Beers of England

[Greg.L]

For a long time Aussies have been complaining about british ale being warm and flat. Australian beer has traditionally been served cold and fizzy because otherwise you can taste the beer. Complaining about beers in Somerset being watered down - most of the real ales are around 3.5 - 4% abv, they like to knock back a lot of pints so they don't want a high strength beer. If you don't like the average british ale that is fair enough, but don't expect it to be something it isn't.

 

[Toper]

For a long time Aussies have been complaining about british ale being warm and flat. Australian beer has traditionally been served cold and fizzy because otherwise you can taste the beer. Complaining about beers in Somerset being watered down - most of the real ales are around 3.5 - 4% abv, they like to knock back a lot of pints so they don't want a high strength beer. If you don't like the average british ale that is fair enough, but don't expect it to be something it isn't.

I didn't say the beers around Somerset were 'watered down',and I certainly didn't expect a real ale to be served at 4c with loads of carbonation.The serving temps and carb level were fine,the alcohol content was fine,the beer was simply very insipid and tasteless.My opinion was backed up by my Brit mate there every time,and he's a real ale lover from way back,also loves aussie craft beer,and now a new homebrewer after tasting some here and realising he could brew a beer better than loads he's faced with in his local. There were some damn nice ales to be found,but I had to search damned hard in the 'average' pub to find them.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

luv that St Peters Ruby Red

 

[Toper]

Fullers 1845,and Courage Directors,class beers all the way

 

[Greg.L]

I didn't say the beers around Somerset were 'watered down',and I certainly didn't expect a real ale to be served at 4c with loads of carbonation.The serving temps and carb level were fine,the alcohol content was fine,the beer was simply very insipid and tasteless.My opinion was backed up by my Brit mate there every time,and he's a real ale lover from way back,also loves aussie craft beer,and now a new homebrewer after tasting some here and realising he could brew a beer better than loads he's faced with in his local. There were some damn nice ales to be found,but I had to search damned hard in the 'average' pub to find them.

I was in somerset recently. Went to a few pubs, the beers seemed quite good but I don't remember what they were called. Somerset is the home of English cider though you don't see much craft cider in the pubs. Lots of cider orchards though.
Most of Somerset stinks of cow manure, all those dairies.

 

[Toper]

Tried a nice scrumpy in Glastonbury,also found this place,a great selection of top ales http://www.westcountryales.co.uk/

 

[rockeye84]

Recommendations for France Econ?

 

[anthonyUK]

If I was going to France I'd be looking out for Fischer but only for the 660ml flip-tops.
Pelforth isn't too bad. There is actually a beer called Ch'ti but I hope it isn't as bad as its name.

 

[CosmicBertie]

Somerset....cider territory. To be honest, I would expect the real ale to be a bit crap there......

You need to venture further up north. Timothy Taylors Landlord is ok....but try the Black Sheep, Best or Special, great brews. Theakstons XXXB or Old Perculiar are more. Roosters still do a damn good drop, summer ales should still be on there, lovely hoppy ales ripe for session drinking. These are the reasons why I spent so much money on importing a beer engine.

Stay away from the gas pumped 'Extra Smooth' like Tetleys and John Smiths, the taste, well, odd.

Warm and flat, you mean you could taste it? Its the style, you should have really know that when you ventured out

Honestly, try drinking a Crown at cellar temperature, bleugh. Lager is served so cold that it shocks the tastebuds and stops you from tasting it. Great for getting pissed on a hot summers day, not great for sitting in the snug/tap room when its cooler.

Oh and Carlsberg is watery. If you really must, at least drink Carlsberg Export or Lowenbrau. Wife-beater (Stella Artois) is crap, unless you're drinking it on the continent where it tends to be better, so try it in France.

Ah...the old country, the only reason that I'd go back is the beer.

 

[Manxnorton]

Just PMSL,
London Pride is a nice lil drink m8.

ATB
Bri

 

[Wortgames]

It's all very well knocking back pint after pint of bitter, but don't forget to try some of the lesser-known drops that you'll struggle to find outside the UK.

Mild ale springs to mind, as well as 'brown ale' (every region has its own and they are all totally different).

 

[mje1980]

I'd probably not come home if I ever visited England. Way too many great ales. And hey if the bottled stuff we get here isn't as good as fresh local stuff, how Bloody good must it be?!

 

[O-beer-wan-kenobi]

I lived in the UK for most of my youth until I emigrated to Australia. Like most youngsters growing up and and going out on the p!ss we didn't care for the real ales and beers. However I did occasionally have some of the Green King beers and Abbot ale as they were local.
I remember going to summerset and having the best cider served out of a barrel. Cloudy and at 7% but went down like apply juice. Very dangerous.

Im going to visit family next year so Im planning to try as many beers as I can get away with and hopefully go on some brewery tours. I will try to take notes and some pics of the best to share, but if beers are flowing that may not happen.

I see some people are not fond of the British ales, flat, thin, warm etc. but I'm sure there are lots of great beers if you look hard enough. The same would apply to Australia.
I wonder what the British beer lovers would think to our Australian beers if they went into one of our pubs....TED's, XXXX, VB, Swan Draft, EMU?

 

[O'Henry]

I find too often the beers are lacking condition and are in need of some serious work when it comes to making good beer (first problem in the pub, second the brewery).

If in London, Redemption and Beavertown are the best locals for cask, otherwise I find the best beers are usually in kegs...

IMO, Best pub for Cask beer and food, The Gunmakers in Clerkenwell. Best boozer, just pub snacks and lots of cask cider/beer - Southhampton Arms in Kentish Town/Gospel Oak.

List of all mircos in London.

Edit: links

 

[MartinOC]

I'll second Courage Director's Bitter.

If you're in the East, Greene King Abbott ale or pretty-much anything from Adnams are all pretty good (make sure you get them hand-pumped Real Ales, not the top-pressure garbage). If you get to Norwich, look up a tiny pub called the Ten Bells. It often has 8-10 real ales on tap & as fresh as you'll get anywhere.

Also Woodfordes Wherry Bitter (if they still make it?!?!). 'Used to be brewed in a refurbished stable in a pub called the Spread Eagle in Earpingham in Norfolk (about 3 miles from where I used to live).

As mentioned before, get hold of the CAMRA guide. It should help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

 

[nala]

I lived in the UK for most of my youth until I emigrated to Australia. Like most youngsters growing up and and going out on the p!ss we didn't care for the real ales and beers. However I did occasionally have some of the Green King beers and Abbot ale as they were local.
I remember going to summerset and having the best cider served out of a barrel. Cloudy and at 7% but went down like apply juice. Very dangerous.

Im going to visit family next year so Im planning to try as many beers as I can get away with and hopefully go on some brewery tours. I will try to take notes and some pics of the best to share, but if beers are flowing that may not happen.

I see some people are not fond of the British ales, flat, thin, warm etc. but I'm sure there are lots of great beers if you look hard enough. The same would apply to Australia.
I wonder what the British beer lovers would think to our Australian beers if they went into one of our pubs....TED's, XXXX, VB, Swan Draft, EMU?

I can answer that for you.....I drank British ales for best part of 68 years.
Australian beers are designed to be served cold for the obvious climate difference between Britain and Australia.
Beer here in Australia is very expensive and of little or no character, the market seems to be moving towards craft beers of which I find are as good as any. A recent holiday in Margaret River gave me the chance to enjoy some wonderful beers, the best of which I found at Cowaramup Brewery and Eagle Bay Brewery.
I am an all grain brewer myself and currently brewing Pilsners and Summer Ales, trying new hops, Vic Secret on tap at the moment, also Nelson Sauvin, I do not brew beers in excess of 4.5% ABV and get my OG/BU balance to around 70.
I would not enforce my opinion on anyone who likes Aussie beer...pays your money takes your pick !

 

[dago001]

I was recently in the UK. Enjoyed many a fine ale.We didnt enjoy the lagers much, but we kinda knew that before we went. London Pride is a great quaffing beer,is just about everywhere, so you cant go wrong. We found cellar temps were different, but a few were too warm for us, getting over 12 I suspected. Landlord was great on cask, as were many others. I however didnt enjoy the hoppy pale ales on cask. My preference is cold and fizzy for these.
In London there are any amount of good pubs, but Black Friars was rubbish. Fake old stuff. Reasonable food. We enjoyed the Blue Post in Soho, go on a Sunday afternoon about 3 and stay for the band. Just bout the hightlight of our trip.
If you get to Manchester, check out the Circus Tavern, and the little Pub next to it. The Circus is about as big as the average aussie lounge. Dont go for the beer, go for the atmosphere. If in York, the 3 Legged Mare is good, serving York Brewery beers, but our favourite was the The Habit in Goodram Gate.
Doesnt really matter that much as pints were generally around $7.00 au, so drink heartily and drink often.
If you go to France, be prepared to pay for your beers.
Cheers
LB

 

[Bribie G]

A style of UK beer that is sadly no longer available was Tank beer, extremely popular in the North and Midlands. Manxnorton would remember it. The beer tanker would do its rounds of the pubs and chuck the snakes down into the cellar to fill up the bright beer tanks that were held at a cool but not freezing temperature. The beers would be filtered but not pasteurised, and kept under a light covering of CO2. The beer was not forced up to the bar but pumped by electric pump to decorative fonts. Most of the bar fittings were brass or chrome with a glass cylinder so you could see you were getting the full measure as a piston swept from one side to the other.



The beer was a definite halfway house between Cask and pressurised Keg, and the vast majority of millions and millions of pints of Newcastle Exhibition, McEwans Scotch, Vaux Sampson, Camerons Strongarm and of course Clubs Federation Ales were served and drunk, all in perfect condition, clear as a bell but not fizzy. I'd actually give a back tooth or two for a pint of Ex.

The two things that really killed tank were real ale and also the move to rationalise beer distribution. The tank brews either disappeared or went to pressurised keg. Eventually most breweries switched to a mix of both. Nitro "smooth" beers were the final nail in the coffin.

However bright tank is still used occasionally in Australia, some of the James Squire pubs have it and I've seen it in some other brewpubs such as the International at Spring Hill Bris. And it's still common in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. In the UK, Youngs and Meantime have reintroduced tank beer as flashy copper plated jobs in the bar rather than tucked away in the cellar.

Pilsner Urquell now in tanks in the UK, they need to transport it within a 24 hour window.

 

[Manxnorton]

To Be honest Not heard of the tank beer, but as I read your very informative reply I do remember my days of staying at my dads friends pub and being in the cellars and marvelling on the old set ups.
I was lucky to of worked for the grand son of Courage/Fosters Giants some years ago and had a few good brewery visits that I enjoyed...infact I think every Country I have visited I have visited a brewery.
Carlsberg and KEO lager in Cyprus many years ago, Newcastle & Scottish breweries of course.
Away from Beers & Lagers my favourite Distillery was Bushmills in Northern Ireland where me and my m8 got rejected :chug: out of the premises and we ended up buying some Carlsberg Special brew...The rest was just a total blurrr!!
My first Legal Pint as a teenager was Mckewans Scotch...never forget the taste and the pride as my dad bought it for me (the only time he put his hand in his pocket in a pub lol)
There was and I hope still is a few Old Ale pubs in the City of Durham, where I loved to sample the bottled ales with my mates only to walk outside in the fresh air to lose all the feeling in my legs
Good ol Days :beerbang:
ATB
Brian

 

[O-beer-wan-kenobi]

I'll second Courage Director's Bitter.

If you're in the East, Greene King Abbott ale or pretty-much anything from Adnams are all pretty good (make sure you get them hand-pumped Real Ales, not the top-pressure garbage). If you get to Norwich, look up a tiny pub called the Ten Bells. It often has 8-10 real ales on tap & as fresh as you'll get anywhere.

Also Woodfordes Wherry Bitter (if they still make it?!?!). 'Used to be brewed in a refurbished stable in a pub called the Spread Eagle in Earpingham in Norfolk (about 3 miles from where I used to live).

As mentioned before, get hold of the CAMRA guide. It should help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Thanks MartinOC. Now looking into signing up and get the CAMRA guide.
I know the Ten Bells, used to drink in there on my visits to Norwich. I lived in Norfolk near Kings Lynn so I'm failure with Green King and Adnams.
There is an old local brewery in the area called Elgoods that im keen to try. Looks like they have won some CAMRA awards, have you tried their beers?