A Guide to English Beer

Most of the pubs in London and throughout the United Kingdom are “tied” to a particular brewery and sell only that brewery’s beers (you see the name of the brewery on the sign outside). Independent pubs can sell more brands than a tied pub. Either way, you still have to choose from what may seem like a bewildering variety. The colorful names of individual brews don’t provide much help — you can only wonder what Pigswill, Dogs Bollocks, Hobgoblin, Old Thumper, Pommies Revenge, or Boondoggle taste like. Depending on all sorts of factors — the water, the hops, the fermentation technique, and so on — the brewery crafts the taste of any beer, whether on draught or in a bottle. You can get a few U.S. and international brands, but imports are more expensive than the homegrown products.
When ordering beer in a pub, specify the type, the brand, and the amount (pint or halfpint) you want. Feel free to ask the bartender to recommend something based on your taste preferences. Just remember that pubs serve most English beer at room temperature.
The following brief descriptions of beer may come in handy in a pub:

• Ale: Not as strong as bitter, ale has a slightly sweeter taste. You can order light or pale ale in a bottle; export ale is a stronger variety.
• Bitter: What most locals drink. It’s a clear, yellowish, traditional beer with a strong flavor of hops. Real ale is a bitter that’s still fermenting (alive) when it arrives from the brewery; the pub pumps and serves it immediately.
• Lager: When chilled, lager is probably the closest you can come to an Americanstyle beer. You can get lager in bottles or on draught.
• Shandy: Equal parts bitter and lemonade (sometimes limeade or ginger beer), it’s for those who like a sweet beverage that only sort of tastes like beer.
• Stout: A dark, rich, creamy version of ale. Guinness is the most popular brand. A black and tan is half lager and half stout.