English Beer-To-Go: A Cultural Curiosity

Beer is a significant part of English culture and history. The country is known for its top-fermented cask beer, or real ale, which is served from the cask in a cellar and has only natural carbonation. The English have been brewing beer for thousands of years, and it has played a vital role in their daily lives, even being used to bathe newborn babies!

Today, the English beer market is dominated by mass-produced lagers owned by global giants, but the future of craft beer in the country looks promising. There has been an explosion of interest in craft beer, with consumers, especially younger ones, drawn to the highly flavourful and distinctive nature of these brews. This shift has also led to a revival of mild ale, which was previously in danger of disappearing.

The English do buy beer to take home, with bottled beer having a firm place in the market and some brands, like Newcastle Brown Ale, being sold almost entirely in bottles.

English beer styles

Bitter

Bitter is a broad term for a well-hopped pale ale with an ABV ranging from 3.5% to 7% and a colour varying from pale gold to dark mahogany. English brewers use loose names for bitter's strength, such as best bitter, special bitter, extra special bitter, and premium bitter. Bitter is dispensed in various formats, including hand-pulled from the cask, on draught from the keg, smoothflow, or bottled. Bitter is not as bitter as its name suggests, especially compared to hop-heavy American IPAs.

Mild

Mild ales are low-gravity beers with a low hop rate and a predominantly malty palate. They have an ABV of 3% to 3.6%, though stronger traditional examples can reach 6% ABV. Mild ales come in pale and dark styles, with the dark style having a rich, deep brown to near-black appearance. Mild ales are best suited for a lengthy session on a bar stool and pair well with cheddar cheese or pizza.

Brown Ale

Brown ales are a sweeter variation of mild ales, ranging in colour from amber to dark brown. They have more malt than hops, with fruity or nutty aromas and flavours, and an ABV between 4% and 6%. Brown ales pair well with charcuterie platters, hearty beef dishes, and cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese.

India Pale Ale (IPA)

The ever-popular India Pale Ale (IPA) is a history lesson in a pint glass. English IPAs have a characteristic ultra-hopped and lightly malted body that promotes natural preservation during long voyages. They have a lower ABV, between 4% and 7%, which helped keep taxes low in the colonial market. English IPAs are more malt-forward than their American counterparts, with a less aggressive hop profile that tends to be more earthy and floral. IPAs pair well with mild blue cheese or boldly spiced curry.

Old Ale/English Barleywine

Old ales are dark, malty beers with an ABV above 4.5%. They are often aged in casks or vats, developing a tangy, acidic character and sharp, fruity, and vinous notes. Some old ales are bottled and can be aged for several years. They pair well with special British dishes like Sunday roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, or lamb.

Stout

Stouts are dark, bold, and beautiful, with a roasted and toasty flavour. They achieve their distinctive dark brown to jet-black colour from long-roasted, charred barley. Stouts have an ABV between 4% and 7% and can be enhanced with notes of cocoa, coffee, or toffee. They are a great choice for fireside revelry during the cold winter season or with tangy, smoky food like barbecue.

Porter

Porter is a historically significant style developed in 18th-century London and is the ancestor of stout. Porters are less alcoholic than stouts, typically with an ABV of 4% to 5.4%, and lack the roasted or burnt characteristic. They may have chocolate or toffee notes and a medium level of hop bitterness. Porters are creamy and highly drinkable, pairing well with nutty, aged cow's milk cheese or charred or grilled meats.

Winter Warmer

Winter Warmers are robust, malty beers with some noticeable hop character, often flavoured with seasonal spices like cinnamon or clove. They have a dark colour, ranging from dark ruby red to near black, and an ABV between 6% and 8%. They are perfect for sipping by the fireplace after a day in the snow or with poultry or game meat for dinner.

Barleywine

Barleywines are amber to dark brown beers with a heavy body and high alcohol content, with ABVs between 8% and 12% or even higher. They have a thick body, intense malt character, and a fruity finish. They are warming sippers for cold weather and pair well with hearty winter meals or Sunday roasts.

English beer brands

The English have been brewing beer for thousands of years, and the country is known for its top-fermented cask beer, or "real ale", which is served straight from the cask in the pub cellar with only natural carbonation.

English beer styles include bitter, mild, brown ale, and old ale, while stout, porter, and India pale ale were originally brewed in London. Lager has also been rising in popularity since the mid-20th century.

• Newcastle Brown Ale: Dating back to 1927, this is the best-selling bottled beer in Europe and is famous for being the first Northern-style Brown Ale. It is characterised by its "nutty delicacy".
• Bass Ale: Brewed since 1777 in Burton-on-Trent, Bass Ale is a hoppy pale ale that was created as a rival to the popular dark stouts and porters of the time.
• Worthington White Shield: Dating back to 1829, this is a genuine Burton Pale Ale that is bottle-conditioned and produced in small numbers. It is known for its legendary status in the UK.
• Theakston's Old Peculier: England's best-known and most popular Old Ale, which is ready to drink and not overly complex. It is described as "acidic, dry and nicely hopped, leaving a long-lasting dry aftertaste".
• Morland Old Speckled Hen: With yeast dating back to 1896, this ale was launched in 1979 on the anniversary of the founding of the MG car factory. It is a popular brew that is known for its strong caramel-ish malt core.
• Charles Wells Bombardier: Founded in 1875, the Charles Wells Brewery created this beer in honour of "Bombardier" Billy Wells, the first British heavyweight boxing champion. It is described as "malty and mellow".
• Lees Harvest Ale: This ale is produced by J.W. Lees, a Manchester brewery dating back to 1828. It is known for its abundance of flavours, including alcohol, apple, cinnamon, prune, raisin, date, brown sugar, and toffee.
• Manns Original Brown Ale: Developed in 1902, this is the first and original brown ale from Southern England. It is a sweet and malty brew that became popular in the 1920s when it was marketed as "the sweetest beer in London".
• Marston's Pedigree: Brewed using the famous Burton Union system of linked oak casks, this ale is described as "one of the finest pints in England". It has a mellow flavour with a sense of woodiness.
• Thomas Hardy's Ale: Brewed as a one-off celebration of the writer Thomas Hardy in 1968, this ale proved so popular that it continued to be produced regularly. It is a recreation of the Dorchester Ale that Hardy loved and described as "of the most beautiful colour that the eye of an artist in beer could desire".
• Whitbread Gold Label: England's best-known barley wine, which was first offered to the public in small bottles during the 19th century. It is a strong pale barley wine that was originally consumed by the upper classes.
• Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild: Brewed behind the Beacon Hotel in the Midlands, this ale dates back to an original 1921 recipe. It is a strong mild (6%) with a complex flavour profile.
• Shepherd Neame Bishop's Finger: Dating back to 1698, Shepherd Neame claims to be Britain's oldest brewery. Bishop's Finger is a bottled beer that became so popular that a cask version was also released. It is described as having hints of raisins, licorice, and vanilla.
• Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale: A favourite of the renowned beer critic Michael Jackson, this ale sparked a revolution in American craft brewing. It is described as a well-behaved interpretation of a Nut Brown Ale.
• Sam Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale: Also a favourite of Michael Jackson, this ale is produced in the Old Brewery in Tadcaster, which uses the Yorkshire stone square system to allow the yeast plenty of access to air. It has a fruity acidic quality and is described as having an amazing balance of flavours.
• Double Maxim: First brewed in 1901 by Vaux brewery to celebrate the returning soldiers of the Boer War. This ale has a muddy pale colour and is described as having sour and apple tones with a champagne-like finish.
• Hook Norton's Old Hooky: Produced by Hook Norton, a traditional brewery that uses steam engines and horses for delivery. This is a classic premium bitter with a very fresh and fruity flavour profile.
• Fuller's ESB: Claimed by Michael Jackson as one of Britain's two world-class breweries, Fuller's ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter. It has influenced many breweries around the world to produce their own interpretations of a premium bitter.
• Fuller's London Porter: As porter belongs to London, it is fitting that one of London's famous breweries, Fuller's, produces this style of beer. It is described as a very smooth porter that is not overwhelming.

English beer history

Beer has been brewed in England for thousands of years, with evidence of brewing in Romano-Celtic Britain dating back to 54 BC. In the Middle Ages, beer was one of the most common drinks, with per capita consumption in England reaching 275–300 litres a year by the Late Middle Ages. Beer was consumed daily by all social classes in the northern and eastern parts of Europe, where grape cultivation was difficult or impossible.

In the 15th century, hops were introduced to England by merchants from Flanders and Holland, with the first hopped beer brewed around 1400. The new, hopped variety was called "beer", while the unhopped drink was called "ale". By the end of the century, beer had almost completely replaced the old English sweet ale and was being exported to Europe.

The 18th century saw the development of a new style of dark beer in London: porter. Porter was the first beer to be aged at the brewery and dispatched ready to drink. It was also the first beer that could be made on a large scale, and London porter brewers such as Whitbread, Truman, Parsons and Thrale achieved great financial success.

In the 19th century, a typical brewery produced three or four mild ales, usually designated by a number of Xs, with the weakest being X and the strongest XXXX. Mild ales were considerably stronger than they are today, with gravities ranging from around 5.5% to 7% ABV.

In the 20th century, lager began to increase in popularity, with English brewers producing their own brands or brewing under licence. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) was founded in 1971 to protect traditional, unpressurised beer and brewing methods.

Today, lager accounts for more than half of the English beer market, with Carling and Foster's being the best-selling beers. However, there has also been an explosion of interest in craft beer, with a focus on highly flavourful and distinctive beers from small breweries.

English beer culture

A Brief History of English Beer

England has been brewing beer for thousands of years, and it is known for its top-fermented cask beer, or "real ale", which finishes maturing in the cellar of the pub rather than at the brewery. English beer styles include bitter, mild, brown ale, and old ale, with stout, porter, and India pale ale also originally brewed in London. Lager became increasingly popular from the mid-20th century, and today, more than half of the English market is lager in the Pilsener and Export styles.

The Role of Pubs

The English pub is a national institution, providing a "third place" for people to relax and socialise outside of their homes and workplaces. Pubs were often the focal points of communities, where business was conducted and free time was spent. During the Middle Ages, alewives would put out an ale-wand to signal that their beer was ready, and men would gather to drink and socialise. Over time, brewing became more organised and commercial, with men forming guilds such as the Brewers Guild in London. The Beerhouse Act of 1830 further transformed the industry by allowing anyone to brew and sell beer, leading to the opening of hundreds of new pubs.

Beer Styles and Brewing Techniques

English beer styles have evolved over the centuries, influenced by cultural, social, and technological changes. The introduction of hops in the 9th century marked a shift from unhopped ale to beer, and the development of porter in the 18th century created a new style of dark, full-bodied beer. The rise of the Industrial Revolution and global trade led to the creation of India Pale Ale, a strong, hoppy beer that could withstand the rigours of sea travel. The late 20th century saw a shift towards lager, influenced by foreign travel and marketing campaigns, and the standardisation of brewing practices by large corporations. However, a revival of craft beer and cask ale brewing has occurred in recent years, with a focus on innovation and experimentation while honouring traditional techniques.

Beer in Modern England

Today, England has over 3,000 breweries, ranging from international megabreweries to regional breweries and microbreweries. The variety of beers available is perhaps unparalleled, with a mix of traditional styles and modern innovations. While lager remains the most popular style, there is a growing appreciation for craft beer, with a focus on flavour and distinctiveness. The future of English beer may be uncertain, with a decline in pub culture, but the tradition of brewing and appreciation for beer remains strong.

English beer and tourism

English beer has a long and rich history, dating back to the arrival of the Romans in 54 BC. Brewing was already well-established at that time, and it continued to thrive under Roman rule. Throughout the centuries, beer remained an important part of everyday life in England, providing essential nutrients and a source of clean water.

Today, England boasts a diverse range of beer styles, from bitter and mild to brown ale and old ale. The country is particularly known for its top-fermented cask beer, or "real ale," which finishes maturing in the cellar of the pub rather than at the brewery. This traditional method of serving beer creates a natural carbonation and a complex flavour profile.

The rise of craft beer in recent years has further enhanced England's reputation as a beer destination. With over 3,000 breweries across the country, there is now more variety and complexity in English beer than ever before. This includes a growing number of microbreweries and brewpubs, which offer a unique and intimate beer-drinking experience.

When it comes to English beer and tourism, certain towns and cities stand out. London, of course, is unrivalled for its historic pubs, and other cities like Derby, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff, and Bristol also offer a wealth of brewing talent and unique drinking establishments.

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