This is a rare early advert, predating the days of TV, that would have been shown in local cinemas. It isn’t known who made the film, presumably a local professional filmmaker who would make films of this kind, commissioned by Melbourne Brewery. Because cinemas could decide individually what to show, this enabled each cinema to show adverts that could target a local audience; hence the film would be shown in Leeds cinemas. The YFA has an extensive collection of adverts, especially from...

This is a rare early advert, predating the days of TV, that would have been shown in local cinemas. It isn’t known who made the film, presumably a local professional filmmaker who would make films of this kind, commissioned by Melbourne Brewery. Because cinemas could decide individually what to show, this enabled each cinema to show adverts that could target a local audience; hence the film would be shown in Leeds cinemas. The YFA has an extensive collection of adverts, especially from Rowntrees in York – but these are almost all from the days of TV. Another excellent film of Melbourne Brewery, showing the entire process of making beer, was made by Leeds Cine Club in the early 1970s, What's Brewing.

 

At leat one of those involved would have been one of the directors, Charles Porte. He can be seen in the film playing golf at Moortown Golf Club.  Melbourne Brewery was located off Regent Road, in Leeds. Charles Porte’s son, Geoffrey, who donated the film, states that Melbourne had arranged for an American company to supply and install the new bottling plant that is seen in this film – the background music itself has the sound of early American cinema. The Brewery’s emblem, seen at the end of the ad, of an eighteenth century gentleman bowing and doffing his hat, was often in the windows of pubs – see the entries and photos on the thread in Secret Leeds, References.

 

In 1960 it was taken over by its main rival Tetley. Joshua Tetley & Son, another Leeds brewer, had already taken over a couple of other Yorkshire brewers before merging with Melbourne (and themselves now owned by Carlsberg) – they chose Tetley over Hammonds United Breweries who were also acquiring other breweries at this time (they soon become United Breweries).  These takeovers didn’t stop beers still trading under their original names, as evidenced by the later film (although Melbourne gets no mention in Baillie’s 1973 compendium). For more on another local brewery being taken over by a larger one see also the Context for The Brook (1950) – the YFA also has film of Timothy Taylor’s Brewery from 1975, Action Stations/Salvation Army/Timothy Taylors, a local brewery that, to the great pleasure of many, has managed to remain local – see also the Context for Weekend Nights (1999).

 

That the advert was, not surprisingly, aimed at men becomes apparent from the beginning when the narrator turns from looking around Kirkstall Abbey, clearly a woman’s kind of thing, to going to the more manly sports of football and golf. The football match enables us to more precisely identify the date of the film as it shows Leeds Utd. in their strip for the season 1933-34 – even in those days they changed the kit slightly each year (although adverts on shirts is, not surprisingly, a 1980s innovation). It is difficult to know which game this is as the away team might have had to have changed their strip if it clashed, as for example Huddersfield Town’s did. Given their Leeds base, it is not clear why they should show Leeds conceding a goal – maybe the cameraman supported the other team!

 

Beer productiontion has remained fairly steady since 1820, only once dipping below 20 million barrels (1 Barrell=36 gallons), despite the great Victorian temperance campaign, with its height being between 1890 and 1917 when it never went below 30 million – it was 26 million in 1960.  Beer consumption has declined significantly (although comparison is difficlt as statistics are no longer calculated in barrels); and bitter even more so, with two-thirds of all beer consumption being lager.

 

Many are confused by just what is meant by ‘real ale’.  These are beers that are left unfiltered and unpasteurised so that they still contain live yeast, which continues with a secondary fermentation in the cask.  Keg beers, by contrast, are generally sterile filtered and pasteurised (rapidly heated and cooled) before being racked into sealed, gas-pressurised kegs.   So, whereas in the former there is a natural CO2 carbonation that allows malt and hop flavours to develop, with keg beers extraneous gas – carbon dioxide and nitrogen – is added.  Some believe that this produces a frothy beer with less flavour, although keg has its devotees. 

Sometimes the real ales are referred to as hand pulled ales as they still use the beer engine patented by Joseph Bramah in 1785.  Here the beer was served directly from the cask and carried to the customer: hence the derivation of the word draught from the Old English word to carry, dragen, which also developed into drag and draw.  Although ‘cask’, or cask conditioned, is often used to refer beers that have a second fermentation, the difference isn’t due to the one being in wooden casks, with ‘keg’ being in steel or aluminium casks (though it was at one time).   Keg usually refers to beers stored under pressure and at a lower temperature.  At one time smaller vessels were also used for storing beer, including tuns, hogsheads, kilderkins and firkins.  

 

One problem for cask conditioned beers is that their treatment at the pub is also important.  The casks need to be left to settle for up to 48 hours and to be manually vented and tapped (once sufficient secondary fermentation has taken place).  It is also subject to oxidising if left in a part-full cask for too long, as acetic acid is formed from a reaction with oxygen in the atmosphere, producing a vinegary taste (although, again, there are those that believe that the taste produced isn’t all that bad).  Landlords also have to ensure that the pipes are regularly cleaned and any beer left standing overnight in the pipes is poured away.

 

The film shows both bitter and stout being bottled, but the latter went out of fashion in the 1970s. Stout is a stronger, normally over 5.0% alcohol, and darker beer than bitter, normally between 4.0% and 5.0% alcohol, and made out of a darker malt, often roasted malt or barley (Guinness is its most well known brand now). Bitter – in the past its lighter versions being called pale ale or light ale – become the more popular drink from the mid 19th century. Stout, or porter as it was once called, was popular after the war: as with the milk stout Mackeson, with adverts making much of its beneficial affects – "'looks good, tastes good and, by golly, it does you good."  Today, despite the undoubted nutritional value of beer (in moderation!), this might not meet the requirements of the Trade Descriptions Act.

 

References

 

Frank Baillie, The Beer Drinker’s Companion, David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1973.

H A Monckton, A History of English Ale and Beer, The Bodley Head, London, 1966,

The Brewery History Society

Secret Leeds

Historical football kits