This pale advertisement for Magnet Pale Ale is on the side of the Golden Lion in the centre of the village.
I don’t know how long Magnet Pale Ale was brewed, but apparently there was a big advertising push in the 1970s. I would say the sign is just about visible in behind the trees on the right of this 1967 Frith Photo.
Osmotherley Ghost Sign
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I do recall that John Smith’s Magnet Pale Ale was a bottled light beer. I suspect it died out around the mid 1970’s when Smith’s (as part of the Courage Imperial Group) went over totally to just producing a few lines of keg beer and lager as against the whole range of brew categories. It was only a few years back that they went back to real ale, but this – alas – has been again discontinued in favour of tasteless keg ‘smooth’ magnet. I am sure a beer buff / monster would be able to pin down a more accurate date.
Sorry, I should have said that the ‘big advertising push in the 1970’s’ that Chris referred to was for ‘Magnet Ale’ – a bar pump dispensed beer as against the old bottled Magnet Pale Ale. Courage, by then pushing ‘nationally branded’ beers simply appropriated the old Magnet name for the new beer.
Magnet was always available as a Kask ale. My dad sold it in the Queens Arms in Brotton in the 90s up until he retired about 2000. I know they have discontinued it now.
Was that Maurice ? The pub (an architectural jewel in the back room) has an old Magnet handpull (but with no beer on it since the year dot)
No Matt Ross. He got it when Maurice retired. Most of thr ‘big’ back room was seperated off back into a house so it was only about a third of the size it used to be. Still had the little front bar and tiny ‘back room’ behind it.
They have both been kcnocked through into one room now.