Brewer orders pub to stop selling own 80/-

Published on Friday 17 August 2007 12:22

IT'S a beer named after one of Edinburgh's most famous bars.

But Digger's 80/- has been ordered off the taps at the pub it was named after by brewing giant Scottish & Newcastle.

Bosses at the Athletic Arms contacted local "micro-breweries" to produce a beer as close as possible to McEwan's cask 80/- ale, which was phased out by owners S&N over Christmas.

Stewart Brewing came up with a replacement for the heavy, which took its brand name from the Gorgie bar's nickname - and the beer has been on sale at the pub since April.

But S&N officials have now enforced a clause in the lease that says the bar can serve only the company's ales on tap.

Regulars and real ale fans said they were "bitterly disappointed" with the ban, which they said would leave the pub with just one ale on sale, considered inferior by many purists.

Former Lord Provost Eric Milligan, a regular at The Diggers on Hearts matchdays, said it was "very sad" the beer was no longer on offer.

He said: "It is very disappointing. Scottish & Newcastle are a major international drinks company and are promoting a lot of European lagers, which are a long way from the traditional beer that people like myself were brought up with.

"The Diggers is a unique pub in that it is famous for its heavy ale. It has a tradition that most other pubs in the city would die to have, so it is very sad that there is no more of this kind of beer on sale.

"The replacement Stewart's beer was very well received by regulars and was a decent substitute for the McEwans version. It certainly cheered me up after a poor Hearts performance and helped me celebrate their wins.

"It is a great mistake not to keep it on sale. The pub is a Mecca for real ale drinkers but there will not be any beer left for them to drink soon.

"Selling a proper 80/- is a tradition that should be continued."

Colin Valentine, a spokesman for the Campaign for Real Ale, added: "It is very sad that a multinational company like S&N is taking its wrath out on a pub that is trying to offer something that it has traditionally sold.

"It may not be one of S&N's own products, but I wouldn't imagine the sale of Diggers 80/- is even a minor blip to them.

"Old-fashioned Scottish heavy is to be cherished and held on to, but in this case it looks like regulars at the Athletic Arms will no longer be able to enjoy it."

The cask-conditioned McEwan's 80/- Ale was withdrawn in January by S&N, prompting outrage from purists who said that it was the "end of an era" for the historic Edinburgh-based beer.

It has since been replaced by a metal keg version of the 80/-, although many drinkers prefer the version dispensed from traditional wooden barrels.

When the pub introduced the Stewart-brewed Diggers 80/- in April, it immediately became a hit with regulars.

Steve Stewart, manager of the three-year-old micro-brewery that produced the Diggers heavy, said: "It is a real shame. We desperately want to supply them, as the beer was so popular, but we don't know whether anything can be done about it.

"Their customers want to buy the beer and we want to provide it, but it is a decision that has been made by higher powers in S&N."

No-one from Scottish & Newcastle, which leases out the Athletic Arms on a tied-hold basis, was available to comment. Bosses at the Athletic Arms declined to comment when contacted by the Evening News.