Beer – Ale & Co.

A beer wagon with a very special delivery from Wadworth Brewery (Of course “Wadworthshire” is NOT officially a county!)

British beer is now much more like British food: much better than its reputation! Particularly in recent years, countless mini-breweries have sprung up, some of whose highly creative beers can be tasted regionally in the local pubs or “free houses”, i.e. those that do not belong to a brewery as those which do can only offer their own products.

There is always the classic ale, which tastes terribly insipid and stale for the continental palate. However, more hopped “Pale Ales” or “India Pale Ales” with great aromas give you exciting taste experiences. You could also try a local “bitter”, maybe even a “porter” or a “stout” – just ask the barman in the pub for the local beer. If he mentions several then just ask for a taste of each one. This is always gladly granted and you should order a whole pint (0.568 litres) of your favourite beer.

Please don’t forget that you don’t take the glass away until you’ve paid! Tips are not required, because the bartender is generally not given one and it is often assumed that the landlord himself is behind the counter.

It is very important for English people to get a “Real Ale.” This dates back to the early 1970s. At that time, the traditionally non-carbonated beer was almost on the verge of extinction, and the industrial mass beers were in the process of displacing it. During this time, CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, was founded. This highly active initiative, which still exists today, has set itself the goal of preserving and promoting classic “cask ale”, i.e. unpasteurized beer tapped with pure muscle power, in its local diversity. In short, the success was huge and people began to refer to cask ales as the “true beers”, i.e. “real ales”. Traditional pubs today should always offer “Real Ale” to keep their business going.

Below is a nice introduction to the ale culture of England::