Why British Beer Is The Best In The World

Newcastle Brown Ale is an authentic English ale with a unique taste. Full of flavour, yet easy to drink, it's been drunk and enjoyed since 1927. And it's becoming more popular in more countries each year.

This is one of my favorites.A deep brown color with a weak head, not that this should put you off. A unique flavor, malt and caramel, a certain sweetness, fruity with an underlying depth like beef stock, with no bitterness at all. There is light lift on the finish, clean and refreshing and I could drink a lot of this.

Black sheep ale is Brewed at the black sheep brewery in masham North Yorkshire, using traditional and time honored methods, which lead to a bottled beer of the highest quality. It is brewed in the traditional way and fermented in the unusual Yorkshire Square system to produce a distinctive robust taste.

Brewed with many generous handfuls of choice Golding hops, This quite dark golden brown beer has a creamy white head and is brewed in restored antique brewing vessels. There's a suggestion of sweetness on the nose, and then a ground spice and toasty aroma with good hoppiness. On the palate the main focus is bitter, resinous hops, with a creamy texture and a softening pillow of smooth malt flavors beneath. This beer has good length and stays quite lively and crisp.

Named after the famous world war 2 fighter, no other aircraft captured the imagination of the beleaguered British people more than R.J. Mitchell's masterpiece, which has flown into history as a legend!

To honour the legend, Spitfire Premium Bitter was first brewed to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 1990 and raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Spitfire Bitter is brewed by Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewer, situated at Faversham in the heart of Kent's hop gardens, is now the sole guardians of the county's unparalleled brewing tradition.

Using only pure spring water from their own artesian well combined with other natural ingredients such as best quality English malt and the finest Kentish hops, Shepherd Neame brew a range of traditional beers that are unsurpassed for quality and taste.

This premium Kentish ale has wonderfully generous aromas of tangy malt, soft raisins and sweet oranges, freshened by the floral, grassy notes of three different Kent-grown hop varieties (flowery Target, tangy First Gold and orange-fragrant East Kent Goldings). In the mouth, the finely balanced flavour opens with a blast of rounded malt before the rousing, almost spicy hops follow through to provide a complex, multi-layered finish.

Originally a drink for lactating mothers, oatmeal stout was described as nutritional on early labels. Oats are in the same family as barley, and a small addition yields great flavor. Popular in the late 1800's, the last oatmeal stout was brewed before the First World War until Samuel Smith reintroduced this style in 1980.

It pours opaque dark brown with a creamy light brown head. Smells of sweet chocolate and a grainy oat. Sweet and milky but lightly bitter aromas.It fills the mouth with rich and creamy flavors. The oatmeal is there bringing a light bitterness and astringency to a sweet and creamy malt. There's a lightly sticky texture and it is quite full bodied.

I would travel along way to get a bottle of this amazing beer, It is as near to perfect as I have ever tasted, If you like Guiness stout ths one will be a revelation to you.

Samuel Smith's Old Brewery
Tadcaster, North Yorkshire

The Old Brewery at Tadcaster was established in 1758.
Samuel Smith's is a small, independent brewery, brewing at the oldest brewery in Yorkshire.

The original well at the Old Brewery, sunk in 1758, is still in use. The brewing water for the ales and stouts is drawn from 85 feet underground.

The malt mixes with hard well water in copper mash-tuns. Fuggles and Goldings, the old fashioned varieties of hops that over the centuries have given the best British ales distinctive flavour are added later and boiled in 'coppers'.

Samuel Smith still ferments ale and stout in traditional Yorkshire stone 'squares' - roofed fermenting vessels made of solid blocks of slate. The yeast is of a strain that has been used at the Old Brewery continuously since the beginning of the last century, one of the oldest unchanged strains in the country, still as healthy and as active as ever frothing up into rich creamy heads.

Old Speckled Hen is a british bitter, First brewed in 1979 by Morland Brewery in Abingdon, Oxfordshire to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG car company setting up in Abingdon, and named after the brewery's own MG car - the paint splattered Owld' Speckled 'Un.

It has 5.2 per cent ABV. The head brewer, Bill Mellor, says he simply aimed to create a beer of that gravity, with an appropriately full colour and flavour but with the dryness and easy drinkability that is Morland's house style.

It is my view that this characteristic dryness owes a great deal to Morland's two-strain yeast, which the brewery has used for an extraordinarily long time. These strains have been at Morland's since 1896 and are believed to have come from Charrington's now-defunct brewery in Mile End, east London.

Yeast produces different flavours according to the density of sugars with which it is required to work. At this gravity it creates a beer with a complexity of gently pear-like fruitiness and dryish, nutty maltiness. The hop bitterness in the finish is relatively restrained. The brewery workers were reputed to like Old Speckled Hen so much that they decanted off a little to drink, unfiltered and unpasteurised, as "real ale."

Brewed since 1999 by Greene King. Greene King has retained the strain of yeast first used in 1896 but has moved production to it's Bury St Edmunds Brewery.

Boddingtons is an English beer, originally from Manchester, United Kingdom that has been brewed for more than 200 years. The bitter is now sold in over 30 countries worldwide, and can be drunk on tap around the world in countries as diverse as New Zealand, China, the United States, and Canada.

On a personal note I have to admit to having a bit of a nostalgic attachment to this beer, as growing up in the Manchester area this was the first beer I ever tasted.

In English pubs, Boddingtons' unique pale-gold ale is served by the traditional hand-pulled method, which produces a distinctive creamy head, smooth body and little gassiness. Boddingtons pub ale in a can, like the more well known Guiness, has an ingenious DRAUGHTFLOW SYSTEM or widget which means you can enjoy the same creamy head and fresh taste of Boddingtons Pub Ale at home.

Look out for the big rush of air and bubbles from the nitrogen powered widget and have your pint glass ready. This beer pours with a thick and foamy head. Wonderful active bubbles slowly float to the top to form a thick white head. This creamy white head sits on top of a golden amber body with tons of tiny slow rising bubbles. The aroma is floral with some malty notes. The flavor is creamy, sweet and smooth. It has a very light malt character with a watery middle and some bitter hops in the finish. Overall it's a very interesting beer with smooth light flavors.

I can best describe this draught in a can version of boddingtons bitter as a kind of vanilla Guiness. Try it if you can you wont regret it.

I noticed that I have not posted any Scottish beers on this page, so I thought I would put that right today. The Caladonian brewery In Edinburgh is the sole survivor of over 40 breweries that the city originally boasted.

Very much like a working museum, it still brews its beers exactly as they were brewed in Victorian times, The only other place you'll find the same chute of their steels masher is in Burton on Trent - in the Bass Brewing Museum. They also have the only direct-fired open coppers still at work in the UK. The Victorian design still effective today as the hand beaten inner dome concentrates the heat and develops a constant churn and roll.

Out of all that history comes Duechars IPA (india pale ale) - award winning ale, now part of Edinburgh's rich brewing heritage, Deuchars IPA is a pale gold color with intense hop flavors and aromas balanced with Caledonian's traditional soft maltiness. It is an excellent aperitif! Deuchars IPA is hand crafted in the original Victorian brewhouse. The malt infusion and hop flowers are boiled vigorously, in the direct-fired open coppers, imparting a unique flavor to this exceptionally refreshing late-hopped ale.

Well worth trying if you are ever in Edinburgh.

London Porter can trace it's roots back to the early 1800's, Originally a cheap mix of stale or old brown ale, with new brown ale and pale ale. Produced in the bar or pub by pulling the pint from three different pumps.

As the popularity of this drink increased it became a very time consuming task for the bar staff to produce. London brewers started to produce a beer called 'entire' which was brewed to match the tastes of these mixes.

Using high roasted malts, entire was dark, cloudy and hoppy. It was also easily produced in bulk and ideally suited to the soft well water of London.it became popular among the porters working in Billingsgate and Smithfield markets. Gradually, the beer took on the name Porter in recognition of its greatest devotees.

Fuller's London Porter, is widely regarded as the World's Finest example it has won awards all over the world,

Fuller's London Porter is no longer a cloudy pint these days! Rich, dark and complex, at 5.4% ABV the beer has an outstanding depth of flavor.

It is brewed from a blend of Brown, Crystal and Chocolate malts for a creamy delivery balanced by traditional Fuggles hops. The range of flavors works well with a wide variety of foods, ranging from rich meat dishes, to oysters, and even chocolate puddings.

Hobgoblin is strong in roasted malt with a moderate hoppy bitterness and slight fruity character that lasts through to the end. The self proclaimed unofficial beer of Halloween why not add some to your Halloween party fare, I will be (any excuse to sink a few of these). A very worthy addition to anyones list of favorite beers.

The ruby red colored Hobgoblin is full-bodied and has a delicious chocolate toffee malt flavor balanced with a rounded moderate bitterness and an overall fruity character. It is brewed in Witney, Oxfordshire, by the Wychwood Brewery.

Wychwood Brewery is located in the town of Witney, Oxfordshire.It produces around 50,000 barrels (8,200,000 L) of cask ale each year, and is the UK's largest brewer of organic ales.

The brewery is noted for its intricate, fantasy-inspired label artwork, and is Sited at the old Eagle Maltings that were built in 1841 to malt barley for John William Clinch's brewery.Clinch & Co Brewery was respected in Southern England with an estate of seventy one pubs. In 1961 Courage bought Clinch's for its pub estate and closed down the brewery.

In 1983 the original Clinch's Brewery site was purchased by Paddy Glenny who christened the building The Eagle Brewery, but named the brewing company Glenny Brewery. In 1990, the Eagle was re-named the Wychwood Brewery after the ancient Wychwood Forest which borders Witney. The brewery was taken over in the spring of 2002 by Refresh UK and subsequently in 2008 by Marstons PLC.

Founded in 1858 by Timothy Taylor who began brewing beer in Cook Lane in the town of Keighley In Yorkshire. He clearly struck upon a successful formula for in 1863 he set up and built a larger brewery at Knowle Spring, where the company has remained ever since.

The superb spring water that wells up from deep under the Pennines is still used today to produce some of Englands best traditional cask ales. The brewery remains in the Taylor family and is now the last independent brewery of its type left in West Yorkshire. This independence enables Taylors to survive as one of the few brewers still brewing true cask ales in the same way it has always done.

Timothy Taylor Landlord Pale Ale is available filtered and pasteurised in 500ml bottles. Ingredients: Golden Promise malt; Styrian Goldings, Goldings and Fuggles hops; Oldham Brewery yeast. First brewed in the 1950's. Typical 4.3% ABV alcohol by volume.

A Classic Strong Pale Ale, Landlord has won more awards nationally than any other beer: This includes four times as Champion at the Brewers' International Exhibition and four times as CAMRA's beer of the year. It has a beautiful Clear copper-brown colour and when poured it produces a mid-sized off white head. It has a Fruity and malty taste with hints of caramel and raisins. The finish has got some rather intensive and spicy hoppy flavors. I find it a very Well-balanced and very drinkable brew, a good one and well worth adding to your shopping list.

Robert Theakston first took a lease on The Black Bull Inn and Brewhouse in 1827, Theakstons is a brewer that has become synonymous with award winning creamy ales and in particular - the legendary Old Peculier.

At 5.6% alcohol by volume this is a rich dark smooth rasting beer it has a complex and complete character, Brewed using the traditional Fuggle hop,
it's a truly unique world famous beer,

dark crystal clear ruby color A very nice hopiness deep toffee butteriness, Starts off creamy with a distinct earthiness with very slight chocolate malt. Oak is present throughout and especially on the finish. A peculier chap that is well worth getting to know.

Russian imperial stout was originally brewed in Great Britain to satisfy the Czarist courts, who were great connoisseurs of Champagne, caviar and the art of the table. Because it was transported across the Baltic, Russian imperial stout was brewed with a high level of alcohol to stop it freezing.

Stouts, are inevitably compared to with Guinness, but in my opinion, the draught (can and bottle) versions of Guinness fall significantly short in the taste department, something very metallic and processed in the palate. The bottled extra stout version is an improvement, though I prefer the sweet stouts like Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout, also reviewed on this page. However my personal standard of stout, as a total class, was significantly raised with my first tasting of Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout.

Dark and thick with a firm head. It pervades your senses with its rich malty aroma. Stronger than its oatmeal stout stable mate at 7% alcohol by volume, it has anunbelievably complex mix of flavours that assault your taste buds as you drink this brew. Taste malty, creamy, dry, a little bit of hop, licorice, coffee, and bitter chocolate with a scented and roasted barley nose. The Complexity of malt, hops, alcohol and yeast and the stronger alcohol however never overwhelm thepallet.

Sam smiths imperial stout good enough for the czar and a worthy inclusion in any ones beer store.

I Love this pie, It's simple and tastes great.

Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 2hr and a bit for the filling, 25 minutes for pie

Ingredients (serves 8)

* 2 kg diced stewing steak (1inch Cubes)
* 3 sliced onions
* 4 crushed cloves garlic
* 1 tbs oil
* 2/3 cup plain flour
* 400ml stout (any will do and each will add its own unique flavor)
* 2 cups beef stock
* Ready made puff pastry to cover (pre rolled if you want it really easy)
* 1 beaten egg

Method

1. Brown 2kg diced stewing steak in hot oil. Set aside. Cook 3 sliced onions and 4 crushed cloves garlic in 1 tbs oil until golden. Sprinkle in 2/3 cup plain flour and cook for 1 min.
2. Return meat and juices to pan, add 400ml of stout (Drink the rest) and 2 cups beef stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 2 hours until tender and sauce has thickened (stir occasionally).
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Spoon beef mixture into an oven proof dish. Cover with puff pastry. Brush with beaten egg, place on a tray and bake for 25 minutes until golden.