Ten beers are being scrapped (Image: Getty)
Ten classic beers are set to vanish from pubs just in time for Christmas.
Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) has announced plans to discontinue 10 within weeks. While some will still be available in bottled form, others will no longer be offered in cask or keg varieties.
Among the beers facing the axe are Eagle IPA, Banks’s Mild, and Bank’s Sunbeam. The move has drawn sharp criticism from real ale enthusiasts and loyal fans of the brands.
Carlsberg lager is safe (Image: Getty)
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Gillian Hough, CAMRA’s real ale, cider, and perry campaigns director, voiced her disappointment. She said it was “another example of a globally owned business erasing UK brewing heritage”.
“I hope this change will create space on the bar for local independent breweries to stock their beers,” she added. “However, realistically, I suspect that’s not CMBC’s intention.
“This loss of consumer choice is the inevitable result of a brewing conglomerate prioritizing profits over tradition. It’s a sad and disappointing decision that jeopardizes both the history and the future of British brewing.”
The full list of beers being axed is as follows:
- Banks’s Mild
- Banks’s Sunbeam
- Bombardier (keg)
- Eagle IPA
- Jennings Cumberland Ale
- Mansfield Dark Smooth (keg)
- Mansfield Original Bitter (keg)
- Marston’s Old Empire
- Marston’s 61 Deep
- Ringwood Boondoggle
Ten classic beers are being axed (Image: Getty)
However, a CMBC spokesperson defended the decision, . They said: “Unfortunately, when demand for certain products declines, we have to make the difficult decision to delist them.
“However, we continue to invest in new cask ales and support popular traditional offerings like Banks’s Amber Bitter and Marston’s Pedigree.”
On X, Roger Protz – former editor of the Good Beer Guide – claimed the “repercussions” of the merger of Carlsberg and Marston’s “continue[s] to destroy consumer choice and brewing heritage”.
He wrote: “Not content with closing breweries, they are killing more cask beers: inc Banks’s Mild, Bombardier, Marston’s Old Empire, Ringwood Old Thumper, Jennings Cumberland Ale.”
BREAKING Repercussions of merger of Carlsberg & Marstons continue to destroy consumer choice & brewing heritage. Not content with closing breweries, they are killing more cask beers: inc Banks’s Mild, Bombardier, Marston’s Old Empire, Ringwood Old Thumper, Jennings Cumberland Ale
— Roger Protz (@RogerProtzBeer)
Andrew Duncan was among those sharing his disappointment on X. He posted: “Bombardier and Ringwood were fantastic beers from great breweries. It’s almost like the days when Camra was founded.”
Another social media user added: “Tragic – there’s some excellent beers there.”
Richard A also said: “A list of some of my favourite ales. This isn’t just business, it’s corporate evil.”