Off: BEER

[Jon Jarrett]

On Fri, 30 Aug 2002, Warburton, Chris (OAG) wrote:

> Time to set the record straight on a few things here *G*

        <snip>

>         In the days when it had two weeks cask conditioning in the brewery
> before shipping, Marstons Pedigree, when kept properly, was the finest
> premium bitter bar none. I do concede that it disagrees with some people,
> apparently partly due to the unique yeast strain which produces longer chain
> alcohols in addition to good old Ethyl.
>
>         Unfortunately, corporate bean-counters (I think from Whitbread, who
> used to have a substantial holding) decided that in order to gain a windfall
> profit equivalent to that two weeks worth of fine ale and never mind that
> they were ruining the reputation of their flagship product.  Kinda like when
> Bass took out their Burton Unions and went for secondary fermentation in
> tanks.

        I remember the change. They redesigned the label at the same time,
never a good sign, though Abbot seems to have survived. (Yes, I drink most
of my beer bottled these days, so would you if you had my life.)

> Pedigree has recovered somewhat since then, but following the above
> armageddon, the most consistently good beer that I had in that period was
> definitely Taylor's Landlord.  That beer CAN travel, never had any problems
> with it in Derbyshire, and it's always fine when it's a guest at Victoria
> here in Dunstable; I think it's a question of receiving the appropriate TLC
> from the pub landlord.

        Maybe so. It doesn't really meet my idea of the best beer in
England even bottled, and I guess I've never found it good then.

> Youngs: we-e-e-ll-ll, it's alright, but for consistency & quality (again, it
> may be to do with the general standard of the publicans) I reckon Fuller
> Smith & Turner win hands down as producers of London beer(IMNSHO).

        Umf. Again I have to disagree from my own experience (not as broad
as yours I'm sure, but... ) Young's Bitter and Fuller's London Pride I
know to my cost, having kept them both at bar, are very variable. Pride
needs to be kept cooler than it usually is and in any case has an optium
life of about three days after which it starts turning thick and sugary or
flat, tasteless and headache-inducing. Youngs Bitter gets slowly thicker
and at the six or seven day point becomes unservably sour quite
suddenly. And I've found both where someone else was having this
problem. Now these are the beers you'll usually find on draught by these
breweries outside their own pubs, which is a pity as for example Young's
Special or Old Nick and Fuller's Chiswick Bitter or ESB are all much more
robust and seem to take rougher treatment. I rate them both about equal
except that Ram Rod and Special are my favourite beers so Youngs have my
loyalty for that :-)

> In general terms though, unless I have prior knowledge of quality ale in a
> quality hotelry, I subscribe to the esteemed Mr. Lockwood's view that
> drinking the local pop is generally the best option.
>
> In defense of my somewhat arrogantly stated views, my excuse is that I grew
> up in Burton Upon Trent, brewing capital of Britain, in the days when the
> companies that sold the beer were still actually breweries, and since there
> was basically *** all else to do in Burton, you became a beer connoisseur by
> default.

        And I grew up in Watford, where the two industries were beer
(Benskins) and paper, two things of which society's use has only gone up
while I've been growing (no connection I assure you) and both industries
still managed to go out of business. But I left this tasteless hellhole
and moved to Cambridge where they are closing down and refurbishing all
the dark smokey pubs and turning them into Hogsheads and
All-Bar-One-a-likes. Bar-stewards is not quite the word. I'm sure you know
what I mean... Yours,
                      Jon

ObCD: Man or Astroman? - _1000x_
--
"I recognise that I have transgressed many of the precepts of the divine
law, and that I am subjected by various vices and iniquities, disobedient
to the words of the divine mystery brought unto me and a worshipper of the
delights of this military age." Marquis Borrell of Barcelona, 955 A.D.

             (Jonathan Jarrett, Birkbeck College London)