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Mitchell's & Butler's Ltd.

I used to live at 1009 Coventry Road. There were four cottages alongside the Hay Mills Tavern. All owned by M&B and demolished around the mid 1970's.
 
Hi,

I remember that returned beer was generally accompanied with a bottle of lemonade, -
supposedly to brighten the taste, but also a lot cheaper than the beer!

Kind regards
Dave
 
I do recall a landlord getting the sack for putting water in the beer. Apparently got caught out on a random inspection.
 
Watering the beer was not uncommon. But also a pub I regularly visited in Leeds in the 1970s lost its landlord after a brewery check inspection discovered a barrel full of water = not sure what he intended to due if he had not been caught,
While in Leeds I also met a guy (in the lab) who, kin a sideline of his(!) had tested a product being sold by some small entrepreneur (a word which always spells "crook " to me) which disguised the fact that beer had been watered down when tested - not sure how.
 
i know its ot, the worst beer and spirits was in but***s holiday camp in 1970, the beer was knats. also the vodka was like water. not nice at all.
 
You just can’t get a decent pint of bitter any more in Brum because we don’t have any breweries left most of the pubs people have mentioned have closed down back in the day our tour started at the stockland cracking pub And pint of brew then we would head up the litchfield road to Aston end up in manor tavern down the road from the annsells brewery and HP sauce factory all gone now manor tavern still there not the same pint anymore
Just in reply to jmadone point about the pedigree I have sampled a few not a bad pint it is brewed at a proper brewery in the home of brewing your bound to get a good pint I’ll keep searching for the brew XI
 
mikejee said:
In fact there was a device called the economizer that had a pipe that led down from drip trays to the cellar, where it could then be added to the mild , which, being very dark in colour , would not show any discolouration. It would not have worked, of course if a light mild was being sold ( was it Springfield mild that was a light mild?). Not every pub did this though
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mike the light mild we sold was marsdens. called Exhibition
 
One pub I worked in,everything went back in the barrel with added water.Theone night as we were clearing the tables one of the regularswho had 5 pints every single night said .Do you know Ed it don't seem like I've had a drink tonight.Could have told him why.
 
Joefish said:
You just can’t get a decent pint of bitter any more in Brum because we don’t have any breweries left most of the pubs people have mentioned have closed down back in the day our tour started at the stockland cracking pub And pint of brew then we would head up the litchfield road to Aston end up in manor tavern down the road from the annsells brewery and HP sauce factory all gone now manor tavern still there not the same pint anymore
Just in reply to jmadone point about the pedigree I have sampled a few not a bad pint it is brewed at a proper brewery in the home of brewing your bound to get a good pint I’ll keep searching for the brew XI
Click to expand...
There are still one or two craft beer breweries in the city it seems.
 
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Smudger said:
I always drank in M&B pubs, don`t really know why. My favourite tipple was a brown & mild, (half of mild, half of bottle brown ) Sometimes i would ask for a black & tan & for the life of me i can`t remember what went into that?
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Loved their bitter..really miss it!
 
oldbrit said:
I am just curious most beers we get in the USA seem to be around 5-6% alc content. What was beer Alc content% in England in the 19401950s ? I told once that English beer was much weaker, so people drank more and did not get so drunk and the beer companies made it that way on purpose to sell more??
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I think its he other way around...….Most US domestic beers are lighter. Mild & brown ales/beer are generally heavier, even bitter is. Some of the new IPA's are stronger what they call 90 day. Hope that helps
 
Richarddye said:
I think its he other way around...….Most US domestic beers are lighter. Mild & brown ales/beer are generally heavier, even bitter is. Some of the new IPA's are stronger what they call 90 day. Hope that helps
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I agree on IPA I was just curious what the old pint of bitter was use to drink a lot back in the day, but maybe 0f course old age takes it toll also thanks
 
oldbrit said:
I agree on IPA I was just curious what the old pint of bitter was use to drink a lot back in the day, but maybe 0f course old age takes it toll also thanks
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I agree....my favorite bitters were M& B and flowers keg bitter! 20 fl oz was a (still is) a big glass!
 
I worked for M&B in the early 80’s in the design office of the Chief Architect, John Bourne, a gentleman of the old school. In my time there I was lucky to have access to the M&B photographic archive of the huge building programme of the 1920’s with some of the most iconic pubs featuring photographed on the day they opened, pristine and ready for customers. It was a fabulous set of albums and I hope they were preserved some where for posterity.
 
Steviepeas said:
I worked for M&B in the early 80’s in the design office of the Chief Architect, John Bourne, a gentleman of the old school. In my time there I was lucky to have access to the M&B photographic archive of the huge building programme of the 1920’s with some of the most iconic pubs featuring photographed on the day they opened, pristine and ready for customers. It was a fabulous set of albums and I hope they were preserved some where for posterity.
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Well forgive me here but a enterprising person needs to chase down those albums and make sure they are available for many to see, I can not imagine how much history they contain I am sure a real treasure trove.
 
Best of luck with that one, I imagine Coors might have them in Burton as they took the brewing arm of Bass, I doubt the M& B
Offices in Brum would know nothing of them as they are just a brand now.
 
Steviepeas said:
Best of luck with that one, I imagine Coors might have them in Burton as they took the brewing arm of Bass, I doubt the M& B
Offices in Brum would know nothing of them as they are just a brand now.
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I understand Birmingham is losing its pubs along with the community's they served, the thing a lot of folks may not understand pubs where the meeting place for all before TV and even radio its where every one came together the real Facebook.
Lets hope that Coors hired some English folks that understand our history, if not we have a Brummie in CO we can get to knock down their headquarters.
 
The comment about beer sales probably suggests why so many pubs have closed, apart of course re-development criteria.

The history behind the Mitchells & Butlers brand

Discover how Mitchells & Butlers became pioneers of the pub and restaurant industry.
www.mbplc.com www.mbplc.com
Contact info (in Birmingham) is here:

Contact Mitchells & Butlers

Find out how to get in touch with our Press Office, Guest Care Department, or our Business Incident Helpdesk Team.
www.mbplc.com www.mbplc.com
It does say that only M&B questions are accepted, which might be good news.
Step up to it you former M&B drinkers. former Ansells, Atkinsons and Dares drinkers are excused. :D
 
Steviepeas said:
Best of luck with that one, I imagine Coors might have them in Burton as they took the brewing arm of Bass, I doubt the M& B
Offices in Brum would know nothing of them as they are just a brand now.
Click to expand...
I agree with Bob, it would sure be worth a try if you could find someone to follow up with. Coors is now a part of SAB which is a British company. It would be wonderful to find some of the history of Brumm!
 
Pearla-Pink said:
Hi All
You may already have this information.
Henry Mitchell's private company was founded in 1888.
This firm had grown from the business of the brewery from
the Old Crown, Oldbury Road Smethwick, which had started in 1866,
and in 1898 Henry joined forces with William Butler.

Does anyone know, when and where Henry Mitchell was born please,
and also did any of the Butler family marry into the Mitchell family?

P-P
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Sorry to jump onto this post....Only I ve been made aware of a NELLIE BUTLER.....who was married to my great Grandfather JOHN PATRICK TURNER....Im hoping if anybody would be able to shed some light on further family connections of who the parents were of NELLIE........thank you
 
Richarddye said:
I agree with Bob, it would sure be worth a try if you could find someone to follow up with. Coors is now a part of SAB which is a British company. It would be wonderful to find some of the history of Brumm!
Click to expand...
I did follow up today with a friend who was a senior finance person with Miller (US) Miller/Coors now Molson/Coors and no longer part of SAB. He has a good friend who was a master brewer with Coors (retired) he will get in touch and see if they can help locate the M&B archive. Its a bit of a long shot but well see.
 
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