Watneys 'Sour Mash' Bitter? You're fired.

It was 1988. I had a job through a middle man. I never met the client end-user until the presentation. The brief : to develop a new English bitter beer.

The client was #Watneys, a brand not loaded with charisma. After the #WatneysRed debacle in the late 60s, it was known to some as 'love in a punt' or 'f*****g near water'.

After quite a bit of agony - I didn't know who I was working for - I decided to take a mad leap. Let's bring back the hated #Watneys name.

Loathing is almost on a par with loving. It involves strong feeling. Let's see if we can create a Watneys beer that people might be prepared to forgive. But it had better be good.

How? First, we must brew a magnificent beer. So good even the #CAMRA people would love it. A great product was vital.

Next, no fancy names or descriptions like 'Imperial', 'Hand-Crafted', 'Small Batch' or any other laudatory bullshit. Let's give the punter an idea of what the beer might taste like. Keep it simple.

I got the name from the American whiskies like #JimBeam et al. They were just beginning to make inroads in the UK.  I talked to a brewer. He said we could legally describe our beer as 'Sour-Mash' Bitter. I loved it. Watneys 'Sour Mash Bitter'.

Punters were intrigued by the idea. They said it sounded edgy and risky, and they'd have to give it a go. #'Sour Mash' bitter from #Watneys. Pure evil. All I wanted was for the company to try it out in a few pubs. See what happens.

What did happen. The client, who I'd never met, turned up 3 hours late for the meeting. The pitch took about 5 minutes. I had a call next morning saying he never wanted to see me again.

And you know what? 30 years down the line, I still think it's a great idea. Any beer folk out there? Give it a go.

That story and many others can be found in my book which you can preview and buy on www.thatshitwillneversell.com