Local MP Pours Carlsberg Down The Drain

Greg Mulholland and his nasty lager

This is not a story for Cooking Lager.

Greg Mulholland MP recently decided to boycott Carlsberg. To make this clear, he and a handful of cohorts marched to the Carlsberg-owned Tetley’s brewery in Leeds and poured cans of the green-branded lagers down the drain.

Nope, he didn’t try their lager and realise it was pretty shit.

Rather, he was protesting about the closure of the Tetley’s brewery and the moving of Tetley’s cask production outside of Leeds.

I wrote about the event for the day job here.

Now, I like Mulholland’s sentiment. It’s a damn shame that the brewery is closing. Jobs will be lost in the area, and the Tetley’s brewery is an institution.

However I have a small problem with the boycott.

In a shock turn of events. Carlsberg actually make REALLY good beer.

Don’t believe me? Get yourself to North Bar or Beer Ritz and order a bottle of Carnegie Porter. Drink it. Love it. Then google it. Want to see who brews it? Yep, it’s Carlsberg.

So, I’ll happily boycott Carlsberg lager, Carlsberg Export and Carlsberg Special brew. I’m not right fussed about Tetley’s either. I doubt I’ll drink it any time soon when there are far nicer pints around. I will, however be drinking that Carnegie Porter in the cellar, sorry Greg!

Bitter Tetley Men

So, it’s official, Tetley’s will be leaving Leeds and the brewing of Tetley’s cask ale will be leaving Yorkshire full stop. The smooth flow production is staying in Yorkshire, but who gives a shit about that? Not I.

I’ve spied that Greg Mulholland MP is campaigning for a boycott of Carlsberg and good on him, in a way. I don’t drink the stuff anyway, so it’s an easy sacrifice to make.

Or is it? Maybe not, as Carlsberg also brew some pretty snazzy beers in their own country, including the splendid Carnegie Porter which I have a bottle of in my cellar right now.

Anyway, I wrote about this news for Leeds Guide and you can read my opinions here:

http://www.leedsguide.co.uk/review/news/future-plans-for-tetley/13597

I wrote another piece back in October too, that’s here:

http://www.leedsguide.co.uk/review/feature/save-tetleys/12521