BODDINGTONS
InBev
UK, 3.8% ABV (4.1% cask)
Most things Manchester is renowned for are no longer bound to the city. Manchester United is owned by Americans, floppy haircuts are found in trendy bars up and down the country, Morrissey has moved to Los Angeles, and Boddingtons – the city’s most famous beer – is brewed in Wales. Strangeways, Manchester’s home of porridge-eaters and mailbag-stitchers, was also home to the Boddingtons brewery for over 220 years. Conglomerate Interbrew (now part of InBev) saw it fit to move production to the valleys of South Wales in 2005, refusing to take into account the fact that the original brewery drew water from the Ardwick fault 200 feet below. Aficionados say the resultant new brew is not a patch on the malty smooth and surprisingly quaffable former version. A cask edition is still produced in the city, although not at the original site, therefore retaining the thinnest of grips on its Mancunian heritage. In typical Manchester style, the original brewery has taken on a new lease of life as a nightclub and music venue. If you look carefully at the Boddingtons logo you’ll notice two bees sitting on a barrel. Often appropriated to the two ‘B’s of ‘Boddingtons Beer’ or the yellow and black colour scheme, the bees actually represent Manchester’s status as a ‘hive’ of industry during the industrial revolution. (Considering the fact that former bra model Melanie Sykes famously advertised the beer, perhaps double ‘D’s would be more appropriate.) Boddingtons, the cream of Wales, boyo! GT
