tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post2420174551034284463..comments2024-03-28T17:11:52.333+00:00Comments on The Pub Curmudgeon: Ale BritanniaCurmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-25003904493682378492018-10-26T04:25:18.280+01:002018-10-26T04:25:18.280+01:00They say much the same thing about pizza; and Chin...They say much the same thing about pizza; and Chinese food for that matter. :)Russtovichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11493687426847380993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-78420552100156223102018-10-22T02:07:06.136+01:002018-10-22T02:07:06.136+01:00My favourite beer style I drank when I was 16. I ...My favourite beer style I drank when I was 16. I am in my early thirties now. I've never forgotten it and I look forward to being able to experience it again.Pint of Mildnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-33742064423504234562018-10-20T13:16:43.020+01:002018-10-20T13:16:43.020+01:00Many of the first microbreweries in the USA were i...Many of the first microbreweries in the USA were inspired by boring old brown beer from Merrie Old England. Before all the exotic mashups of IPA, they were brewing pale ales, brown ale, porter, stout and IPA. Every microbrewery produces a pale ale, IPA, Porter or Stout in my neck of the woods. It is only recently that they have been getting into brewing lager. If I travel to the UK I want to drink the indigenous brew on cask. I can get the rest here at home.<br /><br /><br />kaiserhoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18214148630816519490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-55006044895608187892018-10-20T12:51:45.962+01:002018-10-20T12:51:45.962+01:00one day, everybody will be.one day, everybody will be.Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-9626521366214371542018-10-20T10:21:31.771+01:002018-10-20T10:21:31.771+01:00“And what drink do you associate with Nigel Farage...“And what drink do you associate with Nigel Farage…?”<br />Well he likes to be photographed with a pint of proper English beer but for a “Lunch with the FT” article 2½ years ago it was not just six pints but also a bottle of wine and two glasses of port<br />The Stafford Mudgienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-18835628148512331982018-10-20T09:58:00.164+01:002018-10-20T09:58:00.164+01:00The tale I've heard most is the one of the Gla...The tale I've heard most is the one of the Glasgow restaurant that got a complaint about Chicken Tikka being too dry. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tikka_masala#Origins" rel="nofollow">Chicken Tikka Origins</a>stymasterhttp://www.piglet-net.net/pigblog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-66059492197882352792018-10-20T07:41:55.906+01:002018-10-20T07:41:55.906+01:00I share your lack of enthusiasm for Mr Brown's...I share your lack of enthusiasm for Mr Brown's tendency to infuse his prose with all sorts of right-on claptrap and sneering.<br />But I stopped reading him years ago when he went off on one about being in an American bar and falsely accused a nicking a beer sign.<br />He might as well have just written DYKWIA.<br />A pompous ass I'm afraid.<br />His missus wrote a much more interesting blog.Professor Pie-Tinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-27314255301840857402018-10-19T23:39:47.161+01:002018-10-19T23:39:47.161+01:00Years ago I remember reading somewhere (would have...Years ago I remember reading somewhere (would have been in one of the papers then) that dishes like chicken tikka masala were actually devised in England, possibly Bradford. I've only been to India once, and that was 30 years ago, but I do remember that dishes that would been staples over here were not featured on most menus there.Ian Wordennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-66387107274060348422018-10-19T21:07:59.467+01:002018-10-19T21:07:59.467+01:00You're not working class. Are you?You're not working class. Are you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-31102087921374406882018-10-19T19:01:43.281+01:002018-10-19T19:01:43.281+01:00Very interesting and you're right there is a c...Very interesting and you're right there is a certain "cultural cringe" about home grown/produced food and drink. Perhaps it's because when we're younger we like the new and experimental stuff and it's only as we grow older that we begin to appreciate what we already have or maybe, it's because we open our doors to all comers and we get to experience the best of other cuisines and drinks from all around the world. I reckon that you cannot find a greater diversity of food and drink from around the globe than you can in Britain.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this leads to people lauding the exotic and thus downgrading the local to the status of ordinary just because it is familiar. I like both. I love the exotic diversity we have available to us, but I appreciate the home-grown market as well!PetesQuizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13620433090438752385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-62780534485701710932018-10-19T17:14:43.392+01:002018-10-19T17:14:43.392+01:00Class is to the Brits what wine is to the French o...Class is to the Brits what wine is to the French or sausages to the Germans<br /><br />Historically domestic beer was for prols & imported grog for the moneyed. Whilst imported grog is now affordable for all you cannot simply remove those associations of what is and what isn't an aspirational drink.<br /><br />You can drink in Europe and see prosperous men and women of all ages drink out drinking the local grog and believing it better than either imports or the grog of other regions despite it being little different. You don't and will never see that in the UK.<br /><br />It's no bad thing. Enjoy an Argentinian Malbec and get over it. Or stick to your boring brown bitter. Either way, it's only a drink. An alcohol delivery vehicle.Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-31537601715950189802018-10-19T16:41:17.318+01:002018-10-19T16:41:17.318+01:00Never say never. I look forward to it. To that, an...Never say never. I look forward to it. To that, and to being able to browse bijou residential mosque conversions down at the estate agents, as we can those of chapels and churches.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-28551355013670619202018-10-19T16:06:09.870+01:002018-10-19T16:06:09.870+01:00For better or for worse cask beer is now associate...For better or for worse cask beer is now associated with merrie England and, in general, all things "merrie England" are kryponite to a certain class of liberal "urban sophisticate". You're being very parochial if you think that this phenomea is unique to the Uk. On positive note the latter is very small in number and foregners come here to explicitly seek out the former; my brahmin indian, computer programmer, ex-lodger is now hooked on purity's ubu. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-72814251266918489432018-10-19T15:57:20.434+01:002018-10-19T15:57:20.434+01:00At least you'll never see the halal symbol on ...At least you'll never see the halal symbol on a beer bottle!Andy.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-31798364988637970472018-10-19T15:22:07.945+01:002018-10-19T15:22:07.945+01:00Very interesting piece I must say. I'll give y...Very interesting piece I must say. I'll give you my three penneth perspective. When I set up my microbrewery there were a couple of objectives. One was to brew traditional British beers and the second was to produce a real lager as in 16th century style as no-one seemed to do that. I use Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops a lot in my beers. They are traditional old English hop varieties. However, a lot of people like the refreshing new world citra style hops. So I found an English variety that gives citrus notes (Jester) and use it in combination with fuggles and it does the refreshing taste job superbly. I do make an American style pale ale with chinook and fuggles too. The lager is quite popular but for too many it doesn't have much fizz. Well, it does when bottle conditioned! The one I use jester in, the refreshing citra hop, is based on an 1859 recipe by William Younger. I increased the abv to 3.7% and voila, a beer that hadn't been drunk for 100 years. I make a session pale ale, a medium brown best bitter, an Americal style pale ale (4.5%) a strongish best bitter very similar to Blue bass (5% abv), a strong pale ale (5.5%), an East India IPA (based on an East India company recipe from 1820s) but hopped a bit less (7.4%), a porter (5%), an imperial stout (8.4%)and the lager. I renamed the lager Grand Commander (Of the Tutonic Knights) because the original name of Doctor's Orders might have had problems with Environmental and food agency inspectors because of perceived medical claims, of which there were none of course. It's 6% abv. I know a bottle shop owner who got leaned on regarding some Belgian Beers with nurses on the labels. <br /><br />My beers are not seen as old men's beers either but seem to appeal to a cross section. Some pubs only serve the high powered stout in halves. It was originally brewed for the Cambridge beer festival but was so popular locally I had to brew another 500L of it. Again I use fuggles and East Kent in combination in a three stage process during the boil. I also use Burton salts for the brewing of my Blue Bass clone. I think we don't make enough of our heritage so I have put my money where my mouth is to make decent beer with traditional English hops with a couple of variants. I am fed up with seeing what I consider weak light brown beers all over the place. It simply isn't right and it is not our beer heritage. Obviously no-one wants to flout the drink drive laws which is why I am a firm supporter of having a local you can walk to. I have a couple like that. One is a free house and takes some of our beers. The other takes bottles as it is tied. I am a firm supporter of strongish beers and brew several to cater for those who like to drink a fiercer pint. Dr Evilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00176521760477086914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-63132143264784307322018-10-19T14:34:23.625+01:002018-10-19T14:34:23.625+01:00I think the problem is, talking from a S.E point o...I think the problem is, talking from a S.E point of view , the vast majority of pubs are awash with multi produced national brands such as Greene King IPA, Bombardier and of course Doom Bar, which from a beer nerds point of view are BBB's, bet then the vast majority of drinkers are casual and just want what they think is ordinary English beer,wet, brown, maybe a little froth and has a taste a little different from tap water,hence the popularity of the above brands. It is just the relative minority of geeks into their beers, like myself who deride BBB's and it's only the relative minority of enthusiasts who read blogs and various beer related literature who take notice of such terms, so there is a balance, of sorts in perception. Of course there are good interesting Brown beers out there, we need to see more of them in more pubs, but the simple fact is they won't out sell Doom Bar and it's ilk.Citrahttps://thepubexplorer.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-81762949050545797592018-10-19T13:54:18.637+01:002018-10-19T13:54:18.637+01:00The irony is that many craft beer fans in the USA ...The irony is that many craft beer fans in the USA actually rave enthusiastically about our 'boring old' products. The versions of Bass, Boddies and ESB that they get and even everyday Guinness and Newkie Brown still carry 'premium' reputations and appear on the beer lists of craft bars, not as an afterthought, nor as an irony, but as part of the trend. They'll reminisce about the time they had a trip to Birming-ham, England and had Pedigree on draft and how amazing it was... but they're coming at it largely from a blank canvas with fewer established prejudices than us, for various historical reasons.<br /><br />I'm obviously a million miles away from Pete politically, but I can sorta see what he is hinting at with the Farage jibes. There is a certain type of person - usually an older white male - who loudly and proudly proclaims British drink/food/culture to be the finest in the world - but who does so from a position of insularity and ignorance, having deliberately garnered very little experience of most of the alternatives available. Lager?!? Pah! Foreign muck! Pad Thai?!? Give me fish and chips any day! and so on...<br /><br />This somewhat undermines the more informed opinions of those who have genuinely sampled all the world has to offer and concluded that, in fact, our indigenous stuff really isn't all that bad, on the basis of something other than blinkered xenophobia. We have this slightly awkward, very 'British' sense that one cannot talk something up for fear that one is perceived to be talking it up for the wrong reasons.<br /><br />Of course, they do have this sort of contrast between blind patriotism and a conscious wish to avoid it in the USA too - but just not usually when it comes to beer. Ben Viveurhttp://www.benviveur.co.uknoreply@blogger.com