I hardly ever drink beer anymore, at least here in Murka, because at heart I’m a pub drinker, not a party drinker or heaven forfend, a solitary drinker. And there’s no pub culture Over Here, only a bar culture, thus Q.E.D.
So this list of top British beers* got my attention, and it made me want to go Over There and embark on a nationwide pub crawl.
Now there’s a problem brewing, so to speak, in that said list doesn’t include two of my absolute favorites, Wiltshire’s Wadworth 6X and Cornwall’s Tribute, which are to me an astounding omission. That said, however, I know that both of them are wonderful so I don’t need some poxy list to tell me about their charms. Another omission is Kent’s Spitfire Ale, which I haven’t tasted for myself but which goes highly recommended by everyone whose opinion on the topic I respect; and their advertising is just wonderful.
And not having spent any time at all Oop Nawth, all the Yorkshire brews listed are to me like Swedish virgins, i.e. unknown, unobtainable but somehow enticing**.
I mean, really (#8).
And we all know about this one (#6):
Kent, here I come.
I won’t drink lager beers of any brand or national origin anyway, so some of the listed brands are unlikely ever to find their way down my gullet — hell, I never liked that Carling Black Label swill, even when I was smack in the middle of the target demographic (young, stupid and poor) — and I once described Scotland’s Tennent as the reason why the Jocks fight so much.
And while I heartily agree with their ranking of Fuller’s ESB as the very best of beers, I find it a little too strong and always end up drinking their London Pride (#7) instead — hardly a terrible compromise, I assure you.
Anyway, give the linked video a chance; and if like me you have a sudden urge to sink a pint or two afterwards, don’t blame me.
And if ever I find myself with the funds necessary to embark upon a nationwide pub crawl to sample all those lovely brews for myself, it’s on Ye Olde Bucquette Lyste, you betcha.
*ignore the stupid A.I. voiceover. FFS, how difficult could it be to have someone real just read a script?
**that’s just a literary device: I have absolutely zero interest in virgins, of any nationality, assuming that any still exist over the age of… well, I think 14 is probably the lamentably-low bar these days.
The local big brewers – beer brewers, that is – are Brewdog, and among their beers is one called ‘Nanny State’. It’s 0% alcohol.
Never been a snob. I drink according to price, but never drunk.
Lately it’s been Coors 16oz cans or Fireball.
I’m not stylish or fashionable neither, and if no one else is around, that’s no reason to not get a buzz on.
6X, Tribute, London Pride and Spitfire are really just fairly standard session beers.
They are ok, but nothing special. Great if you enjoy them, but definitely not up there with the great beers.
If you’re picky about your beer – as is right and proper – brew your own. I quit byo’ing only a year or two ago, when declining capacity and a discovery that the local – Barrington Brewery – produced a good-enough Porter led me to hang up my tun. Byo’ing admittedly is time consuming but there are substantial savings once you’ve amortized the kit.
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If I don’t reload my ammo, in pursuit of a hobby I LOVE, then I’m never going to brew my own beer, in pursuit of something I hardly ever do anymore.
In the early eighties I had two commissioning engineer assignments in Saudi Arabian oil refineries working for UOP Process Division. Alcohol is strictly illegal in SA for Muslims but the police would tolerate foreigners quietly making their own beer and wine as long as they did not distill it (Easy for chemical engineers) or sell it to the locals. Our wine was similar to a cheap American wine but our beer was nasty. Materials for making beer and wine were available in the local supermarkets. When I drink now it is hard cider or hard lemonade if available. I am pretty much “beered out”. I never thought 50 years ago that I would become bored with drinking beer.
I’m not really a beer drinker any more, but if I’m in the mood, and Guinness is not available on draught, then it’ll be Coors Banquet on this side of the Atlantic, anything out of Bavaria when I’m Over There, or, in Canada, Labbatt’s Blue. Occasionally, in upstate New York, I’ve been known to quaff the occasional Gennesee Cream Ale, too. Tasty, that one, but hyper-local.
A Brit friend once described Fuller’s ESB as standing for “Extra Special Braindamage”.
When I lived in Germany I became a beer snob. A sharp IPA that is icy cold on a hot had is hard to beat. Besides a few ciders there is not much British beer I care for unless you travel into Scotland for the brown and black beers and that varies by region and is not for export.
Yesterday was my 64th birthday. I had planned on having a strong beer which would have paired well with my appetizer. I got my Beer and my meal. Half way through the meal the appetizer shows up. I accept the appetizer but I do not want another heavy strong beer. That meal was like less than stellar sex. All excellent ingredients, timing all wrong, what do you mean it is over? I check, yes it is over.
Okay, that was really funny. And a belated happy birthday, y’old pharrtte.