bottled DD and would also bring it home as part of his 'allowance'. Thing is he didn't drink very much, so it was left to a young terrym to 'help him out'. So I've had my share of DD in my time, but tbh never touched the keg stuff, it was sickly sweet if I remember correctly, and even then not to my liking at all.

 

[Ali]

My old dad used to work in the plant in Burton where they bottled DD and would also bring it home as part of his 'allowance'. Thing is he didn't drink very much, so it was left to a young terrym to 'help him out'. So I've had my share of DD in my time, but tbh never touched the keg stuff, it was sickly sweet if I remember correctly, and even then not to my liking at all.

Yep, put mine in bottles (strange how I don't remember seeing it in bottles, only on the bar out of kegs). Not sure if bottling had an effect on it or not, but happy to report that it isn't sickly sweet. Who knows, if they hadn't kegged it, perhaps it would still be around...guess we'll never know.

 

[Ali]

A memory, sort of related to this, has just come back to me.

My father (happily still alive...sort of!) relays a story from his RAF days. On leave one weekend he and a couple of his pals decided to go out for a night on the beer. One of his friends, Geordie (no prizes for guessing where he originated from) was encouraged to try the local brewery beer,Tolly Cobbold. (I know, but what can you do?). On taking hold of his pint and taking his first pull, he noticed a poster on the wall from the brewery "by golly, it's Tolly". When the first mouthful had gone, he looked again at the poster, and exclaimed " By golly, it's Tolly....By F**k it's muck!!" Never a truer word spoken! At least thats one I shall not be trying to recreate :lol:

 

[Gunge]

Webster's Pennine bitter.

 

[Ali]

Webster's Pennine bitter.

I'd forgotton all about that one. Strange, considering how heavily advertised at the time.

Perhaps others' ideas of what they would brew will stir up even more memories...

 

[Sandimas]

I remember the name Tolly Cobbold from 80s beer festivals, don't remember the beer though. It's got a Wiki entry, with the hilarious line "Tolly Cobbold produced an infamous lager known as Husky Brew, which John Cobbold himself compared to a dog's urine"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolly_Cobbold

My beer of choice when younger was Burton Ale or Draught Bass. Must try to brew them one day but suspect I may be disappointed. 6X was another staple but not so keen on it these days, too sweet.

 

[Grizzly299]

I found an old Double Diamond ashtray whilst working on a building site once, I gave it to my Dad as he always spoke fondly of it. I guess it was from that bygone era when lighting up a cigarette in a pub wasn't on par with lowering your trousers and taking a dump in front of someone.

I also made an ESB called Triple Topaz, as a pun on Double Diamond. Lord knows I wouldn't actually want to clone it, after reading many bad reviews.

Didn't one of the larger beer companies also try to flog that dead horse and bring back DD?

 

[Irishwizard]

I remember the name Tolly Cobbold from 80s beer festivals, don't remember the beer though. It's got a Wiki entry, with the hilarious line "Tolly Cobbold produced an infamous lager known as Husky Brew, which John Cobbold himself compared to a dog's urine"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolly_Cobbold

My beer of choice when younger was Burton Ale or Draught Bass. Must try to brew them one day but suspect I may be disappointed. 6X was another staple but not so keen on it these days, too sweet.

Proper draught BASS was a good pint (once)

 

[chthon]

You want English beer nostalgia?

This website has many recipes and things about that, and more: http://barclayperkins.blogspot.be/

 

[Grizzly299]

Times are certainly changing, you can get Punk IPA on an easyJet flight now which is nice. Especially when the old offerings were Heineken or some other piss.

 

[nigelnorris]

of course you know what they say about nostalgia: it's not what it used to be.

 

[terrym]

Proper draught BASS was a good pint (once)

....but always gave me a headache after 3 pints.
I lived in Suffolk for a few years when Tolly Cobbold was still going. I thought it a good session beer if a little watery, unlike Adnams from up the road.
Anyone from South Yorkshire area remember Tennants Brewery (not Tennents from Scotland). As a student years ago I used to drink large quantities of Queens bitter for the princely sum of about 1s/11d a pint. Tennants had been taken over by Whitbread and in the end it shut down, although I did manage a trip round the brewery before it closed.

 

[trueblue]

As one who remembers those beers of yesteryear I think of double diamond as one of the better of the mass produced megaswill beers of the day. They produced a bottled export version that was a decent beer. When the "big six" brewers of the day started to kak their selves because of the growing influence of CAMRA the Ind Coope brewery introduced Ind Coope draught Burton bitter, a very very good draught beer. It was reputed to be export double diamond as a cask ale. As for Tolly yes it was watery but there were a lot worse around and it made a decent lunchtime drink if you had to go back to work in the afternoon.

 

[Duxuk]

I've just been reminded of a delightful fact. 20 years ago in Chorley you had to look long and hard for a decent beer. Now we have at least 10 good pubs in the centre of town. The micro pub revolution has been the best thing to happen to beer in my drinking life. (About 40 years, and counting). We even have a market stall, the Bob Inn, for a swift one.

 

[foxy]

Ind Coope also did a single and triple diamond.

 

[Grizzly299]

Ind Coope also did a single and triple diamond.

Interesting, I'll be utilising that for my label design for Triple Topaz!

 

[Ali]

Ind Coope also did a single and triple diamond.

Interestingly, Graham Wheeler in his book (where I got the recipe from) mentions that there was both a Single and Triple Diamond once available. Before my time I'm afraid, but someone on here may remember? The explanation given in the book was that it was a scale of quality and strength, single being the lowest, then Double and finally Triple. Makes you wonder why they stuck with the middle version;- I assume it was due to costs of production as much as anything.
BTW anyone have a recipe for Triple Diamond? I think I may have unwittingly unleashed a monster now :lol:

 

[Ali]

You want English beer nostalgia?

This website has many recipes and things about that, and more: http://barclayperkins.blogspot.be/

Thanks for the link, very interesting Had a look and ended up buying a book!