Now even I have to admit that it isn't the most zippy title but it does pretty much sum up the journey I have been on.
After all when Steve Bardrick turned up two cans of Barclay’s Export Sparkling Beer and posted them on the Well Hall site I was hooked.
For a start it's the Sparkling Beer title that draws you in along with the faded blue cans and screw tops.
All of which set me off on a journey which took me to stories of working on the docks and managing to get hold of blue cans of the stuff which according to one source were offered up cheaply to ships crews.
“In the 70s-80s ships crews could buy a ration of duty free beer.
The most popular by far were "Blue Cans" or Barclay's Sparkling Bitter, to give it its correct name.
They cost 13p for a 33cl can and I believe they must have been around 7% alcohol as they made your gums tingle!”*
Barclay Perkins was a brewery which dated back to the 17th century and merged with Courage in 1955.
Both had breweries in Southwark but while Courage made Porter Barclay Perkins went into lager in the 19th century exported to Imperial Russia and even set up a brewery in Khartoum.
There is lots more but it all takes us a long way from that garden in Well Hall any way there will be someone who knows heaps more about the blue cans and the brewery.
But like others I am intrigued to know what the contents tasted like.
Location; Well Hall, Eltham
Picture; two cans of Barclay’s Sparkling Beer, found in a garden in Well Hall, 2016, courtesy of Steve Bardrick
*Does anyone remember "Blue Cans?", The Home Brew Forum,
For a start it's the Sparkling Beer title that draws you in along with the faded blue cans and screw tops.
All of which set me off on a journey which took me to stories of working on the docks and managing to get hold of blue cans of the stuff which according to one source were offered up cheaply to ships crews.
“In the 70s-80s ships crews could buy a ration of duty free beer.
The most popular by far were "Blue Cans" or Barclay's Sparkling Bitter, to give it its correct name.
They cost 13p for a 33cl can and I believe they must have been around 7% alcohol as they made your gums tingle!”*
Barclay Perkins was a brewery which dated back to the 17th century and merged with Courage in 1955.
Both had breweries in Southwark but while Courage made Porter Barclay Perkins went into lager in the 19th century exported to Imperial Russia and even set up a brewery in Khartoum.
There is lots more but it all takes us a long way from that garden in Well Hall any way there will be someone who knows heaps more about the blue cans and the brewery.
But like others I am intrigued to know what the contents tasted like.
Location; Well Hall, Eltham
Picture; two cans of Barclay’s Sparkling Beer, found in a garden in Well Hall, 2016, courtesy of Steve Bardrick
*Does anyone remember "Blue Cans?", The Home Brew Forum,
It's Sparkling Beer, not Sparkling Bitter. The beer was in fact a Lager, not a Bitter. I've seen brewing records for the beer so I now exactly how strong it was: just under 5% ABV.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to know what it tasted like, I have the recipe.