The Island Way

Before 1880, British beers were substantial, averaging 1.060 and reaching the 1.090s. In 1880, William Gladstone pushed new brewery taxes. The Free Mash Tun Act moved away from charging brewers on the amount of malt they used and instead on their gravity. This, combined with the rising needs of the Industrial Revolution, pushed the overall alcohol level down to less than 4 percent on average and created the modern British world of session beers. Ireland, as a part of the UK at the time, experienced the same taxes and transformation of the drinking culture.

A unique British beer tradition is the old-fashioned serving of “Real Ale” pumped from unpressurized casks. Brewers naturally carbonate the beer, much like your bottles of homebrew. The cask is tapped and beer is drawn via a beer engine to the glass. With no extra CO₂ to push the beer or replace the headspace, air is drawn into the cask to mingle and oxidize the beer. Real ale must be served rapidly before it spoils from airborne microbes. The pint reaches the consumer at cellar temperature around 50°F (not warm) and presents wider malt and softer, more floral hop aromas and flavors.

Beware the fake “Real Ale” hand pumps found in a number of “English” pubs in America. Often, even in a brewpub, the beer engines are hooked up to kegs of force-carbonated beer and aren’t representative of the true cask beer experience.

By the 1970s British pubs abandoned Real Ale in favor of force-carbonated kegged beer. Disturbed at the change, Brits formed the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to protect and promote traditional practices. Their consumer campaigns have helped restore flagging pubs and breweries. They run national promotions to encourage the drinking of mild, cider, stout, and porter.

The Joy of the Session Beer

The session ale fuels the classic British pub session. As you trade rounds, the session ale keeps your head in the game and lubricates the conversation and the game of darts. The trick for a brewer lies in making low-alcohol flavorful and refreshing beers.

Some homebrewers don’t see the value of brewing lower-gravity ale preferring every beer to come screaming out of the kettles stupendously potent. Sadly, the great session beers of the UK don’t travel well, so if you want a mild to sustain you, you’ll need to brew your own.

Adjunct snobs beware! British brewers use a variety of additives and adjuncts to their brews including corn (maize), sugar, molasses, and more. Keep this in mind when designing recipes.

Brown Ales

When you want a drink of toasted malt with a little sweetness, reach for British brown ale. To the hardworking miners, this was their daily quencher. Today brown ales are enjoying a resurgence thanks to their universal approachability. Even those who claim to hate all beer can find something to love in the ale’s aroma of light fruit and caramel with a taste of toast and sweet, buttered hazelnuts.

Brown ales get their character from the premium floor-malted pale ale malts such as Maris Otter or Golden Promise. The higher kilning of British malts gives a richer toasted grain than other ale malt or pilsner malts. Crystal (caramel in British terminology) mixes into the equation for increased body, sweetness, and color. Roasted malts polish off the final color. Hop use is minimal, just enough to balance. Brown ales benefit from the fruity British strains to add an ester dimension to the aroma.