Tetley's Bitter is a brand of beers brewed at the Tetley's Brewery in Leeds. The brewery is often known as the Leeds Brewery, although this is actually incorrect as the Leeds Brewery is a completely separate entity. Tetley's has a large brewery on Hunslet Road in Central Leeds. Tetley's is also known for its portfolio of pubs as well as interest in pubs across the UK, particularly in the Leeds area. Tetley's parent company is Carlsberg UK.

History

The brewery was founded in 1822 by Joshua Tetley in Leeds, England. Tetley's grew to become a large integrated regional brewery company with a number of tied public houses.

In 1911, Tetley's challenged escape artist, Harry Houdini to escape from a padlocked metal cask of ale. Houdini accepted this challenge, however it proved to much for him and he had to be rescued from the cask.

In 1998 it was taken over by Carlsberg, who had previously had a 50% stake.

In 2000 Tetley's dropped its traditional huntsman logo, due to growing anti-hunt feelings in the UK.

In 2006 Tetley's sold 185 million pints of beer in pubs. This would fill 42 olympic sized swimming pools.

The company is now called Carlsberg UK Limited and is a part of Carlsberg AS group.

Brewery

The brewery is situated on the south banks of the River Aire near Crown Point, Hunslet and Clarence Dock. The adjacent Yorkshire Chemical works has recently been demolished and much of the former land is used by the brewery for storage. The Brewery opened a museum on the 19 March 1994. The attraction proved popular however redevlopment of the land surrounding the brewery lead to the attractions closure on the 7 April 2000. The building is now bars and restaurants.

Public houses

Tetleys ran many public houses across the UK with a high concentration in Yorkshire (allthough there were few East of the A1 due to the dominance of John Smiths, Samuel Smiths and Bass). Due to competition laws many have since been sold although still display the Tetley's logo due to ties with the brewery. Spirt Group and Festival Ales run many former Tetley's pubs as well as running pubs on behalf of Tetley's.

Sponsorship

For many years Tetley sponsored Leeds RL, they then sponsored their successor Leeds Rhinos from their formation until 2005. Tetley's also sponsored the Rugby League Super League from 2000 until 2004. Tetley's remain a major sponsor at Leeds Rhinos and are the official beer of most Super League clubs.

Product range

The Leeds brewery produces a wide range of products, including traditional cask ale, keg ale, keg lager, bottled lager, and has recently begun producing canned (widget) ale and lager.

Double Diamond

Double Diamond is a brand of British beer brewed since 1876. During the 1960s it was advertised heavily by Ind Coope, especially on TV, with the jingle: "A Double Diamond works wonders, works wonders, works wonders. A Double Diamond works wonders, so drink some today!"

References

External links

• Official Site
• Official Carlsberg Brand Site
• Official Tetley's Bitter Brand Site