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After many excellent years as a lager drinker, I have decided it's time to switch to a tipple that isn't full of crap and doesn't make me feel like roadkill for days thereafter.
My question is, is ale an aquired taste? Is it worth persisting or will it always taste like pish?
:o
My question is, is ale an aquired taste? Is it worth persisting or will it always taste like pish?
:o
In reply to gaucho:
Some ales are, Yes it is, and some always will.
Have you tried a range of different styles, and do they all taste like pish to you?
>
> My question is, is ale an aquired taste? Is it worth persisting or will it always taste like pish?
> My question is, is ale an aquired taste? Is it worth persisting or will it always taste like pish?
Some ales are, Yes it is, and some always will.
Have you tried a range of different styles, and do they all taste like pish to you?
In reply to gaucho:
If you don't like it, don't drink it.
That said, no, it doesn't (in general) taste like pish though of course that does depend on the particular 'ale' you go for. I assume we're not talking stale Tetley's from a mangy student union bar that's never had had its lines cleaned. Maybe try a few good ones, what's best depends on what's local to an extent but in Yorkshire you can't go far wrong with a good pint of Roosters.
jk
If you don't like it, don't drink it.
That said, no, it doesn't (in general) taste like pish though of course that does depend on the particular 'ale' you go for. I assume we're not talking stale Tetley's from a mangy student union bar that's never had had its lines cleaned. Maybe try a few good ones, what's best depends on what's local to an extent but in Yorkshire you can't go far wrong with a good pint of Roosters.
jk
In reply to gaucho: I'd have to say that in general alcoholic drinks are an acquired taste which I've never acquired. In the past I've tried (sipped) several beers, lagers and wines and they all taste the same to me, eugh!
I have been told that "at first you won't like them, but persevere and you will", but I can't see the point of keep drinking something you don't like in the hopes that you will like it eventually!
I have been told that "at first you won't like them, but persevere and you will", but I can't see the point of keep drinking something you don't like in the hopes that you will like it eventually!
In reply to gaucho:
Do you have a local beer festival, they are usually a good place to find a drink you like as drinking halves is positively encouraged. Failing that find a good ale pub with at least four brews on and start with the lightest, light ales and milds, work up to porters or winter ales. There are plenty of real ales I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole (Greene King, Hardy & Hansons) but hundreds more brews that I really enjoy, unlike a lot of pasteurised stuff real ale doesn't all taste the same.
Do you have a local beer festival, they are usually a good place to find a drink you like as drinking halves is positively encouraged. Failing that find a good ale pub with at least four brews on and start with the lightest, light ales and milds, work up to porters or winter ales. There are plenty of real ales I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole (Greene King, Hardy & Hansons) but hundreds more brews that I really enjoy, unlike a lot of pasteurised stuff real ale doesn't all taste the same.
In reply to gaucho:
What a great question and a view close to my own....
Having always been a lager drinker, last year i started working in a pub to earn a few extra rubs. Its a fine pub, The Betjeman Arms in St Pancras Station, London, which 4 times a year has quite succesful 'Aleway' Festivals.
Having sampled every beer on offer at these festivals my view is that most taste the same... like cold dish water aka pish!
However, there are a few which stand out and taste really good but in my limited experience, these tend to be the ones you only find at festivals and notthe standard Pulls on most bars i.e Adnams, London Pride, John Smiths, IPA etc
When in the hills I drink ale because i think I should (as locals eat southern sofites for supper), otherwise i stick to lager...
Although, i have discovered a new love in single Malts...
Mike
ps the next Aleways festival starts this wkend (shameful plug)
What a great question and a view close to my own....
Having always been a lager drinker, last year i started working in a pub to earn a few extra rubs. Its a fine pub, The Betjeman Arms in St Pancras Station, London, which 4 times a year has quite succesful 'Aleway' Festivals.
Having sampled every beer on offer at these festivals my view is that most taste the same... like cold dish water aka pish!
However, there are a few which stand out and taste really good but in my limited experience, these tend to be the ones you only find at festivals and notthe standard Pulls on most bars i.e Adnams, London Pride, John Smiths, IPA etc
When in the hills I drink ale because i think I should (as locals eat southern sofites for supper), otherwise i stick to lager...
Although, i have discovered a new love in single Malts...
Mike
ps the next Aleways festival starts this wkend (shameful plug)
In reply to gaucho:
Ale comes in all forms. You could try something like Schiehallion; it's a real ale but it's a Pilsner.
Ale comes in all forms. You could try something like Schiehallion; it's a real ale but it's a Pilsner.
In reply to gaucho:
Although not strictly an 'ale' when moving from lager to 'beer' I can strongly recommend Boddingtons. It is a mild tasting beer and has a taste and colour not a million miles from lager when cold. A good springboard into the greater beer world.
On an 8 v 8 basis I reckon the hangover is better too
Although not strictly an 'ale' when moving from lager to 'beer' I can strongly recommend Boddingtons. It is a mild tasting beer and has a taste and colour not a million miles from lager when cold. A good springboard into the greater beer world.
On an 8 v 8 basis I reckon the hangover is better too
In reply to gaucho: Ale is the natural state of fluid for consumption, only when you have drunk enough will you fully agree with this. Howerver it is usually best to have hand pulled beer, the most popular one at the bar, so you get a better chance of a good pint and not to drink too much or you will have a simular feeling in the morning to having had too much larger.
In reply to gaucho:
I am frankly astonished that some people are shameless enough to admit to liking lager
It's akin to fessing up to a taste for Primula. Or Silk Cut Extra Light.
I am frankly astonished that some people are shameless enough to admit to liking lager
It's akin to fessing up to a taste for Primula. Or Silk Cut Extra Light.
In reply to gaucho:
Lots of newer style "Golden" ales about now designed to appeal to crossover lager drinkers; eg Summer Lightning, Exmoor Gold and if you are in the Sheffield area, Abbeydale Moonshine is particularly good.
Lots of newer style "Golden" ales about now designed to appeal to crossover lager drinkers; eg Summer Lightning, Exmoor Gold and if you are in the Sheffield area, Abbeydale Moonshine is particularly good.
In reply to gaucho: I used to drink lager (even lager tops!) and changed to real ale about 5 years ago when my bf refused to go to the bar for lager at Kelham island
at first it tasted minging and i just stuck to really pale ales but it only took a few weeks for my taste buds to change.
keep patience, you know it makes sense to go real; lager boy.
at first it tasted minging and i just stuck to really pale ales but it only took a few weeks for my taste buds to change.
keep patience, you know it makes sense to go real; lager boy.
In reply to TerryG:
Although it is a long time since I was there, the Bon Accord in Glasgow had a sign at the bar telling people to apologise to barman if they ordered lager. Another sign over the entrance to gents bogs said 'Lager brewing room'.
Although it is a long time since I was there, the Bon Accord in Glasgow had a sign at the bar telling people to apologise to barman if they ordered lager. Another sign over the entrance to gents bogs said 'Lager brewing room'.
In reply to gaucho:
Yarrrrrrrr! I be likin grog since I was nowt but a sprat. That be my tipple. But ale be grand, don't be sippin the light ales, they be flavourless mostly. Go straight to the dark ales, the rich flavours be a delight. Find a tavern busy with wenches and scoundrels, with many an ale to be had, and there ye shall find good ale, as it will be being drunk and not old, and the ales on offer will be better for the capn of that vessel undoubtedly shall be a grizzled veteran of the beverage. Yarrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Yarrrrrrrr! I be likin grog since I was nowt but a sprat. That be my tipple. But ale be grand, don't be sippin the light ales, they be flavourless mostly. Go straight to the dark ales, the rich flavours be a delight. Find a tavern busy with wenches and scoundrels, with many an ale to be had, and there ye shall find good ale, as it will be being drunk and not old, and the ales on offer will be better for the capn of that vessel undoubtedly shall be a grizzled veteran of the beverage. Yarrrrrrrrrrrrr!
In reply to gaucho:
I used to drink lager all the time, and there is definitely a time for the cold & fizzy after a hot day on the hill... After working in a pub for a year though, I've come round to ales slowly having started drinking them because I thought I ought to know about them. A good range makes a lot of difference, and an ale festival is a great place to start. Quite a few pubs which serve real ales will give you a little bit to taste if you ask too
Don't know a lot about things south of the border, but in terms of Scottish ales, if you like lager try Ceilidh by Williams Bros (a cask conditioned lager) or Latitude by Atlas Brewery (a Pilsner). If you want something that doesn't taste like anything else, Williams are great as they do some wonderful (and occasionally weird!) things to traditional recipes - try Alba (pine ale), Fraoch (heather ale) and Kelpie (seaweed ale - definitely different!!)
I used to drink lager all the time, and there is definitely a time for the cold & fizzy after a hot day on the hill... After working in a pub for a year though, I've come round to ales slowly having started drinking them because I thought I ought to know about them. A good range makes a lot of difference, and an ale festival is a great place to start. Quite a few pubs which serve real ales will give you a little bit to taste if you ask too
Don't know a lot about things south of the border, but in terms of Scottish ales, if you like lager try Ceilidh by Williams Bros (a cask conditioned lager) or Latitude by Atlas Brewery (a Pilsner). If you want something that doesn't taste like anything else, Williams are great as they do some wonderful (and occasionally weird!) things to traditional recipes - try Alba (pine ale), Fraoch (heather ale) and Kelpie (seaweed ale - definitely different!!)
In reply to gaucho:
Real lager (the quality german stuff or similar), of course, is much less 'full of crap' than any ale. Roadkill feelings usually arise as much from drinking too much alchohol and getting dehydrated than from the other ingredients. Bloating can also be a problem from all the gas.
The best real ales to me are usually lovely to taste, yet I need to drink lager cold for it to 'taste' good. Then again, as the saying goes, there is no accounting for taste.
Real lager (the quality german stuff or similar), of course, is much less 'full of crap' than any ale. Roadkill feelings usually arise as much from drinking too much alchohol and getting dehydrated than from the other ingredients. Bloating can also be a problem from all the gas.
The best real ales to me are usually lovely to taste, yet I need to drink lager cold for it to 'taste' good. Then again, as the saying goes, there is no accounting for taste.
In reply to gaucho:
Alrighty. Thanks for the replies. So the general consensus seems to be that not all ales are created equal and it's probly worth trying a good ol few before reverting to the fizzy stuff what is the subject of much disdain here!
I'm off to the nearest camra festival to get trollied and try all the ones you recommend.
Alrighty. Thanks for the replies. So the general consensus seems to be that not all ales are created equal and it's probly worth trying a good ol few before reverting to the fizzy stuff what is the subject of much disdain here!
I'm off to the nearest camra festival to get trollied and try all the ones you recommend.
In reply to gaucho: If you live in Edinburgh then get yer butt to either the Blue Blazer or Cloisters, loads of other great ale pubs in Edinburgh of course, but these two are my faves. If not then hard luck! I'm sure there are a lot of great pubs around but I stuggle to find ones with enough choice of good beer, England seems to be full of mild and bitter which are gross! Don't get me wrong here English peeps I'm sure there are many very good ales, especially in Yorkshire but the big city pubs seem narrow minded on their choice of ale, if any!
Start off with something light, like and IPA or Trade Winds from the Cairngorm Brewery, YUM! If you go for the heavy stuff first it will taste like pish to you having drunk nothing but watery lager your taste buds won't be developed enough to appreciate some ales with new and different flavours. I'd persevere with it and you'll develop a taste for the ales you like but not all. As a girl I prefer the lighter ones but that doesn't mean any less flavour and I am a mad Guinness drinker so not sure how that fits in! However they don't do much for the waist line nor the climbing when you add a beer gut onto the weight you have to get up the routes! But drinking beer/ale is good for the soul! Enjoy!!
Start off with something light, like and IPA or Trade Winds from the Cairngorm Brewery, YUM! If you go for the heavy stuff first it will taste like pish to you having drunk nothing but watery lager your taste buds won't be developed enough to appreciate some ales with new and different flavours. I'd persevere with it and you'll develop a taste for the ales you like but not all. As a girl I prefer the lighter ones but that doesn't mean any less flavour and I am a mad Guinness drinker so not sure how that fits in! However they don't do much for the waist line nor the climbing when you add a beer gut onto the weight you have to get up the routes! But drinking beer/ale is good for the soul! Enjoy!!
This summer I've been brewing my own ale at home from the coopers kits, have to say that its really good! go for the dark ales and follow the instructions and you can't go wrong, a different flavour to the UK ales, and good both at room temperature and chilled... Far better than both lagers and stale ale from taps...
In reply to owlart:
Same here, although I am quite partial to the occasional cider.
> (In reply to gaucho) I'd have to say that in general alcoholic drinks are an acquired taste which I've never acquired. In the past I've tried (sipped) several beers, lagers and wines and they all taste the same to me, eugh!
>
> I have been told that "at first you won't like them, but persevere and you will", but I can't see the point of keep drinking something you don't like in the hopes that you will like it eventually!
>
> I have been told that "at first you won't like them, but persevere and you will", but I can't see the point of keep drinking something you don't like in the hopes that you will like it eventually!
Same here, although I am quite partial to the occasional cider.
In reply to gaucho:
If I like the taste of an ale I generally acquire more of the same brew - just to confirm that my taste buds were not playing tricks on me -- however after the firsht half dozhen I can't sheem to remember why? Even sho, I can't honeshtly claim to know what pish tastesh like - though I do know which alesh I've shampled in the pasht that have tashted how I imagine pish might taste. Hic!
If I like the taste of an ale I generally acquire more of the same brew - just to confirm that my taste buds were not playing tricks on me -- however after the firsht half dozhen I can't sheem to remember why? Even sho, I can't honeshtly claim to know what pish tastesh like - though I do know which alesh I've shampled in the pasht that have tashted how I imagine pish might taste. Hic!
In reply to gaucho:
Try Abbeydale Moonshine and then move on to similar ales.
Ask the bar keep if the ale is nice and if you'll like it. If they say they don't know what the ale is like (happens more often than you'd believe!) make face of horror and move on.
Try Abbeydale Moonshine and then move on to similar ales.
Ask the bar keep if the ale is nice and if you'll like it. If they say they don't know what the ale is like (happens more often than you'd believe!) make face of horror and move on.
In reply to winhill:
I'd say Absolution (Abbeydale) was a better one to start on personnaly, for a lager drinker I think
> (In reply to gaucho)
>
> Try Abbeydale Moonshine and then move on to similar ales.
>
> Try Abbeydale Moonshine and then move on to similar ales.
I'd say Absolution (Abbeydale) was a better one to start on personnaly, for a lager drinker I think
In reply to the crabbit man:
Love it!
> (In reply to TerryG)
>
> Although it is a long time since I was there, the Bon Accord in Glasgow had a sign at the bar telling people to apologise to barman if they ordered lager. Another sign over the entrance to gents bogs said 'Lager brewing room'.
>
> Although it is a long time since I was there, the Bon Accord in Glasgow had a sign at the bar telling people to apologise to barman if they ordered lager. Another sign over the entrance to gents bogs said 'Lager brewing room'.
Love it!
In reply to Offwidth:
And also served at a decent temperature (i.e. not just a few degrees above absolute zero). So you can taste something... Unlike the pisswater sold as 'lager' in most pubs in the UK.
<to OP>
If you're a lager drinker, you might appreciate the maltier, sweeter beers, rather than the very hoppy bitters. I'm not a big fan of overly bitter beer, preferring warmer, maltier brews.
> Real lager (the quality german stuff or similar), of course, is much less 'full of crap' than any ale.
And also served at a decent temperature (i.e. not just a few degrees above absolute zero). So you can taste something... Unlike the pisswater sold as 'lager' in most pubs in the UK.
<to OP>
If you're a lager drinker, you might appreciate the maltier, sweeter beers, rather than the very hoppy bitters. I'm not a big fan of overly bitter beer, preferring warmer, maltier brews.
In reply to gaucho: Have a look at CAMARA (campaign for real ale) They were voted the most influential pressure group in Europe a few years ago by the EU.
You can contact them, they will advise you. Try a Weatherspoons if there is one near you, they have several ales each day.
You can contact them, they will advise you. Try a Weatherspoons if there is one near you, they have several ales each day.
In reply to gaucho:
I'd consider myself a seasonal drinker and ale definately comes into the late Autumn to winter season. The summer being pilsner or cider.
The trend in ale at the moment seems to be very light ale. Anything from the Wye Valley Brewery is a great place for the novice ale drinker to start.
As for not giving you a hangover like lager, my old man is a brewer and makes his own (proper) homebrew completely chemical free, and I think I've had some of the worst hangovers of my life after drinking the stuff...or maybe it's just the quantity?
I'd consider myself a seasonal drinker and ale definately comes into the late Autumn to winter season. The summer being pilsner or cider.
The trend in ale at the moment seems to be very light ale. Anything from the Wye Valley Brewery is a great place for the novice ale drinker to start.
As for not giving you a hangover like lager, my old man is a brewer and makes his own (proper) homebrew completely chemical free, and I think I've had some of the worst hangovers of my life after drinking the stuff...or maybe it's just the quantity?
In reply to JGF:
Doesn't it normally have alcohol in it? I think that's a chemical with a certain level of toxicity known to cause liver disease, headaches, nausea, amnesia and a propensity for shagging ugly people.
> (In reply to gaucho)
>
my old man is a brewer and makes his own (proper) homebrew completely chemical free, >
Doesn't it normally have alcohol in it? I think that's a chemical with a certain level of toxicity known to cause liver disease, headaches, nausea, amnesia and a propensity for shagging ugly people.
In reply to gaucho:
> > My question is, is ale an aquired taste? Is it worth persisting or will it always taste like pish?
>
> Reminds me of the merry night we were having in a Lakes pub. I was downing what must have been my seventh pint of Coniston Bluebird and thinking 'how can life get any better than this?' when this fellow from Iceland asked for a taste. He screwed up his face and said 'Tastes like piss!'. I'm still at a loss to understand what's going on. Especially when you consider that a human body is a perfect machine for turning Coniston Bluebird into Carlsberg.
>
> Reminds me of the merry night we were having in a Lakes pub. I was downing what must have been my seventh pint of Coniston Bluebird and thinking 'how can life get any better than this?' when this fellow from Iceland asked for a taste. He screwed up his face and said 'Tastes like piss!'. I'm still at a loss to understand what's going on. Especially when you consider that a human body is a perfect machine for turning Coniston Bluebird into Carlsberg.
In reply to gaucho:
Persist. Try bottles of Northern Light & Arran Blonde in Scotland & Haystacks & Scafell Blonde in Lakes- all yummy starter ales.
Persist. Try bottles of Northern Light & Arran Blonde in Scotland & Haystacks & Scafell Blonde in Lakes- all yummy starter ales.
In reply to isi_o:
Technically, a lager or a pilsner is not an ale. Ale is brewed using top-fermenting yeasts whereas lager and pilsner (which is just a type of lager, in the same way that IPA is a type of ale) use slower bottom-fermenting yeasts.
While Ceilidh and Latitude may both be fine brews (indeed I have tried Latitude and found it very pleasant) technically they would not be an effective way for a lager drinker to become familiar with the delights of top-fermented beers. They are, however, a good way for someone who is used to drinking pasteurised fake euro-p1ss cryogenically served to experience what beer is actually supposed to be like.
> (In reply to gaucho)
>
> Don't know a lot about things south of the border, but in terms of Scottish ales, if you like lager try Ceilidh by Williams Bros (a cask conditioned lager) or Latitude by Atlas Brewery (a Pilsner).
>
> Don't know a lot about things south of the border, but in terms of Scottish ales, if you like lager try Ceilidh by Williams Bros (a cask conditioned lager) or Latitude by Atlas Brewery (a Pilsner).
Technically, a lager or a pilsner is not an ale. Ale is brewed using top-fermenting yeasts whereas lager and pilsner (which is just a type of lager, in the same way that IPA is a type of ale) use slower bottom-fermenting yeasts.
While Ceilidh and Latitude may both be fine brews (indeed I have tried Latitude and found it very pleasant) technically they would not be an effective way for a lager drinker to become familiar with the delights of top-fermented beers. They are, however, a good way for someone who is used to drinking pasteurised fake euro-p1ss cryogenically served to experience what beer is actually supposed to be like.
In reply to gaucho:
I think it is Nottingham Beer festival a week on saturday (10th), rumoured to be over 600 brews on sale there. It might take a while to try them all...probably fatal as well.
I think it is Nottingham Beer festival a week on saturday (10th), rumoured to be over 600 brews on sale there. It might take a while to try them all...probably fatal as well.
In reply to Clarence: If you must drink lager, try mixing half a pint of special brew with some authentic farmhouse scrumpy, half and half.
In reply to gaucho: Good Lord. What an ignorant posting about lager.... though I`m assuming you were trolling.
In reply to gaucho:
If you've managed to drink lager for many years I think that it's probably too late for you now.
Go to a proper pub and ask the bar man what they'd recommend. Most decent pubs will be happy to take you by the hand and introduce you to ale. Unlike lager ale needs to be looked after properly, a lot of the chain pubs don't bother, or can't. You can't make Carling taste any worse than does already.
Personally I like the really pale, bitter ales. Can't really drink the more stout like ones. If you're anywhere near Birmingham go to the Wellington in the town centre. They have 16ish real ales on tap and change them frequently. Plus they let you eat takeways in the pub, properly civilised.
If you've managed to drink lager for many years I think that it's probably too late for you now.
Go to a proper pub and ask the bar man what they'd recommend. Most decent pubs will be happy to take you by the hand and introduce you to ale. Unlike lager ale needs to be looked after properly, a lot of the chain pubs don't bother, or can't. You can't make Carling taste any worse than does already.
Personally I like the really pale, bitter ales. Can't really drink the more stout like ones. If you're anywhere near Birmingham go to the Wellington in the town centre. They have 16ish real ales on tap and change them frequently. Plus they let you eat takeways in the pub, properly civilised.
In reply to Clarence:
I used to pair up at Nottingham and we'd drink the alphabet. Half each per letter... usually just over 5 pints each.
I used to pair up at Nottingham and we'd drink the alphabet. Half each per letter... usually just over 5 pints each.
In reply to Martin W:
Tue, although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
So the old styles of porter and mild were ales, whereas bitters (and pales ales!) were not ales.
But the terms ales and beer now seem interchangeable. The term lager comes from the name of the tanks used for conditioning the beer.
> (In reply to isi_o)
> [...]
>
> Technically, a lager or a pilsner is not an ale. Ale is brewed using top-fermenting yeasts whereas lager and pilsner (which is just a type of lager, in the same way that IPA is a type of ale) use slower bottom-fermenting yeasts.
>
> [...]
>
> Technically, a lager or a pilsner is not an ale. Ale is brewed using top-fermenting yeasts whereas lager and pilsner (which is just a type of lager, in the same way that IPA is a type of ale) use slower bottom-fermenting yeasts.
>
Tue, although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
So the old styles of porter and mild were ales, whereas bitters (and pales ales!) were not ales.
But the terms ales and beer now seem interchangeable. The term lager comes from the name of the tanks used for conditioning the beer.
In reply to Chris James:
Well I never. Just like Lager's great bedfellow Balti is the pot for the curry.
> (In reply to Martin W)
> [...]
>
> The term lager comes from the name of the tanks used for conditioning the beer.
> [...]
>
> The term lager comes from the name of the tanks used for conditioning the beer.
Well I never. Just like Lager's great bedfellow Balti is the pot for the curry.
In reply to gaucho:
Larger, as in the fizzy stuff that comes out of soda syphon type things in bars with TV and loud music, is as far as I can tell coloured water with a dollop of meths. Mostly on account of there taste being frozen to the point of oblivion.
Real largers do exist though Czech Budvar, Hell largers and some of the Polish Black largers for example and they are very tasty.
Ale these days means any top fermenting beer and covers a huge range from the Indian Pale Ales to the almost chewy spicy old ales like the sadly now defunct Gales Old Prize. Flavours vary enormously best to try a few and find out which ones you like.
Larger, as in the fizzy stuff that comes out of soda syphon type things in bars with TV and loud music, is as far as I can tell coloured water with a dollop of meths. Mostly on account of there taste being frozen to the point of oblivion.
Real largers do exist though Czech Budvar, Hell largers and some of the Polish Black largers for example and they are very tasty.
Ale these days means any top fermenting beer and covers a huge range from the Indian Pale Ales to the almost chewy spicy old ales like the sadly now defunct Gales Old Prize. Flavours vary enormously best to try a few and find out which ones you like.
In reply to Chris James:
I'd say in most places outside of militant CAMRA meetings, beer is seen as the all-encompassing group of drinks including both lagers and ales...
>
> But the terms ales and beer now seem interchangeable.
> But the terms ales and beer now seem interchangeable.
I'd say in most places outside of militant CAMRA meetings, beer is seen as the all-encompassing group of drinks including both lagers and ales...
In reply to Chris James:
Quite true!
> (In reply to Martin W)
> [...]
>
> Tue, although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
>
> So the old styles of porter and mild were ales, whereas bitters (and pales ales!) were not ales.
>
> [...]
>
> Tue, although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
>
> So the old styles of porter and mild were ales, whereas bitters (and pales ales!) were not ales.
>
Quite true!
In reply to DougG:
exactly
exactly
In reply to Duncan Bourne:
although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
>> I remember reading that adding hops to beer was a Dutch idea which we imported. At one point, many years ago, one of our kings decided that it was the hops in beer that made people crazy drunk, so he banned hops in beer.
although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
>> I remember reading that adding hops to beer was a Dutch idea which we imported. At one point, many years ago, one of our kings decided that it was the hops in beer that made people crazy drunk, so he banned hops in beer.
In reply to gaucho:
if it is, then i acquired it quite some time ago.
it is rather nice.
lager is a summer drink, and now we are moving into the ale drinking season
if it is, then i acquired it quite some time ago.
it is rather nice.
lager is a summer drink, and now we are moving into the ale drinking season
In reply to gaucho: I made the transition a few years ago. Ale for me is a suping pint where as lager is a session / refreshing pint. Also - lager isn't as bad as you think it might be. Radio 4's highly acclaimed Food Programme featured Carling once and found that they only use 4 input ingredients. It is also worth pointing out that there are many bland and dull ales. I would advise that you try some bottles from the supermarket. They are generally very good and it saves you having to waste your time with the likes of Marsdens, Hydes, Robinsons and the whole variety of other bog standard pints of pish you get in your average (non-beer loving) pub.
In reply to gaucho: There is only one approach - practice, practice, practice !!!
Drink as many and varied a selection of beers as possible on a daily basis
Drink as many and varied a selection of beers as possible on a daily basis
In reply to gaucho:
I'm not too clued up on the difference between ale and beer, but a Camra reccomended pub could be a good place to start, if there's one near you, though it's not at all esential. The main thing is to find a pub which care's about it's drinks, I don't think there's many bad lakeland pubs, off the top of my head. Eventually your tounge get's attuned to the subtle flavours in whatever you're drinking.
Cheers
Tim
I'm not too clued up on the difference between ale and beer, but a Camra reccomended pub could be a good place to start, if there's one near you, though it's not at all esential. The main thing is to find a pub which care's about it's drinks, I don't think there's many bad lakeland pubs, off the top of my head. Eventually your tounge get's attuned to the subtle flavours in whatever you're drinking.
Cheers
Tim
In reply to gaucho:
http://www.hopback.co.uk/
A family friend has shares in this company, I think they're more towards the light and hoppy end of the spectrum, which isn't to all people's tastes.
Cheers
Tim
http://www.hopback.co.uk/
A family friend has shares in this company, I think they're more towards the light and hoppy end of the spectrum, which isn't to all people's tastes.
Cheers
Tim
In reply to gaucho:
http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=branches
Camra's 'Camra near you' page might come in handy. Alcohol no longer really agree's with me, but it's definately worth having a go and seeing if you get to like ales and beers. Becks is quite a pure lager by the way, if you can't get on with ale. The pubs which are known as being good for ales in Sheffield seem to be the ones which get reccomended by Camra, so I guess they know thier beers and ales.
Cheers
Tim
http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=branches
Camra's 'Camra near you' page might come in handy. Alcohol no longer really agree's with me, but it's definately worth having a go and seeing if you get to like ales and beers. Becks is quite a pure lager by the way, if you can't get on with ale. The pubs which are known as being good for ales in Sheffield seem to be the ones which get reccomended by Camra, so I guess they know thier beers and ales.
Cheers
Tim
In reply to Jon Dittman:
Lager's worse than you think it might be. It's pasteurised and carbonated, which gives it that awful flabby, metallic taste and then to try and disguise that taste they chill it. And then, to add insult to injury, they charge you more to pay for all the advertising. I am, of course takling about Carlsberg, 4X etc, not the real lager you get in Germany and sometimes here.
> Ale for me is a suping pint where as lager is a session / refreshing pint. Also - lager isn't as bad as you think it might be.
Lager's worse than you think it might be. It's pasteurised and carbonated, which gives it that awful flabby, metallic taste and then to try and disguise that taste they chill it. And then, to add insult to injury, they charge you more to pay for all the advertising. I am, of course takling about Carlsberg, 4X etc, not the real lager you get in Germany and sometimes here.
In reply to Chris James:
Ale and beer used to refer to unhopped and hopped drinks but porter and mild have always had hops, being much more modern than unhopped ales. Nowadays beer is taken to mean both ales and lagers, which will have been brewed with different yeasts but both will have hops, and the ales will likely have more.
The term lager comes from a german word for 'to store', as lager beers were originally stored in caves, it's not from the name for storage tanks.
As to the OP, yes cask ale is an aquired taste but it's worth it. Cask ales actually have flavour whereas keg lager doesn't really. You will need to find a pub where they keep their beer properly though. Cask beer is a live product (the yeast is still working away in the cask) and needs looking after whereas keg lager is sterile and has the same minimal flavour everywhere. The Good Beer Guide or beerintheevening.com should help with finding a good pub for decent ales.
>
> Tue, although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
>
> So the old styles of porter and mild were ales, whereas bitters (and pales ales!) were not ales.
>
> But the terms ales and beer now seem interchangeable. The term lager comes from the name of the tanks used for conditioning the beer.
> Tue, although historically ales were differentiated by not having hops added for taste (and preservation).
>
> So the old styles of porter and mild were ales, whereas bitters (and pales ales!) were not ales.
>
> But the terms ales and beer now seem interchangeable. The term lager comes from the name of the tanks used for conditioning the beer.
Ale and beer used to refer to unhopped and hopped drinks but porter and mild have always had hops, being much more modern than unhopped ales. Nowadays beer is taken to mean both ales and lagers, which will have been brewed with different yeasts but both will have hops, and the ales will likely have more.
The term lager comes from a german word for 'to store', as lager beers were originally stored in caves, it's not from the name for storage tanks.
As to the OP, yes cask ale is an aquired taste but it's worth it. Cask ales actually have flavour whereas keg lager doesn't really. You will need to find a pub where they keep their beer properly though. Cask beer is a live product (the yeast is still working away in the cask) and needs looking after whereas keg lager is sterile and has the same minimal flavour everywhere. The Good Beer Guide or beerintheevening.com should help with finding a good pub for decent ales.
In reply to gaucho: I shall take a hobgoblin please!!!!!.
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