Have we had an ale revolution in this country? *Positive thread*

[Sunbed]

I don't want to detract from the Favourite Beer thread at all, but I just wanted something clearing up.

When I was a teenager (not long ago) all you could get at most pubs was Carling, Fosters, Carlsberg, John Smiths, Guinness etc. At the time I wasn't really into my beer, so maybe I didn't notice much. But now almost every pub has guest beers/ales which I think is fantastic - so much more variety!

Was there some law that meant guest ales were able to make a niche for themselves somehow? Or has it always been this way and I was simply ignorant in my youthfulness?

Either way I like it how it is now

 

[tom_e]

They are definitely much more popular than when I first started drinking in pubs, they seem to be edging slowly towards the same sort of thing that happened with cider when magners and the like appeared and people seem to be realising it's the way forward if you want some decent tasting alcohol that wont leave you feeling like you've been hooked up to a gas tank.

 

[stulid]

I only drink Ales these days, Beers such as Fosters, Budweiser, Stella etc taste like crap.

 

[Ahleckz]

Ales are still rare in the majority of pubs I go to in Glasgow. There are some fantastic pubs that do serve ale and make a point of serving guest beers (I'm looking at you, Blackfriars) but they are certainily the exception.
I also think Wetherspoons should be praised for their frequent Ale & Cider festivals that they have. You can think what you want about the company and their business strategy but without a doubt they are the pubs that allow me to try new ales for a good price.
I'm glad to see that they do seem to be getting more popular and people are making an effort to try new and different things. As long as the quality is high and we don't just end up having cheap, mass produced boring ales which don't push the boundary of beer then I can't see it as a bad thing.

But then again, I'm an ex Brewdog employee so I'm bound to say that...

 

[nydryl]

Ales are still rare in the majority of pubs I go to in Glasgow. There are some fantastic pubs that do serve ale and make a point of serving guest beers (I'm looking at you, Blackfriars) but they are certainily the exception.
I also think Wetherspoons should be praised for their frequent Ale & Cider festivals that they have. You can think what you want about the company and their business strategy but without a doubt they are the pubs that allow me to try new ales for a good price.
I'm glad to see that they do seem to be getting more popular and people are making an effort to try new and different things. As long as the quality is high and we don't just end up having cheap, mass produced boring ales which don't push the boundary of beer then I can't see it as a bad thing.

But then again, I'm an ex Brewdog employer so I'm bound to say that...

Pretty much sums it up. Blackfriars and Weatherspoons during the fesitvals are the two places I'd go if I'm wanting to go out for a few pints of ale. I'm sure there must be plenty more that serve a good selection, but none that I can think of off the top of my head, or go to regularly.

As much as I like going out for a few good quality pints, if I'm going out at the weekend I'll tend to stick to Tennent's or Whisky. Ale can make me feel too full if I'm drinking it all night.

 

[alexakasloth]

When I'm having a social drink I like to have Ale as it's more enjoyable than lager to drink, and places like Weatherspoons always have a local ale available. The Uni bar used to have Piddle on pump but they've stopped that now and just have lager or cider.

 

[ScoTTyBEEE]

When I lived in Germany their 'ale' is lager. I was in heaven and wished oh so much that our national drink was lager. Imagine having guest lagers on top of beautiful creamy largers, dripping with moist dropplets of beautiful crystal amber goodness, begging me to be gentle but firm..err..anyway, they're my thoughts on the subject.

 

[tom_e]

When I lived in Germany their 'ale' is lager. I was in heaven and wished oh so much that our national drink was lager. Imagine having guest lagers on top of beautiful creamy largers, dripping with moist dropplets of beautiful crystal amber goodness, begging me to be gentle but firm..err..anyway, they're my thoughts on the subject.

European lager is awesome though, the stuff we get over here is pig swill

 

[mangobreeder]

can anyone recommended a an ale to someone who only likes Kronenberg

 

[stulid]

can anyone recommended a an ale to someone who only likes Kronenberg

Abbott's ale.

 

[mangobreeder]

Abbott's ale.

ill purchase a bottle when im next out shopping

 

[dante6491]

I would suggest a more golden or amber ale if you have only had lagers. Bombardier Burning Gold is quite refreshing and light.

 

[stulid]

Abbott's is a amber colour, its certainly lighter than say Marstons pedigree.

 

[PlacidCasual]

The Supply of Beer Act (Tied Houses) 1989 had this biggest recent impact. It reduced the number of tied pubs any single brewer could have to 2000 and ensured greater freedom for distribution of beer. The free house and microbrewery explosion of the 90's was a direct consequence of this act. http://www.reckon.co.uk/open/The_beer_tie_and_competition_law
In the 90's I did some research for a business course at Uni and a Japanese bank Nomura was the UK's largest pub owner. The pub co's can own more pubs than the breweries now I think.

 

[vicisthebest]

I think so. The supermarkets also seem to devote a much bigger section to real ales than they used to. I don't know whether it's because I'm only 24 but I always thought of real ale as an "old man's" drink, but the last couple of years or so I've seen it get more and more popular. My boyfriend pretty much only drinks real ale.

 

[Sunbed]

The Supply of Beer Act (Tied Houses) 1989 had this biggest recent impact. It reduced the number of tied pubs any single brewer could have to 2000 and ensured greater freedom for distribution of beer. The free house and microbrewery explosion of the 90's was a direct consequence of this act. http://www.reckon.co.uk/open/The_beer_tie_and_competition_law
In the 90's I did some research for a business course at Uni and a Japanese bank Nomura was the UK's largest pub owner. The pub co's can own more pubs than the breweries now I think.

Yes! That was what I was thinking of, thanks.

I think so. The supermarkets also seem to devote a much bigger section to real ales than they used to. I don't know whether it's because I'm only 24 but I always thought of real ale as an "old man's" drink, but the last couple of years or so I've seen it get more and more popular. My boyfriend pretty much only drinks real ale.

Yeh I used to think of ale as a bit of an old mans drink.. my dad liked it after all Now I love it... I actually prefer it from the bottle to draught (it's more lively), at about cellar temperature. I still love a good lager and I probably drink more of it on a whole due to nights out etc

Also... for anyone who likes a lot of choice go to Booths if you're in the North-West. There continental lager and ale section can be huge!

 

[boxman2000]

Yup, definite ale fan here!

Hmm, may have to forget the bottle of red for tonight and get a couple of bottles of Spitfire or Bombardier tonight - should do the job!

 

[PapaLazaru]

English ale and cider are definitely coming back. And that is a very good thing.

 

[Mr-White]

I went to the Cambridge beer festival thinking it would be nice to spend my lunch there on a hot summers day. The beer was warm, flat and tasted like old socks. Am I missing something ?

MW

 

[J-FRO]

I cant explain it but I find their is defintely a younger generation that do appreciate a good ale as opposed to lager these days. I for one am one of them and so are several of my mates.

I think it's just the variety you can get sometimes makes the drinking experience more pleasurable. You don't need to tie yourself down to just drinking fosters.