What Beers Are Popular In England?

P3Orion · Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:32 pm

I really enjoy Newcastle Brown Ale as well as Boddington's. So I am curious what is the beer of choice in England? Please don't say Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, MGD or Miller Lite. I would be very, very disappointed.

PlymSpotter · Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:42 pm

Speaking purely as a student - the cheapest Big grin

Out of choice I'll go for the real ales instead of beer or lager, my favourite being 'Tribute' a local Ale from the St Austell Brewery in Cornwall;

Dan

kmh1956 · Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:55 pm

I was always partial to Boddington's.....on tap, thank you, none of that canned crap. Tetley's went down fairly well occasionally too.....

ThePRGuy · Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:05 pm

Some of the Jennings ales from the Cumberland region are nice. I remember asking quietly at the bar in the summer, and being surrounded by the "locals" advising as to what was the best and offering testers.

Quality.

Blackbird · Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:08 pm

I love Guinness -- oddly I don't like most beers...

Blackbird

LHRjc · Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:17 am

Anything that isn't Fosters.

johns624 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:22 am

Quoting Blackbird (Reply 4):
I love Guinness -- oddly I don't like most beers...

Guinness is Irish, not English.

[Edited 2008-09-24 20:22:56]

[Edited 2008-09-24 20:23:19]

Kent350787 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:28 am

I don't believe this - an a.net beer thread with almost no activity!!

Quoting LHRjc (Reply 5):
Anything that isn't Fosters.

You may have good sense, but Brits consume considerably more Foster's per capita than Australians. And UK brewed Foster's tastes even worse than the Oz version, if that's possible.....

The more Fosters was promoted here, the less they sold, so they usually only advertise at internationally televised sports events these days.

Don't mind a Newcy Brown, and Masham (Theakstons and Black Sheep - both owned by Black Sheep these days) is well worth a visit. How Peculier!

Kent

workflyer · Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:57 am

I used to drink Courage Bitter. But I lived in Reading and could not get away from it. In fact living in Reading drove me to drink it, had to do something to take away the boredom.

As well as that Flowers Bitter is not a bad drop.

Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7):
You may have good sense, but Brits consume considerably more Foster's per capita than Australians. And UK brewed Foster's tastes even worse than the Oz version, if that's possible.....

It suprised me how much of this much the Poms drink as well. Especially as there are MUCH better beers out of OZ.

WunalaYann · Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:21 am

Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7):
I don't believe this - an a.net beer thread with almost no activity!!

Meh, maybe because the usual suspects are nursing a bad hangover (no, not me)? Wink

IH8BY · Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:02 am

The big US brands are still pretty minor in England - Coors has quite a presence but as a company rather than a brand, despite recent heavy promotion of Coors Light. I assume that must be the most common US beer to have on tap in bars and pubs, given that Bud, where available, is bottled.

People drink a lot of Stella Artois (mostly brewed in the UK, not imported), Fosters (I hate it - more so from cans - but if available at £1.40 a pint after a few better drinks it doesn't seem such a bad idea), John Smith's (never had it!), Carlsberg, and Carling (useful cheap ingredient for student favourite Snakebites - could PlymSpotter enlighten us further?).

Quoting WunalaYann (Reply 9):
Meh, maybe because the usual suspects are nursing a bad hangover (no, not me)? Wink

Plus many of the usual suspects are located in the UK, but not necessarily England (include the rest of the countries and you get to add known alcoholics like Kirkie into the mixture).

WunalaYann · Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:35 am

Quoting IH8BY (Reply 10):
Plus many of the usual suspects are located in the UK, but not necessarily England (include the rest of the countries and you get to add known alcoholics like Kirkie into the mixture).

Please. No. Not again. I can't take it anymore. biggrin

gkirk · Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:47 am

Quoting WunalaYann (Reply 9):
Meh, maybe because the usual suspects are nursing a bad hangover (no, not me)? Wink

Quoting IH8BY (Reply 10):
Plus many of the usual suspects are located in the UK, but not necessarily England (include the rest of the countries and you get to add known alcoholics like Kirkie into the mixture).

Quoting WunalaYann (Reply 11):
Please. No. Not again. I can't take it anymore. biggrin

Ahem, I've not had a decent drinking session for over a week now thank you very much snooty

GKirk - Sober

Mike89406 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:52 am

Quoting LHRjc (Reply 5):
Anything that isn't Fosters.

Lol, That beer isn't even popular in Australia Big grin

metroliner · Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:08 am

Grolsch is quite abundant at the moment. It's possibly the nicer of the 'mid-to-low' range lagers. IMO it beats Stella, Carlsberg, Carling (mid-range? pah) hands down. But it is Dutch. So my vote goes to London Pride - great as a winter warmer on long bike rides!

Quoting Mike89406 (Reply 13):
That beer isn't even popular in Australia

Not surprising - it's brewed here in Reading! Wink

ajd1992 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:33 am

Quoting Metroliner (Reply 14):
Grolsch is quite abundant at the moment. It's possibly the nicer of the 'mid-to-low' range lagers. IMO it beats Stella, Carlsberg, Carling (mid-range? pah) hands down. But it is Dutch. So my vote goes to London Pride - great as a winter warmer on long bike rides!

Grolsch is probably the only beer i'll drink, most of the US stuff tastes like crap and a lot of the EU stuff isn't much better. Grolsch is strong too Wink

5.0% i think. I like Stella Artois too, but only as a last resort.

Bitter is just horrible and only good for shandy if i'm honest. But nobody drinks those anyway Wink

nighthawk · Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:25 am

Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7):
I don't believe this - an a.net beer thread with almost no activity!!

as has been pointed out, the OP asked for what was popular in england, as most of the a.net beer drinkers are located in Scotland, we cannot comment on the situation south of the border.

gordonsmall · Thu Sep 25, 2008 11:55 am

Quoting Nighthawk (Reply 16):
we cannot comment on the situation south of the border.

Nor would we want to! Have you seen some of the shite they serve up in pubs down there? Makes that american virgin's piss seem, almost, drinkable. duck

johns624 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:19 pm

What do you Scots think of McEwen's?

SpeedBirdA380 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:26 pm

The beer's of choice? - Mostly European beer's. Grolsch, Heineken,carslberg,becks,kronemberg etc... The list is endless!

As for US beer's they are available in virtually all supermarket's and store's and are quite popular but nowhere near as popular as European beers.

And of course England has many Ale's. Like you say NBA is very nice as is Boddington's. Have you ever tried John Smith's? - Im sure you would very much like that too. Of course there are hundred's more great Ale's but I dont have the time to list...

Quoting Metroliner (Reply 14):
Grolsch is quite abundant at the moment.

Yes it is. I used to drink Grolsch before it got really popular. I remember going down to my local store when it was only available to buy in those big 500ml bottle's with the rubber seal replacable bottle top.

gordonsmall · Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:48 pm

Quoting Johns624 (Reply 18):
What do you Scots think of McEwen's?

In what sense?

McEwans is a brand, not a type of beer. The McEwans brewery produce a wide range of alcoholic drinks inclunding light Beers, Lagers, Heavy beers, Ales etc

johns624 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:54 pm

Quoting Gordonsmall (Reply 20):
In what sense?

McEwans is a brand, not a type of beer. The McEwans brewery produce a wide range of alcoholic drinks inclunding light Beers, Lagers, Heavy beers, Ales etc

Oh sorry. I meant the Scottish Ale.

RobertNL070 · Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:05 pm

Quoting Johns624 (Reply 6):
Guinness is Irish, not English.

The OP was asking "What Beers Are Popular In England?", not "Which English Beers Are Popular?"

Quoting Metroliner (Reply 14):
But it is Dutch

It's delicious beer and it's the only pilsner that gets into my fridge. Much better than Heineken, Stella Artois, Carlsberg et al.

Quoting SpeedBirdA380 (Reply 19):
with the rubber seal replacable bottle top

That's called a beugel. The 'eu' you pronounce like the Fench 'eau' and the 'g' is slightly gutteral, similar to the 'ch' in 'loch'.

andz · Thu Sep 25, 2008 3:36 pm

Quoting Johns624 (Reply 18):
What do you Scots think of McEwen's?

My grand-dad used to drink one of the McEwen's, I remember there was a bikini babe on the can Smile

The advertising slogan was something like "Mc Ewen's, the best buy in beer!"

If I am in the UK I like Guinness extra cold or Stella.

SpeedBirdA380 · Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:59 pm

Quoting RobertNL070 (Reply 22):
That's called a beugel. The 'eu' you pronounce like the Fench 'eau' and the 'g' is slightly gutteral, similar to the 'ch' in 'loch'.

Thanks

Sketty222 · Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:56 pm

Quoting P3Orion (Thread starter):
I really enjoy Newcastle Brown

Enough said........drink more than 5 of these and your a proper man Big grin

.............brewed in my home town btw

Quoting IH8BY (Reply 10):
The big US brands are still pretty minor in England - Coors has quite a presence but as a company rather than a brand, despite recent heavy promotion of Coors Light.

Coors is a great beer and I wish more bars in the UK sold it. Its always no.1 on my list when I hit the States or Canada

Quoting Johns624 (Reply 18):
What do you Scots think of McEwen's?

McEwans scotch is a nice drink if you fancy a change.

I'm a lttle bit different to most drinkers in my circles because I like both lagers and beers.Some days I'll drink bitter/ales and somedays I'll drink lagers.

Favourite lager: Coors light
Usual lager I drink: Carling

Favourtie bitter/ale: Banks smooth
Usual bitter/ale: John Smiths

Most favourite beer ever: Newcastle Brown Ale

Bongodog1964 · Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:35 pm

Quoting Ajd1992 (Reply 15):
Bitter is just horrible and only good for shandy if i'm honest. But nobody drinks those anyway

Obviously you prefer your "beer" to be tasteless overchilled eurofizz
Sad

I understand that the most popular real ale in the UK is now Greene King IPA. It is certainly available in many pubs across East Anglia and London. The main reason for this is that Greene King persisted with real ales in the 1970's when the big brewers tried to force their disgusting pasteurised keg bitters down our throats. Fortunately the days of Watneys Red Barrell, Double Diamond etc are long gone.

The two remaining large UK owned brewers are Wolverhampton & Dudley with their Banks, Marstons & Jennings brands ; and Greene King with their Greene King, Morland, Ruddles & Belhaven brands .
In my experience you can generally rely on the products of both these brewers.

.

astuteman · Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:57 pm

Quoting PlymSpotter (Reply 1):
my favourite being 'Tribute' a local Ale from the St Austell Brewery in Cornwall;

quite superb choice, sir, if I may say.... Smile

Quoting ThePRGuy (Reply 3):
Some of the Jennings ales from the Cumberland region are nice

Bluebird bitter and its siblings are also worth a visit...

Quoting LHRjc (Reply 5):
Anything that isn't Fosters.

I've started to see Toohey's appearing in the UK now...
It's worth a try..

Rgds

Bongodog1964 · Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:19 pm

Quoting Astuteman (Reply 27):
Quoting ThePRGuy (Reply 3):
Some of the Jennings ales from the Cumberland region are nice

Bluebird bitter and its siblings are also worth a visit...

Cumbrioa has some fine small breweries; have always rated Hesket Newmarket very highly, and Hawkshead, plus of course the ones mentioned above.

IH8BY · Sun Sep 28, 2008 10:33 pm

Quoting Bongodog1964 (Reply 26):
Greene King with their Greene King, Morland, Ruddles & Belhaven brands .

Pity Greene King insist on homogenising their pubs and closing the breweries they absorb... I know it's good business sense, but Abingdon in Oxfordshire hasn't been the same since the Morland brewery closed, and it's left a lot of people bitter about their bitter...

asuflyer05 · Mon Sep 29, 2008 4:53 am

Quoting Sketty222 (Reply 25):
Enough said........drink more than 5 of these and your a proper man .............brewed in my home town btw

I just had 6. Finished off my 12 pack that I picked up on sale. Great beer.

cumulus · Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:24 am

Theakston's Old Peculiar. Blow your head off!!

RobertNL070 · Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:59 pm

Quoting Cumulus (Reply 31):
Theakston's Old Peculiar. Blow your head off!!

Now you're talking.

Next month I'll be visiting an old watering hole of mine, The Royal Standard of England at Forty Green. You can get Marston's Owd Rodger there. Two or three pints of that will make you feel a little unsteady.

N1120A · Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:04 pm

Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7):
I don't believe this - an a.net beer thread with almost no activity!!

Unfortunately, that is almost certainly related to ANCFlyer's conspicuous absence.

sunshine79 · Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:18 pm

I never thought I would say it but I love Newcy Broon ale, and also love Stones bitter. I normally drink half of my dad's can when he opens one. My dad loves it so much that he buys in by the slab (cheaoer than buying 4 packs all the time) and always has 4 or 5 cans in the fridge.

Dano1977 · Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:09 pm

My favorite "proper" beers are:-

1. Hobgoblin
2. Theakstons Old Perculiar
3. Old Speckled Hen
4. Courage Directors
5. Timothy Taylors "Landlord"
6. Green King IPA

I'm also partial to the Wheat (or white) beers that are springing up all over the place:-

1. Leffe Blond
2. Leffe Brune
3. Hoegaarden
4. Kronenberg White

Leezyjet · Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:33 pm

Quoting Kent350787 (Reply 7):
Masham (Theakstons and Black Sheep - both owned by Black Sheep these days) is well worth a visit. How Peculier!

Had several pints of Black Sheep at the weekend back home in Yorkshire, along with several pints of hand pulled Tetley's (non of this smoothflow stuff) and even tried a new beer, Leeds Best by the recently formed Leeds Brewery which was very nice too.

Just cannot drink bitter darn sarf though, as they pull it like flat brown water, rather than thick and creamy like you get it oop norff !!.

Corona is also very popular in England, quite a nice beer to drink without the bloated or gassy feeling from other lagers.

Peroni has recently started to make an appearance on tap rather than in bottles in alot of "trendy" bars, also the Artois brewery have brought out a couple of other lagers to try and steer people away from Stella (or Wife Beater as it is commonly known), Peetermans being one of them, can't remember the other.

Beck's has recently re-branded as Beck's Vier which isn't bad, and not too gassy.

I'd say that US beers are going down in popularity if anything. At one time almost all places sold either Budweiser or Miller GD, but I've hardly seen it anywhere recently - which isn't such a bad thing !!.

Smile

sunshine79 · Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:10 pm

Swaying (pardon the pun) from the original question, does anyone know where I can buy Keo beer in the UK? (Apart from the internet)

cainanuk · Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:20 pm

I like Harp Lager, but as far as what is "popular" in England?

Whatever I happen to find in my fridge when I go downstairs in a minute!!

SpeedBirdA380 · Mon Sep 29, 2008 10:41 pm

I am quite partial to "Summer Lightning" which you can buy in a 5 litre keg. drunk

Has anyone here tried "Chalky's Bite" Ale? I only ask because I was thinking of getting some for christmas because my brother like's Rick Stein. Problem is it's quite expensive.

Cheer's

MillwallSean · Tue Sep 30, 2008 12:22 am

For a beer that is popular and has great taste you cant beat Fullers London pride.
Fullers IPA might work as well on sunny days but London pride is the best.

The US beers are disappering, I am not sure if they should be called US anymore for that sake (Being belgian, Brittish/Saffa and Canadian majority owned)
Not that they ever have been popular but they are definately not increasing their marketpresence.

I guess that lager is the most sold though. Stella, Carlsberg, 1664, Heineken etc. the usual suspects that you found all around the world.

However in som parts of London you get the real Kronenbourg and not the disgusting Scotish & Newcastle invented 1664. I really hope Carlsberg who owns Kronenbourg now gets rid of 1664 and starts promoting the real Kronenbourg instead.

cumulus · Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:24 am

Quoting Cainanuk (Reply 38):
I like Harp Lager

Thought they stopped making that in the 1970's!

Bongodog1964 · Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:28 am

Quoting Cumulus (Reply 41):
Quoting Cainanuk (Reply 38):
I like Harp Lager

Thought they stopped making that in the 1970's!

I haven't noticed a Harp pump in a pub for 20 years or more; I thought it had disappeared totally.
In the 70's in my home area it was the dominant brand, as Greene King brewed it under licence from Guinness, for sale in their pub chain. Greene King thought so much of it that they shut down the Biggleswade brewery that made it, and bought in other lagers instead.

cainanuk · Thu Oct 02, 2008 10:06 pm

Well, my local "The Hoop and Mallet" in Warrington Cheshire sells lager pulled from Harp pumps so I assume it is Harp going in the glass. Regardless, whatever the barmaid is putting in tere is certainly doing the trick!

rsg85 · Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:42 pm

Heres the order of top 3 sold in the 3 uk pubs ive worked in

(Reading)
Amstel
Staropramen
Stella

(London)
Calsberg
Fosters
Kroenenbourg

(Jersey)
Carling
Tetleys
Guiness

Of course not all pubs stocked the same beers but generally it seems the almost flavourless lagers of around 4% are the most common, But of course the most popular beers were the cheapest lagers.

workflyer · Sun Oct 05, 2008 12:12 am

Quoting Rsg85 (Reply 44):
(Reading)
Amstel
Staropramen
Stella

You definately were not working at the Butcher's Arms in Tilehurst then. Way too posh a range for that pub (even if one of the ranges is wifebeater).

jcs17 · Sun Oct 05, 2008 1:19 am

Any beer that is served room temperature. Savages.

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