Big Business

[BlackBag]

I'm only quite recently back into the home brew game but have already noticed a sad decline in kit companies. Obviously the closure of British Diamalt has had a huge knock on effect with Vina, meaning a lot of well known brands have gone by the wayside. Some have been picked up by Muntons, Milestone being a good example, but what about the rest? It seems inconceivable that before much longer there'll be no more John Bull kits around. To me they've always been part of this landscape, along with Geordie. The worry is that Muntons may pick up a whole batch of well known brand names and produce a generic batch of stuff and market it in different tins. At the minute how do we know that, for example, a Geordie Bitter kit is not exactly the same as a Telfords Bitter? Sad buggers like me will often buy stuff because it looks good. I could spend £12 on an Iron Master Export only to find out that it's just an £8 Geordie Export.
Below is a list of kit brands that I can see are probably still available. Next to each name I've put down who I believe the manufacturer to be. As you'll see there's a whole heap of them that I've got no idea about, hence the question mark. Some, like the New Zealand or Australian kits, I've question marked anyway as it would be handy to have an address. It would really help if any of you out there have these kits lying about with addresses on, so that you could post who it is that makes them, eg Cedar Maltings is Muntons. Also it would be handy to know about other kits I may have missed, or who the manufacture of shops own brand stuff is, like A.O.B.'s or Hop and Grape.


Arkells - ?
Bargain Brew - Vina, deceased?
Barleydale - ?
Black Rock - Lion Nathan Group, Australia
Brewferm - ?
Brewers Choice - ?
Brewmart - ?
Brew Buddy - ?
Brewmaker - Vina, deceased?
Bruce's - ?
Brupaks - ?
Burton Bridge - ?
Cascade - Australian?
Cordon Brew Burton - ?
Coopers - Australian?
Castlemaine - Lion Nathan Group, Australia
ESB - Australian?
Edme - ?
Essential - Vina, deceased?
Finlandia - ?
Geordie - Muntons
Hambleton Bard - ?
Heantun Ales - ?
Homebrews - ?
IronMaster - Muntons
John Bull - Vina, deceased?
John Thompsons - ?
Kwoffits - ?
Milestone - now Muntons?
Morgans - Australian?
Mountmellick - ?
Muntons - Muntons
Original Beers - ?
Perfect Pint - ?
Samsons - ?
Sherwood - Vina, deceased?
Springhead - Vina, deceased?
Telfords - Muntons
Titanic Beer Kits - ?
Tom Caxtons - Muntons
Tooheys - Australian?
Unican - Vina, deceased?
Vina Traditional - Vina, deceased?
Woodfordes - ?
York Brewery - ?
Youngs Harvest - ?

Hope you can help, and please, let me know who I've missed!

[BlackBag]

By god you're quick DaaB.
Had a feeling the Arkells/Bruces/John Thompsons would be Muntons.
They must produce a hell of a lot of different recipes . . . .

[Aleman]

Don't know how up to date this is but

York Brewery - Hamstead Homebrew 0121 358 6800

Chris certainly formulated the York Brewery kits when they came out, and I know they were involved in production and distribution for the first couple of years.

[BlackBag]

Just got a delivery from Hop & Grape, in which was some Samsons Newkie Brown. Made by Ritchies. Quick tootle to their website and I've crossed another couple of my list. They also do the Cordon Brew Range and the Burton Bridge range.
Slowly getting there . . .

[BlackBag]

Oh, should've said, got some more to cross off.
Original Beers, Barleydale, Titanic Beer Kits, and Heantuns were all produced by Youngs, but they've ceased production of these now.

[Effigy]

Don't know how up to date this is but

York Brewery - Hamstead Homebrew 0121 358 6800

Chris certainly formulated the York Brewery kits when they came out, and I know they were involved in production and distribution for the first couple of years.

Confirmed - I was talking to Chris at lunchtime, and have purchased a York 'Terrier Bitter' for my next kit

[bodmin]

hello mate. i have also just purchased a yorkshire terrier, but from the actual york brewery as i was working just next door. i have attempted one before but it got an infection and it went down the sink, this new one seems to have got stuck at 1018 (im totally gutted) so im gonna try the rescue tips i have heard on here. i would be very interested to hear how yours turns out and anyone else who has tried this kit. good luck.

[BlackBag]

Just had an e-mail back from Muntons. Their Ironmaster range has been delisted as well. Another tin bites the dust.
Out of curiosity what are/were the Ironmaster kits like?

[Damfoose]

Not sure if this helps but my first brew / kit is a Brewmaker Yorkshire bitter one.

Address on the packaging is

Vina Ltd
Telford Court,
Newark-On-Trent,
Nottinghamshire,
NG24 2EW.

The Milestone IPA I have for my next brew funnily enough has the same address, The thing that gave the game away was the instructions inside the box both being the same word for word with only the heading being different.

[Totem]

I really wanted to try the john bull chocolate stout too, cant find it now

[BlackBag]

Fear not Totem my friend for John Bull Chocolate Stout is still out there!
I've just done an order to Content deleted in accordance with forum rules. for some. They still have stocks, so get your order in quick - spare not the wheel of fate for it turns quicker when somebody is watching the door QUICK IT'S THE ROZZERS

[BlackBag]

Mountmellick - Muntons
Shame is if you go to the Mountmellick website (mountmellick-homebrew.co.uk) and didn't know any different you might think it was in someway independent. One can only assume it was at one point, until the all conquering might of Muntons steamrollered in casting all before it asunder in it's relentless pursuit of world dominance. Fnnyay.