10 British Beers You Should Try

1. Breconshire Brewery, Welsh Pale Ale, 3.7 per cent

Brewed to an historic recipe by brewer Buster Grant, this refreshing and well-balanced beer is a gentle introduction to your day of beer discovery. Enjoy the light, fresh, almost grassy aspects on the nose, which then give way to a crisp, dry, biscuity finish.

2. Grainstore, Rutland Panther, 3.4 per cent

Big flavours don’t have to come from high alcohol content and this beer is a perfect example. Its gorgeous reddish brown hues concede lovely wafts of chocolate and coffee, which are also delivered on the palate. Extremely moorish, this also has a neat liquorice note right at the end. I consider this the ideal lunchtime pint at just 3.4 per cent.

3. Crouch Vale, Brewer’s Gold, 4 per cent

This golden beer is so fabulously floral you could almost dab it behind your ears. A former Champion Beer of Britain it has high notes of grapefruit and tangerine and a dry refreshing finish that is incredibly addictive; don’t say I didn’t warn you!

4. Otley, O1, 4 per cent

I believe there are "happy beers", and this is one of them. Like liquid sunshine in a glass it has a lot of flowery and zesty notes, balanced out with a cream-cracker richness and long dry finish.

5. Wychwood, Hobgoblin, 4.5 per cent

A proper British beer made contemporary by some irreverent styling, look out for CAMRA volunteers wearing the brewery’s now iconic "What’s the Matter Lager Boy, Afraid You Might Taste Something?" t-shirts. But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding and, because this is a proper British bitter, you do get a bit of fruitcake to go with the mouthwateringly astringent finish that makes it, oh, so drinkable.

6. Cain’s, Raisin Beer, 5 per cent

An incredible beer, brewed with the addition of Californian raisins. It has some similarities to Pedro Ximinez sherry, with its rich caramel, prune and, of course, raisin flavours. Another reason to get your hands on this beer is that the brewery’s future is currently very uncertain, so sup it while you can.

7. Fuller’s, ESB, 5.5 per cent

I’m a firm believer in trying the local beer wherever you go. Fuller’s is London’s last remaining family brewer, and produces startlingly good beers on a consistent basis. ESB stands for Extra Special/Strong Bitter and this is the benchmark. Strong brown sugar and soft cinnamon come through on the nose, followed by sweet orange and caramel on the tongue, rounded off with a cleansing – but gentle – bitterness.

8. Thornbridge, Jaipur IPA, 5.9 per cent

This is a real world-beating beer in my opinion. The IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a style of beer brewed to ship to the colonies, which was preserved for the journey by a high alcohol content and the inclusion of stack loads of hops. The result is a multi-layered beer that entices you with strong lime and caramelised orange on the nose, an almost chewy texture in the mouth and a rich honeyed finish.

9. Hebridean, Beserker Export Pale Ale, 7.5 per cent

Another historic brew, made to a 150-year-old recipe, it may look like a bitter in colour but a little swirl around your glass will see it cling to the sides like a limpet. Rich caramel and warm spices assault the senses and the warming alcohol sensation makes it a very satisfying brew all round.

10. Hog’s Back, A Over T, 9 per cent ABV

A barley wine, which is actually a style of beer, the A Over T stands for Aromas Over Tongham, which is where this Surrey brewery is based. This beer, and the rest of the portfolio, is created by a brewster – also known as a female brewer – which almost single-handedly debunks the myth that women don’t like dark beers. Rich, Christmas pud aromas and chocolate flavours are finished off with an almost dry, sour cherry bitterness that makes the mouth water.


Beat The Economic Down Turn, Make Your Own Beer For Pennies Per Pint

Iraq gets a taste of beer

A beer hall in Iraq has held its own version of Munich's famous Oktoberfest party - complete with frothy steins, sausages, an oom-pah band and dirndl-clad waitresses.

German-born Gunter Voelker, owner of the Deutscher Hof Erbil restaurant in Irbil, in Kurdish controlled Northern Iraq, says he wants to dispel the notion that Iraq isn't a holiday destination and insists beer is bringing people together.

"We can make this festival with Iraqi people, Turkish people, Kurdish people, American people, German people, with (people from) all over the world in peace and in a real good mood," he said after the three-night party ended on Sunday.

Asda Leading The Fight Against Binge Drinking

In the news today, UK supermarket chain Asda is charging just 90p for the four pack of 440ml Skol lager, at 3.2 per cent strength, which works out at 51p a litre.

In comparison, a pack of four 750ml bottles of Evian water costs £2.91, or 97p a litre.

And predictably alcohol concern and the usual suspects are up in arms, but there are a few caveats to this story that they have missed, or more likely conveniently ignored.

apart from the fact that this value lager is almost undrinkable, with no flavour or character to speak of, very gassy and over carbonated, even if we assume your average alcoholic or binge drinker isn't going to be bothered about the aesthetics of their beverage of choice. They should be bothered about the fact that it's only 3.2% alcohol by volume (ABV). Your average premium lager is 5% ABV so to consume the same amount of alcohol as drinking a litre of premium lager, some quick maths tell us he will have to drink.

5 / 3.2 * 100 = 156.25%

Or 1 litre of premium = approx 1.6 litre of Asda's Skol , the result of this is you will have to drink over half as much again of the Asda swill to have the same effect as the premium. I don't think its humanly possible for anyone to drink that much of this insipid pee coloured fizz.

So far from damaging our more vulnerable parts of society, I think they are helping them by cutting down their alcohol consumption. Well done Asda I say.

Today TESCO joined in the price cutting Tesco shoppers can pick up a crate of Carlsberg Export premium lager for £5 until this Sunday.

As there are 18 bottles per crate, each one works out at just 27.8p per bottle.

Staff at the supermarket chain said the crates, which normal retail for £14.99, were selling at a rate of up to 100 every hour. Some stores had to limit customers to buying just two crates.

Get moreinfo on great British Beer Here !

Beer money to save red squirrels

A new drink has been created by a Scottish brewery to help efforts to protect red squirrels.

Part of the proceeds from sales of Red Squirrel Ale will be donated to the Dingwall-based Highland Red Squirrel Group (HRSG).

The Highlands are considered a stronghold for the mammals, which has been threatened by competition and a disease carried by non-native greys.

The ale has been made by Atlas Brewery in Kinlochleven.

I hope there will be plenty of people asking for a pint of Red Squirrel Ale and a bag of nuts
Ian Collier
HRSG chairman

HRSG said it has been estimated that only 160,000 red squirrels are left in the UK.

Loss of habitat has been identified as another factor in their demise.

Thursday's launch of the ale coincides with Red Squirrel Week from 4-12 October.

Ian Collier, chairman of the HRSG, said: "We are really pleased to be in partnership with Atlas Brewery to raise the profile of red squirrels in the Highlands and to take the opportunity to raise funds for the Highland Red Squirrel Group charity.

"I hope there will be plenty of people asking for a pint of Red Squirrel Ale and a bag of nuts."

Norman Sinclair, managing director of Atlas Brewery's parent company, Sinclair Breweries, said the mammal was an iconic Highland creature.

He added: "The red squirrel is such an iconic Highland creature, we felt it was important to do our bit to ensure future generations will still be able to enjoy seeing them in their natural habitat."

source bbc.co.uk

Beautiful Beer's 'Colours of Beer' categorises beer by colour

A new promotion based on categorising beer by colour is currently being trialled by Spirit Group.

An initiative led by British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) campaign group Beautiful Beer, ‘Colours of Beer’ involves a tray designed to hold six third-pint glasses of beers of different colours. The pubs are promoting the holders at a £5.95 price point as a means of encouraging trial and getting consumers to consider the differences between beer styles.

Spirit is the first pub group to get involved with the trial, rolling it out to eight pubs in central London. The seven-week trial ends in mid-October.

Spirit estimates the eight pubs will sell a total of around 700 beer holders.

Total beer sales will be analysed at the end of the trial, along with feedback from hundreds of consumers who completed a questionnaire in the pubs. The pubs’ managers have also been interviewed.

Martin Rawlings, BBPA pub and leisure director, said: “Colours of Beer helps to create interest and news around the category. And what better place to do that than in the Great British pub?”

Dan Robinson, Spirit Group operations director, added that promotion had proved “infectious” with one customer ordering one of the trays usually being swiftly followed by many more doing so.


Article Source www.thepublican.com

Beer 'the best accompaniment to pub food'

ALMR debate turns the tables on wine

Beer has been voted the best partner for pub food following the annual debate of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers in Leeds.


Following arguments from a series of trade figures, delegates voted beer ahead of wine and cider as the best accompaniment to food in pubs. At the outset the audience voted 47 for wine, 46 for beer and just four for cider - but by the end of the debate beer was the clear champion, taking 47 votes, compared to 22 for wine and 18 for cider.


Speakers included Justin Adams, Greene King's brewing managing director, and Society of Independent Brewers chief executive Julian Grocock speaking up for beer; Henry Chevallier Guild of Aspall Cider and Fenella Tyler from the National Association of Cidermakers speaking for cider; and Ian Harris of the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust and Robin Knapp from Matthew Clark extolling the wonders of wine.

Source www.thepublican.com