We talk to people at the Dudley Winter Ale Fayre, about the demise of Banks's Mild.
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00:00Hello, I'm James McMirovich and I'm outside Dudley Town Hall. We're here
00:04today to talk to people about Banks is Mild. For those of you who don't know
00:07because we've started a petition recently because of news that the beer
00:11is going to be taken out of pubs by Carlsberg and Marstons. It's big news, it's
00:17obviously affecting a lot of people within the industry. They've said that
00:20it's going to be sold in bottles and in cans and all that but it's going to be
00:24actually be taken out of pubs. So we've come to the Winter Beer Festival of
00:27Dudley Cameron here at the Town Hall to speak to people to see what they think
00:31about that. Are they happy about the decision? If not, why not? Let's go and
00:34have a look. So what did you think when you heard the news that Banks is
00:39going to be taken out of pubs?
00:42Well, it's just traditional beer, isn't it really? You see it on the pubs, you know, the Banks' logo, so it's associated with the pubs really, the beer.
00:53Do you feel that in a way that the tradition is being ripped out of the
00:56hearts of the pubs because of that beer being taken away?
01:00Well, it's just the way the country's going, isn't it? There's a lot of traditions going on, isn't there?
01:05Absolutely distraught. My very first pint ever was Banks is Mild at the place at the back of the
01:12Molyneux. Is it Feathers it's called? I don't know but it's still there. But I remember my first pint of Banks is Mild at the Feathers and it takes me,
01:20every time I drink it, it takes me back. It's a beer that's got a
01:23nostalgic feel to you, basically. It's the one I always go for, because I know I know it and I like it, you know, and when you see it, I just go for it.
01:32And that's what a lot of people have been saying about Banks is Mild being taken out of the pubs, it's getting rid of a bit of heritage that's obviously had an impact on you.
01:39It brings back memories, memories of my days when I used to work in Wolverhampton, yeah.
01:43And they have spoken about how it's still going to be made, it's going to be in cans and bottles, but it's not quite the same, is it?
01:48Not the same, although I don't mind cans and bottles, I'm quite happy to buy cans and bottles, but yes, it's not the same as it is on draft, you know.
01:56Very disappointed, to be honest. It's one of the better beers that Banks has brewed.
02:02You've said that, obviously, you don't drink it, but you can understand with the sort of level of devotion it's got as well.
02:07Yeah, definitely. When I'm in a pub and that's all that's on offer, Banks' beer, then that is definitely the one that I go for.
02:14And they've said that it's because, a lot of people have said it's about taking away a bit of history from the region. Do you agree with that statement?
02:22Yeah, definitely.
02:24And they've also said that it's going to be sold in cans and bottles, but do you think people are going to still go with that? Would they rather just keep it in pubs?
02:31No, no, it needs to be on draft, really. It's just too iconic to put in a bottle.
02:36Well, sort of, a bit sort of sad, really. Reminiscences of, you know, back in the sort of early 80s, of pubs around the area, all the Banks' pubs always keeping...
02:51I think it was a difficult beer to keep, but when you got a good pint of it, it was a good pint. You know, it used to come out the tap like Guinness, didn't it?
02:59So if that can be brought back, if somebody will take on the responsibility of brewing it and selling it again, I'm all for it.
03:06Is that your view as well?
03:08Yeah, likewise, because we used to go to pubs together and it was my recollection of drinking a lot of Banks' Mard in the early days.
03:17So mixed feelings, really. I'm not sure I would drink so much of it now if I had an option, but back in the day, yeah, I used to drink Banks' Mard a lot.
03:27There's been a conversation that people have had about it, saying that it's getting rid of a bit of history from this region.
03:31Exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:34But I suppose Marstons have said that they will keep it in can and bottle form, but do you think in a way that sort of, it's not quite the same thing as drinking it in a pub?
03:43Certainly not, no. No, it never is, is it really? If you've got a favourite draft beer, you try it in a can or a bottle and it's not quite the same.
03:52And it's all part of the, I won't say illusion, but part of the sort of, drinking it in a pub, you know, it's your drinking choice when you go in a pub.
04:02It's more of a feeling, basically.
04:04It's the feeling. It's the ambience of it, really.
04:07Yeah, likewise, it's nice to have a pint in your hand of a pint of Mard, and it always used to be served with a really good head on it, that was my recollection.
04:15And actually, about a couple of years ago, I was over Brood and I went in with a mate of mine and they'd actually got Banks' Mild on.
04:24And it was, wow, I hadn't seen that for ages, so we both had a couple of pints of Banks' Mard and it was nice.
04:30As you say, history, yeah, it was from our youth.
04:34It was a problem when Banks' seemed to have a sort of image issue with it.
04:39I remember them saying, or people saying, it's an old man's drink now, we're trying to sort of attract a younger market.
04:45So they changed the name, didn't they? It went from Banks' Bar to Banks' Original.
04:49Okay.
04:51And they seemed to sort of want to drop it, where I think now, there's such a lot of interest in decent beers that bringing it back, I think it'd be a winner.
05:01So as you can see, speaking to the people here at the Dudley Winter Beer Festival, the overall view is people are not happy about it.
05:09They're disappointed to see that Banks' Mild is being taken off tap.
05:12One person described it as the drink of his childhood, the first beer he ever had.
05:17And just in general, I think people are really disappointed to hear about the decision being made.
05:22If you want to sign a petition, we've got the details within this story.
05:26If you want to find out more, read about it, we'll have more stories to come about it in the weeks to come.