Royal

Commercial Brewery in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Owned by Heineken UK

Established in 1875

Contact
Denmark Rd., Manchester, M15 6LD, England
Description
Looming large over Princess Parkway with its towering cylinders and chimneys belching steam, Manchester's Heineken brewery is one of the city's most recognisable landmarks. Beer has been brewed on the site since 1875, when it was known as the Albert Brewery. It was later sold to John Henry Lees, who changed its name to the Moss Side Brewery. In 1907 it was renamed the Royal Brewery in honour of King Edward VII. The brewery changed hands again in 1913 when Lees' company went into liquidation and it was later absorbed by another local brewery, Walker & Homfrays. The UK's first lager, Red Tower, was brewed here in 1927, named after the building's most striking feature. The brewery took its name too in 1933, becoming the Red Tower Lager Brewery. In 1955 the brewery became known as the Royal Moss Side Brewery and was bought by Scottish Brewers a few years later. After several more changes of ownership, Heineken took over the site in 2008. Today the main beers produced and packaged there are Foster's and Kronenbourg 1664.

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6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Keg @ Horn In Hand, Nottingham. Quite a pleasant unfiltered lager, although ordinary in aroma. Golden with a creamy head, it's crisp enough and flavoursome in its lager malt.

Tried on 27 Jul 2024 at 15:19


5.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

[66cl bottle from Sainsbury’s.] A basic Eurolager. Straw coloured with a fast fading head; corn aroma; corn syrup taste with some biscuit; a floral bitterness and some caramel to finish. Best drunk watching England beat Spain in the Euro’s final this weekend!

Tried from Bottle from Sainsbury's (Various locations) on 11 Jul 2024 at 18:34


5.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5

[66cl bottle from Sainsbury's; brewed in the UK at 4.8% ABV.] A hazy pale amber pour with a loose off-white head; fruity grain aroma; quite fruity cereal grain taste; then a light bitterness and a rather salty aftertaste.

Tried from Bottle from Sainsbury's (Various locations) on 09 Jul 2024 at 18:27


5.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

660ml bottle: BB 31st May 2025, drank at home with a Pulled-chicken Chili dish on 10th June 2024. Almost clear golden body, short lived white head. It does have a slight salty undertone and that sets it apart from other Moretti lagers, which is a good thing really!

Tried from Bottle on 10 Jun 2024 at 18:55


6.4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Big boy bottle from Tesco, 4.8% brewed in Edinburgh. It pours clear golden - blonde with a medium fluffy white head. The aroma is damp grass, leafy, quite savoury, salty cracker, bready, toasty grains and floral accents. The taste is crispy, dry, snappy, the saltiness appears early and lingers, salted crackers, toasty grain, crispy biscuit, breast malt, damp grass and leafy with a drying, slightly salty finish. Average body and moderate, fluffy carbonation. Salty edge works quite well actually. Very drinkable.

Tried from Bottle on 10 Jun 2024 at 17:07


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Bottle at a friend's. Pours golden, nose is grassy, floral, taste is sweet toffee, floral.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Jun 2024 at 07:16


6

Tried from Bottle on 24 May 2024 at 17:24


7

Tried from Bottle on 17 May 2024 at 21:16


6.5
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

Keg draught at the Diatillery, Leicester. Light tomid-gold, hazy with a small crown of white head. Fresh aroma, some light lemon, grains. Taste is a bit odd, mostly sweet but there is an herbal/medicinal note near the finish that jars a bit. Not getting so much of the sea salt. Very light body with carbonation on the low side. All in all decent.

Tried on 14 May 2024 at 18:10


4.5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4

Keg at The Squirrel, Penn Street. Lightly hazed gold with a white head and a soft fizz. Hint of butter up front. Grassy, with some crisp bitterness to finish. Not getting the salt. It's a little better than the original (presumably due to being unfiltered rather than the non-existant salt), but at its heart it's still a bog-standard industrial lager.

Tried on 06 May 2024 at 18:11