ONLY a brand with deeply entrenched cultural roots could cause such an outcry by moving two miles down the road.

Moving Newcastle Brown Ale from the city's Tyne Brewery to the Federation Brewery, in Dunston, will barely register outside the region - it doesn't matter to drinkers in Australia or China if the brewery moves a few hundred yards or so.

And its maker, Scottish Courage, says the taste will not change because one advantage of remaining on Tyneside is the new factory will use the same water.

But many in the North-East are mourning its passing with something akin to grief.

Dr Joan Harvey, a psychologist at Newcastle University, believes the switch has removed one of the cultural building blocks that makes a Geordie.

She said: "Newcastle Brown Ale has become part of how people in this region define themselves and that is even stronger in Newcastle.

"Newcastle Brown Ale crossing the river is upsetting if you are a Geordie, because you are losing an icon that is part of your identity."

The company's famous Blue Star emblem was worn on the chest of Newcastle United players from 1982 to 1998, until it was replaced as the sponsor by cable TV group ntl.

And Scottish & Newcastle is happy to use the brand's rich cultural heritage as a marketing tool for its US sales drive.

The official American web site, www.newcastlebrown.com offers a rose-tinted view of the modern Tyneside, claiming that Newcastle Brown Ale "became a symbol of the hardy working class tradition of the shipbuilding, mining and steel industries that characterize Newcastle even today".

It is this perceived cynicism that irritates groups such as the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

Camra spokesman Iain Lowe said: "We call Scottish & Newcastle the ampersand brewery. Now they have closed their Edinburgh brewery and the Tyne Brewery, it is the only part of their name that still rings true.

"Moving Newcastle Brown Ale production to Gateshead is the final irony."

However, there was a strong economic argument for the merger from the south side of the river.

Before Scottish Courage stepped in with an offer, the ailing Federation Brewery was operating at only 40 per cent of capacity, racking up £3m losses in the past two years.

It also had a £7.8m black hole in its workers' pension fund.

In the end, 253 of the 303 workingmen's clubs that owned a stake in the bewery voted in favour of the sale, many of them seeing the resultant windfall as a lifeline for their venues.

Along with the emotional wrench, the 150 staff at Tyne Brewery and 130 Federation workers were cut to a total workforce of 170.

Scottish Courage is keen to portray the shift south as something of a homecoming.

A foundation stone from the Tyne Brewery tells how the John Barras company, which founded Tyneside's first commercial brewery in 1770, moved from Gateshead to the site in 1884.

And the Federation Brewery has only been in Gateshead since 1979, after 80 years in Newcastle city centre.

Chris Jowsey, managing director of Newcastle Federation Breweries, said: "What feels permanent to people on the outside is not in reality."

A spokesman for Scottish & Newcastle said that, in a global market place, making such a distinction is splitting the proverbial hair. "Most people think Newcastle and Gateshead are the same place anyway," he said.

Jim Merrington, a former Tyne Brewery worker, who has written two books on the history of brewing on Tyneside, takes a more balanced view.

He said: "It is the beginning of an era, rather than the end of one.

"Here we have two great institutions coming together that used to be fierce rivals. By doing so, they now have the strength to go forward.

"I would rather have it brewed in Gateshead than in Manchester."

But there is still a question mark over how long this new era will last. Ominously, Scottish & Newcastle last year applied to revoke the Protected Geographical Indicator status bestowed upon Newcastle Brown Ale by the European Commission.

The brewer set out in 1996 to secure the highly sought after status, which prevents anyone else in the world from making Newcastle Brown. It also means the ale has to be brewed in Newcastle.

Mr Jowsey said: "It was really important then because we were moving into new markets and it made sure no one could imitate the brand.

"The copyright laws have caught up now, so we actually don't need it any more. It is an irrelevance."

And while Scottish & Newcastle has invested £6m in the Federation site, to ensure it can produce up to 228 million pints a year, Mr Jowsey would still not commit to the brand's long-term production in the region.

"Being here is very important to us because Newcastle Brown Ale has got a heritage and it gives us some authenticity," he said.

"But the way the industry is developing, you cannot say it will always be produced in this way and in this place."