Tuesday 13 December 2011

Walkers pubs but no Walkers beer

One of my Walkers glasses from the
early 1960s.  I couldn't get the words
'Walkers Ales' any clearer.
I went on a quick trip to Liverpool today for an optician's appointment and, as I was driving, I decided against any pub visits.  What struck me as I strolled around, as opposed to scurrying to from one ale house to the next, was the fact that so many pubs in Liverpool still show the old Walkers livery, often still displaying the full legend, Walkers Warrington Ales.  Peter Walker merged with the original Cains in 1921 and I can recall my grandmother and uncle, who both had worked for the company, still referring to it as "Walker Cain's" into the 60s and 70s, even though it had become Tetley Walker in 1960.  The Walker brand was revived for a few years in the early 1980s and produced some good beers, most notably Warrington Ale and Winter Warmer, but was kicked into touch again when the company lost interest.  I've written in more detail about the Walker brand here.

The pubs I particularly noticed on my flying visit were The Crown and The Vines on Lime Street, The Central and The Midland on Ranelagh Street and The Beehive on Mount Pleasant.  There are others, but these were the ones that prompted this train of thought.  I'm rather glad that they managed to avoid being corporately standardised both by Allied Breweries (who'd have made them into Tetley houses) and by the pub companies that now own them.

1 comment:

  1. RedNev,

    I've told you where to go for a decent pint of Walkers, try the Lower Angel in Warrington. Then you might have a drink there.

    ReplyDelete

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