English Ale appreciation

I agree. I've spent a good deal of time in the British Isles and learned to love the beers, no matter which region I was in. The lower alcohol, beautiful fresh and rich malt flavors and the varied hopping methods are still my favorite beers since my first visit over 50 years ago. As I've said many times I miss Young's. But I still buy various Fullers flavors and loved Meantime IPA when it was available.

 

Not a single English Ale at our Old Chicago in Casper.

 

I say:

1.) Hell yeah
2.) I'm going to my basement to grab a bomber of my homebrewed Dark Mild

 

I'd also like to add that, for those in the area, "Welly" an English bitter by Fox Farm brewery, is fantastic.

 

English Ales are my favorite and this has been a dark time for me. I don't think it is going to change with people going back to subtilty and nuance. When I went to London a few years ago I was in heaven. Every single beer hand pulled and under 5% ABV.

 

Had a couple yesterday at one of my favorite breweries in town, Holler. They do English, German, and Belgian styles really well...so I'm all covered

ESB on cask


Their Pub Crusher, 4% ABV Dark Mild, maybe my favorite beer made in Texas. This should be the next cask offering as soon as ESB kicks (just on CO2 at the moment). ESB is always great but Pub Crusher is just sublime IMO.

 

For years my favorite beer was Blue Point ESB. The popularity of the beer decreased, and availability vanished, even before the sale to ABInbev. No chance for a resurrection now. The old River Avenue brewery tasting room usually featured a cask also.

 

Definitely on board with low abv ales and more variety. I'll be on lookout

 

I also drank a ton of Bridgeport ESB back in the day. Always loved that beer, and was one of the beers that introduced me to bottle conditioning.

 

I often visited relatives in Portland over the years, and tried to stop by Bridgeport. One afternoon about 30 years ago, my wife and I encountered the best cask porter imaginable at Bridgeport. About 25 years before that as a Portland State student, I shared a small bungalow at 14th and Northrup, near the future sites of Bridgeport and Widmer. At the time we had a hardware warehouse, a trucking company depot, and a foundry as neighbors.

 

You really need to check out Civil Life. Not only is their ESB delicious but all their beers, all below 6% ABV, are so full of flavor.

 

On my first trip to London our group hit our first Young's pub of the whole trip on our last night. After a couple different beers I ordered a cask Porter for last call.

Damn, I thought out loud; why hadn't I been drinking that the whole trip!!

 

On the list the next time I visit my son in Denver...

If you are ever in the SF Bay Area, check out Freewheel Brewing

 

In 1976, my wife and I with my mother vacationed in London and Holland (flew Freddy Laker). We made a special trip to a Young's Pub (Alexandra in Wimbledon I think). I wanted cask, but the cask was empty. Looking back, we were probably having lunch in the saloon bar; might have had better luck in the public bar. Live and learn (but I've never been able to get back to Britain).

 

Acopon Brewing in the Texas Hill Country near Austin has cask ales always on tap. Have only been able to visit once so far but it tis a pleasant memory. Our very local Savage Brew Labs recently had an excellent ESB. Hoping for more English style ales.

 

Sign me up.
Anytime I see - find an English ale-mild-bitter of any kind, I'll buy it.
Rarely disappointed.
Cheers..."mates"

 

Here's a plug for Montauk Driftwood Ale (cans). It's English style pale ale and pretty tasty -- or was. It disappears each summer but has come back in the fall. Haven't seen it yet this year, though.

 

Where you been? (Oh yeah, across the pond)

Honkers is only available on tap at the Chicago pub -- and maybe their O'Hare airport location? Can't remember for sure on that one.

Honkers is little more than a lamented memory to us these days.