LCL PILS
Thwaites
UK, 4.5-5% ABV
Good old LCL. More common a sight in North East working men’s clubs than Gazza and Jimmy Five-Bellies out on a bender, LCL is always a staunch regular, and is almost as synonymous with Newcastle’s drinking scene as Brown Ale. Now that’s a bold statement, but LCL can hold its own in a one-on-one with any lager in town. Why? Because of its no frills, no nonsense approach to getting you off your head. Two more big plus points are that it’s strong and cheap, making it a notorious way to spice up any meat draw on the planet. Born in 1997, LCL was bought by Scottish & Newcastle in 2004, as part of its acquisition of the Northern Clubs’ Federation Brewery in Gateshead. At the end of 2007, S&N sold the entire rights for the production, marketing and sales of the LCL Pils beer brand to Daniel Thwaites Brewery in Blackburn. It didn’t mean that the drink was destroyed or altered, and the chances are that the flat-cappers didn’t notice or couldn’t care less as long as it was still on tap. Its popularity lies in it being an honest pint. Why do you want a poseur’s lager when drinking somewhere with no women to pull, and where you’ll get your teeth kicked in if you ask for anything more elaborate than ‘a pint’? It’s also satisfying drinking a non-trendy name out of a bottle. It shows you know what you like, and LCL is an enjoyable lager without the pretentions of most others on the market. SW
