At the start
of our Cotswold adventure, Alan proposed the following Hypothesis: Is It
possible to learn to like the Warm beers of Britain, with repeated, consistent
Consumption? – Well, we launched ourselves into this experiment, with great
enthusiasm. On our first night on the trail in Broadway at the Swan Inn and
continued on later at the Eight Bells Inn in Chipping Campden. – We asked a lot
of questions of the Bartenders and other locals and quickly learned some key
information about the Warm British beers or what are fondly referred to as
British Ales, Bitters, Cask Ales, or
what the Pubs officially call the “Real Ales”.
Apparently
the Ales are ‘warm” because they are not refrigerated, rather kept at room
temperature of whatever temperature the basement of the Pub is at, so you do
get some variation based on how cold that Pub’s basement is. – This is one
reason the kegs only have a 4 day shelf life once they are tapped and must sit
for a day before being served. – Thus the ales must be delivered fresh on a
frequent basis and Pubs
tend to rotate in several different brands besides the 2-3 Local favorites. These
are called “guest” ales. The pubs take
great pride in the specific “real ales” they serve, and we find that these are
the most common drinks consumed by the locals, over the lagers, Stouts and
other beverages, such as Liquors, wine and Alcoholic Ciders. – I mention the
Ciders because they are also, locally brewed, unique and have a following
amongst some patrons, often the ladies, and Al!
In Uley, at
the Crown Alan even found a thick book about 4 inches thick published by CAMRA
– Campaign for Real Ale. – This book lists, reviews and awards the finest
British Ales in each category and goes on to review the thousands of Pubs in
each town of England, wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, that serve REAL
ALES. This is serious business, folks! In fact, tonight in Hawkesbury Upton, we
found a Pub that Is a CAMRA Award winning pub because of the variety and
enthusiasm by which they promote the ‘Real Ales”. – they had 4 on tap, and of
course I had to have a pint of Each.
Speaking of
pints, did want to mention that these “bitters’
are usually served by “pulling on their tap several times to fill a pint
glass to the rim without any real head. – It is an art form!
Most ales
are between 4% and 5 ½ % alcohol
content. As mentioned before the ZPubs are serious about promoting their “Warm,
Local Ales because that is what helps to give their Pubs a lot of
character and distinction. – As Pubs
face more laws, (smoking banned) tax increases, various restrictions, many are
closing and the fear is that the English pub will go the way of the
neighborhood bar, in the states.
Back to the
experiment; - on day three Al was seduced by some shiny big taps in Cheltenham
for Guinness Extra Cold, and Stella Black, obviously designed by the big breweries,
to tap into the Local Warm beer market by pushing ‘colder” beer on tap. – So he
gave up on our experiment, and went back to our old Guinness, and left me to
try every Bitter I could find. I am
always willing to further science, so I have been trying every “real Ale I
could try (usually 3-4 pints a night) on the way to London! – There are too
many to mention, but I will list some of my favorites,( because they have cool
names), such as ; Otter bitter, Hooky Norton, Gloucester Jouster, Bob beer,
Doombar, Maiden Voyage, Dursley Steam Bitter, Bettty Stogs (betsy), Pigs Ear,
and On and on and On. In short, there
are Thousands of these “Real Ales” out there with more being introduced
locally, on a weekly basis.. My suggestion would be, is to try 3 or 4 dozen of
them, like me, and I guarantee that you will find one you like! - (Insert picture of taps)
Basically,
they are tasty, ‘earthy’ full bodied beers, with a slightly Flat taste, and
obviously served warmer than we are used to. – But I like them for several
reasons; -
1) I like beer, and these are tasty
2) they are all unique tasting,
and satisfying
3) they are mostly produced by small local micro- breweries to
satisfy the taste of people that have known and loved beer for ages
4) they
got great names and are fun to drink
5) they help support and cultivate the
local “Pub culture”, which is really great and should be preserved in Britain
and other places
6) I always like
to drink what the locals drink, because it helps put me in touch of what the
local culture is like
7).it is good for Great Britain, which is good for the
Queen, and after seeing how much these people love their Queen, - I say
“God
Save the Queen” and drink Local Warm Real Ales, daily!!
