Britain: Home of Real Ale
Britain’s brewing history is so long that the notion of what “beer” is has undergone numerous transformations. “Ale” was first a fermented malt beverage seasoned with herbs, until the 15th century when English brewers—influenced by the Dutch—introduced hops as a preservative and began creating “beer.” The 1600s saw a surge in commercially brewed beer, making brewing a major business activity in the country. Darker ales such as stouts and porters were the mainstays of the industry until the advent of pale ales in the 1700s, which supplanted dark beers in public favor.

Even the latter half of the 20th century saw changes in Britain’s brewing industry. Despite the dominance of major breweries, “real ale” continued to survive and prosper. In a British context, “real ale” refers to living ale that is hand-pumped at the bar from cooled cellars below where casks of unfiltered, unpasteurized, natural beer reside peacefully. It is served at room temperature and requires a skilled pub owner to serve properly.

It is hard for a U.S. consumer to understand British beer without tasting a good British ale. These are generally fruitier, softer and more delicate than their U.S. counterparts and often have a more nuanced hop character. In many major U.S. markets there are thriving niches supported by small importers of bottle-conditioned British ales. Adnams, Young & Co., JW Lees and Fuller’s are examples of independent British brewers with bottle-conditioned products represented in the U.S. market. Some enterprising importers have even successfully managed to air-freight cask-conditioned real ale to a select handful of American bars. An increasing selection of canned and bottled English ales are also available to U.S. consumers, as in the case of the Yorkshire brewer Samuel Smith’s.