Beer!

[tamecrow]

I've just noticed it's Friday tomorrow, which means a trip to my local pub. Well, it's not particularly local - it's about a mile to walk, but get this - it does NO brand-name beers. It's all real ale and proper beer. Superb.

Anyway, my question is - what is your preferred style of beer? Mine change quite a bit, but at the moment I'm loving Mild, and this is my weapon of choice. It's a fantastic beer and definitely worth a few pints next time you stumble across a Banks & Taylor pub.

So, what's your favourite beer?

[Brian Turner]

I'm a cider guy - nice and dry, but not too strong.

Tend to drink in these days as usually too exhausted to go out or plan. I think. Trying to break the habit, though.

Either way, tomorrow is Friday so I'll get to kick my work shoes off, get dressed up, and have a couple of tinnies with the girlfriend watching Friends and Frasier.

[tamecrow]

Brian - have you tried Old Rosie English Cider? They do that on tap in my local B&T's and it's rocket fuel!

[monaghan]

Mild - You must have a "proper pub" then Not many places these days that you can get mild. I do prefer the darker ales, beer you can see through is just that bit too much like lager to me

I just can't get my head round blokes drinking lager, when we were bought up, men drank ale, women drank lager and boys drank cider.

I used to drink cider until about 17 when I drank too much cider on top of a dodgy tummy and was really ill with it, never been able to touch the stuff since, but then again I'd already started on the real ale, so not too much of an issue

I don't get out to drink that often (wife & kids and too many "plastic" pubs round here), however I've noticed that many "beers" are now being sold chilled like lager and are tasteless, fortunately the Green King IPA I had last time we went out improved once I let it warm up. You still can't beat a pint of ale gravity fed straight out of the cask (kept cool but not chilled)

[tamecrow]

B&T do a few milds, actually, but that one is one of my favourites. It's traditionally still fairly alive up north, but we have a lot of local breweries around our way (Bedfordshire) and most do at least one or two milds.

The pub I mentioned has around 15-20 ales on tap. Proper hand pumps too. Truly super stuff.

[monaghan]

Hand pumps are OK, but doesn't beat a jug of ale from the tap on the cask

We're not too far away from you (Hertfordshire), however you need to get out of town to get real beer, although a few in the town seem to be going back to serving ale.

[tamecrow]

Ah, I'm on the Beds/Herts border - which town are you in?

[monaghan]

Not far away from you then, we're in Stevenage

[Indigo]

Anything from the Hogs Back Brewery in Tongham near Aldershot - marvellous!

[Gary]

I'm a Yorshire lad so it's a pint of best bitter for me.

Damn thats made me all thirsty now.