45-729: McEwan's is a brand of beer owned by Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company. It was originally brewed by William McEwan 's Fountain Brewery in Edinburgh , Scotland . The McEwan's brand passed to Heineken in 2008 after their purchase of Scottish & Newcastle 's British operations. Heineken sold the brand to Wells & Young's in 2011, who sold their brewing operation, including the McEwan brand to Marston's in 2017. Cans and bottles are now brewed in Bedford , England. William McEwan opened
90-416: A Heavy beer, was first brewed in the late nineteenth century; the shilling "/-" denotion refers to the wholesale price for a hogshead of the beer. In 1886, as he prepared to enter Parliament, William McEwan appointed his nephew, William Younger, as managing director of the brewery. When the company was registered in 1889, it was worth £408,000 and had capital of £1 million; and was the largest brewery in
135-610: A decline from 879,996; this loss was mainly due to the ONS reclassifying Hetton-le-Hole , Houghton-le-Spring , Chester-le-Street and Washington in the Wearside Built-up Area instead of Tyneside. In both the 2001 and 2011 census the area was given the following subdivisions; Gateshead, Jarrow and Tynemouth had boundary changes: The people of Newcastle, called " Geordies ", have a reputation for their distinctive dialect and accent. Newcastle may have been given this name,
180-501: A group with market value of £50,000,000. William McEwan Younger , the son of William Younger, was the chairman and managing director. The company dedicated itself to the free trade, and promoted its brands to an extent not previously witnessed in the British brewing industry. McEwan's Export became one of the three core brands of the new company, alongside Newcastle Brown Ale and Younger's Tartan Special. Scottish & Newcastle became
225-617: A local diminutive of the name "George", because their miners used George Stephenson 's safety lamp (invented in 1815 and called a "Georgie lamp") to prevent firedamp explosions, rather than the Davy lamp used elsewhere. An alternative explanation relates that during the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 the people of Newcastle declared their allegiance to the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, George I and George II ; whereas
270-513: A major tributary of the Tyne that rises in County Durham , saw the development of the steel industry from around 1600 onwards. This was led by German immigrant cutlers and sword-makers, probably from around Solingen , who fled from religious persecution at home and settled in the then village of Shotley Bridge , near Consett . The combination of coal and steel industries in the area was
315-633: A new seasonal cask-conditioned golden ale called McEwan's Gold . In 2013, export sales to Canada were resumed, having been discontinued under Heineken. In April 2013, McEwan's Red was launched, aimed at younger drinkers and with the intention of expanding the brand into England. McEwan's beers began to be sold in France in April 2013. The bottled beers McEwan's Amber and Signature were launched in July 2013. In May 2017, Marston's announced that it had acquired
360-456: A race over a set distance for a side stake. The crews would usually have backers, who would put up the stake money, as they saw the chance of financial gain from the race. In the days before mass attendances at football matches, races on the river were enormously popular, with tens of thousands attending. Betting would go on both before and during a race, the odds changing as the fortunes of the contestants changed. Contestants who became champions of
405-774: A result, the Abbey Brewery in Edinburgh, previously the Younger's brewery, closed down in 1956 and was converted into offices. By the 1950s, McEwan's had become the dominant party in the McEwan Younger venture, and a full merger was undertaken in 1959. Scottish Brewers continued to increase its market share in the brewing sector, doubling its output after a costly five-year programme of expansion and modernisation undertaken between 1958-63. The company merged with Newcastle Breweries in 1960, forming Scottish & Newcastle,
450-417: Is some evidence from Bede 's writings that it may have been dug as early as 800 AD. Coal was dug from local drift mines and bell pits , and although initially only used locally, it was exported from the port of Newcastle from the mid 14th century onwards. Tyneside had a strategic advantage as far as the coal trade was concerned, because collier brigs could be loaded with coal on the Tyne and could sail down
495-1071: The Alloa Coal Company and merchants Patersons . He worked in Glasgow for a commission agent and then as a bookkeeper for a spinning firm in Yorkshire. From 1851 he received technical and management training from his uncles, John and David Jeffrey, proprietors of the Heriot brewery in Edinburgh. In 1856, he established the Fountain Brewery at Fountainbridge in Edinburgh with money from his mother and his uncle, Tom Jeffrey. After growing sales in Scotland, his nephew William Younger of Alloa began an apprenticeship with him and eventually became managing director. Exports were made to Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and India, with McEwan's having 90% of sales in north-eastern England by
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#1732772772395540-586: The Caledonian railway line and the Union Canal , determined the location of the brewery. McEwan had employed geologists to identify the prime location for a supply of well water. Beforehand, McEwan had engaged in industrial espionage at Bass and Allsopp 's breweries in order to learn techniques and assay costs. After establishing a market share in the industrial regions of the Scottish lowlands , from
585-598: The Royal Navy , where beer might be stored on board ships for up to a year. The NAAFI continued to be an important McEwan's customer throughout the century. In the early-1930s, Jardine Matheson approached the company regarding a potential brewing venture in China , but McEwan's did not welcome the threat to their export business. The company's export trade declined during and after the Second World War, and as
630-532: The University of Edinburgh . McEwan was born in Alloa , Scotland in 1827, the third child of ship-owner John McEwan and his wife Anne Jeffrey. His older sister Janet married James Younger head of his local family brewing business in 1850, and their children included George, 1st Viscount Younger of Leckie , William Younger, and Robert, Baron Blanesburgh . He was educated at Alloa Academy . McEwan worked for
675-458: The 1960s, and 1970s, McEwan's was advertised as "The best buy in beer". From the 1970s until the early 1990s McEwan's Best Scotch was marketed in the North East of England as "The one you've got to come back for". The "alive and kicking" campaign for McEwan's Lager from 1986 until 1997 saw some of the most memorable and radical television advertisements yet produced at the time. During
720-467: The 1980s and 1990s, McEwan's sponsored six football clubs and two rugby league clubs: William McEwan William McEwan ( / m ə ˈ k juː ə n / mə- KEW -ən ; 16 July 1827 – 12 May 1913) was a Scottish politician and brewer. He founded the Fountain Brewery in 1856, served as a member of parliament (MP) from 1886 to 1900, and funded the construction of the McEwan Hall at
765-629: The Fountain Brewery in Fountainbridge , Edinburgh, in 1856. The firm underwent several mergers in the following century, including with local rival William Younger's , and later with Newcastle Breweries to form Scottish & Newcastle . Its popular brands included 80/-, a Heavy beer , and Export, an India Pale Ale . All of the draught beers (except Best Scotch) were brewed at the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh, whilst
810-549: The McEwan's brands as part of the acquisition of Charles Wells's brewing interest with cans and bottles continuing to be brewed in Bedford, England. In April 2020, Marston's placed its brewing business, including the McEwan's brands, into a joint venture with Carlsberg. In May 2022, Heineken announced the closure of its Caledonian Brewery which contract-brewed draught McEwan's in Edinburgh. It said its own Scottish brands would be contract-brewed by Greene King's Belhaven Brewery. There
855-557: The Tyne would often challenge the corresponding champions of the River Thames, and the race would be arranged to take place on one of the two rivers. Rivalry between the Tyne and the Thames was very keen, and rowers who upheld the honour of the Tyne became local heroes. Three such oarsmen, who came from humble backgrounds and became household names in the North East, were Harry Clasper , Robert Chambers and James Renforth . Clasper
900-531: The Tyne. The Tyne had a large number of keelmen and wherrymen, who handled boats as part of their jobs. As on the River Thames , there were competitions to show who was the best oarsman. As a wherryman did not earn very much, competitive rowing was seen as a quick way of earning extra money. Regattas were held, and provided modest prizes for professionals, but the big money was made in challenge races, in which scullers or boat crews would challenge each other to
945-451: The UK, with McEwan's the largest Wells & Young's brand. It was the highest-selling ale brand in Scotland where it had a 20% market share. Like most largely pasteurised ale brands in the UK it had been in a state of managed decline. The beers were sold predominantly in Scotland and the north of England; a small amount was exported to Italy. 2012 saw the launch of McEwan's Export in bottles, and
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#1732772772395990-696: The United Kingdom under a single owner. By the turn of the twentieth century the company had a large share of the market throughout Scotland, a 90% share of the Tyneside market, and was exporting to Scottish expatriates across the British Empire . At its peak, the brewery was producing two million barrels of beer a year, much of it for export. In 1907, McEwan's acquired the trade and goodwill of Alexander Melvin & Co of central Edinburgh. By 1914, McEwan's bottled beers were distributed across
1035-511: The United Kingdom. In December 1930, McEwan's merged with Edinburgh rival William Younger's Brewery to form Scottish Brewers in a defensive move after the Great Depression diminished revenues. Each entity was initially run separately, and only certain financial and technological resources were amalgamated. During this period, the company became an early pioneer of container beer , largely due to its dependence on exports, particularly to
1080-481: The brand to Wells & Young's in 2011. In May 2017, Charles Wells Ltd sold its brewing business (including McEwan's) to Marston's. William McEwan opened the Fountain Brewery in Fountainbridge, then a suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in 1856, using £2,000 loaned by his mother and his uncle. The area and the brewery are named after the spring waters from the vicinity, which, in addition to its proximity to
1125-603: The canned and bottled beers were produced at the Eagle Brewery in Bedford , England. The beers are sold predominantly in Scotland and the North East of England. Despite being the dominant presence in Scottish brewing for around a century, the McEwan's brands were neglected by Scottish & Newcastle, who concentrated on their global brands. The McEwan's ales were eclipsed by John Smith's Bitter and Belhaven Best and cask-conditioned beers such as Deuchars IPA , whilst
1170-522: The catalyst for further major industrial development in the 19th century, including the shipbuilding industry; at its peak, the Tyneside shipyards were one of the largest centres of shipbuilding in the world and built an entire navy for Japan in the first decade of the 20th century. There is still a working shipyard in Wallsend . From early in the 19th century, it was a custom to hold boat races on
1215-485: The demand for lager increased, but it struggled to gain credibility until the "Alive and kicking" campaign was launched in 1986. McEwan's Export was launched in the United States in 1989. Two bottled ales were launched, McEwan's Champion Ale (7.3%) in 1997 and McEwan's Parliament Ale (5%) in 1999. In 2000, McEwan's had 13% of the Scottish lager market and around 40% of the Scottish ale market. In 2003 McEwan's 70/-
1260-486: The dominant force in brewing across Scotland and the North of England. From the 1960s, the company began to style itself MacEwan's in export markets, in order to make pronunciation easier. The company's McEwan's Strong Ale was the highest gravity beer on general sale throughout the world. McEwan's Export was alternatively sold as India Pale Ale or Scotch Ale overseas. William McEwan Younger retired in 1970. The Fountain Brewery
1305-494: The early 1860s, McEwan built up a successful colonial export trade by exploiting his family's shipowning connections. It was during this time that McEwan's India Pale Ale , the beer that was the foundation for much of the company's reputation, was first labelled Export. By the 1870s, McEwan's brewery employed 170 men and boys, and its beers were widely available in England. By 1880, the brewery site covered 12 acres. McEwan's 80/-,
1350-480: The east coast to London. In fact, the burgesses of Newcastle formed a cartel, and were known as the Hostmen . The Hostmen were able gain a monopoly over all of the coal exported from Tyneside, a monopoly which lasted a considerable time. A well-known group of workers on the river were the keelmen who handled the keels , boats that carried the coal from the riverbanks to the waiting colliers. The Derwent (valley) ,
1395-503: The end of the 19th century professional competitive rowing on the Tyne began a gradual decline and would die out entirely leaving the amateur version. Despite its rapid growth in the Industrial Revolution , Tyneside developed one peculiar local custom, the rapper sword dance, which later spread to neighbouring areas of Northumberland and County Durham. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was major industrial decline in
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1440-472: The estimated population was 832,469. Politically, the area is mainly covered by the metropolitan boroughs of Newcastle-upon-Tyne , Gateshead , North Tyneside and South Tyneside . The boroughs on the Tyne are joint with Wearside which is in both the ceremonial counties of Durham ( Chester-le-Street ) and Tyne and Wear . The ONS 2011 census had 774,891 census respondents inside the "Tyneside Built-up Area" or "Tyneside Urban Area". These figures are
1485-680: The freedom of the city of Edinburgh. He also presented paintings to the National Gallery of Scotland . McEwan's final home was at Polesden Lacey in Surrey, which was purchased in 1906 for his daughter Margaret and her husband Ronald Greville . She bequeathed the house and estate to the National Trust in 1942 in memory of her father. He died in 1913 in Mayfair and was buried in the village of Great Bookham in Surrey. His estate
1530-563: The lager fell behind Tennent's . McEwan's used a cavalier mascot, broadly based on the Frans Hals painting, the Laughing Cavalier portrait, which has been used since the 1930s. The company was a sponsor of football teams in the 1980s and 1990s, including Rangers F.C and Blackburn Rovers . The McEwan's brand passed to Heineken in 2008 after their purchase of Scottish & Newcastle's British operations. Heineken sold
1575-461: The rest of the county of Northumberland , to the north, stood loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart . While Newcastle upon Tyne had been an important local centre since Roman times, and was a major local market town from the Middle Ages, the development of Newcastle and Tyneside is owed to coal mining . Coal was first known to be dug in Tyneside from superficial seams in around 1200, but there
1620-408: The traditional British heavy industries , and Tyneside was hit hard. High unemployment rates and the national [Thatcher] government's resolve to push through with economic transformation led to great social unrest with strikes and occasional rioting in depressed areas. From the late 1980s onward, an improving national economy and local regeneration helped the area to recover, and although unemployment
1665-519: The turn of the century. The brewery became part of Scottish & Newcastle . McEwan became a member of parliament for Edinburgh Central after the 1886 general election , representing the Liberal Party . He was returned unopposed in 1895 and continued to serve until 1900 . He became a Privy Counsellor in 1907, but declined a title. He married Helen Anderson in 1885 and they had one daughter born out of wedlock. His wife died in 1906 and
1710-518: Was a champion rower in fours, as well as an innovative boat designer and a successful rowing coach. Chambers and Renforth were oarsmen who excelled at sculling . Both held the World Sculling Championship at different times. The popularity of all three men was such that when they died, many thousands attended their funeral processions, and magnificent funeral monuments were provided by popular subscription in all three cases. At
1755-507: Was buried on the west side of Highgate Cemetery . Their daughter Margaret Helen (1863–1942) married the Hon. Ronald Greville , heir apparent to the Greville barony as the eldest son of Algernon Greville, 2nd Baron Greville . He funded the McEwan Hall at the University of Edinburgh , to a cost of £115,000. It was opened in 1897, when McEwan was presented with an honorary doctorate and
1800-530: Was no announcement on where McEwan's draught would be brewed. Throughout the Victorian period, and into the twentieth century, McEwan's drew heavily from imagery of the British Empire in its branding. The Laughing Cavalier mascot was introduced to the McEwan's brand in the 1930s. Based on the well-known Frans Hals painting, it has been used extensively in advertisements and branding ever since. During
1845-527: Was overtaken by Belhaven Best as Scotland's best-selling ale, and McEwan's Lager was discontinued. In February 2004, Scottish & Newcastle announced the closure of the Fountain Brewery. Production costs at Fountainbridge had become twice as high as those at the company's lowest-cost brewery in Tadcaster , North Yorkshire. It closed in June 2005, with the loss of 170 jobs. Production of McEwan's draught beers
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1890-414: Was rebuilt in 1973 and pioneered the use of computer control for the entire brewing process. The site had a 2 million barrel capacity, and occupied 22 acres on a new site which had formerly been occupied by a British Rubber mill. McEwan's Export became a nationally distributed beer by the 1970s, and was the best -selling canned beer in the United Kingdom by 1975. McEwan's Lager was introduced in 1976 as
1935-415: Was reintroduced in 2009. In October 2011, Heineken sold the McEwan's beer brands to Wells & Young's for around £20 million, and production of McEwan's Best Scotch and canned and bottled brands moved to Bedford. The new owners vowed to reintroduce McEwan's as a cask ale brand and launch an expanded premium bottled range. Together with the Younger's brands McEwan's generated £80,000,000 of sales annually in
1980-672: Was transferred to the Caledonian Brewery with cans of McEwan's Export being produced at John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster. The McEwan's and Younger's brands added around 50,000 barrels to the production of the Caledonian. The last regular batch of the cask-conditioned version of McEwan's 80/- was brewed in 2006 after annual production dropped below 10,000 barrels, although the beer made a brief return in June 2011 and has since been brewed seasonally by W&Y. McEwan's Lager
2025-621: Was valued at £1.5 million. Tyneside Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in Northern England . Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies . The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt . The population of Tyneside as published in the 2011 census was 774,891, making it the eighth most-populous urban area in the United Kingdom . In 2013,
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