Real Ale?

[woofas]

I recently visited a small brewery in Yorkshire & it got me thinking - what is the definition of real ale? Is it the ingredients, the method of production, the size of the brewery or what?

[Gromit]

Real ale is brewed for a cask where it continues to ferment. Therefore, the ingredient (bacterias) are alive and your pint is fresh.

Beer brewed for mass production is put into a keg. The keg is sealed and does not continue to brew. When the keg is opened, often several weeks later, gas is added to make it appear natural and alive.

It is like comparing a soup made with freshly picked tomatoes, with one from a tin or packet.

[Abdulmajid]

And real ale should be served at room temperature, never chilled.

[frankofile]

don;t know where you visited, but can recomend Black Sheep Brewery. The wittiest tour of my life. And thats from someone who does'nt drink beer!!!

[Quizmonster]

The above answers are perfectly good, but click here and read the opening section for a detailed definition.

[Gromit]

And never be conned by ale decribed as 'smooth'. This is just keg beer which is pumped full of nitrogen when it is served. This adds nothing to the clarity or taste of the beer and is purely cosmetic. It makes the flat keg beer look like a lively cask beer. It is sad that through the power of advertising, there is a demand for 'smooth' and quality brewers like Marstons, twaites and Robinsons now sell fake 'smooth' versions of their cask ales. In typical cynical fashion, these fake beers are usually 20% more expensive than the real thing.

[ELVIS68]

Real Ale tastes like washing up liquid and is drunk by old farts who sit in the corner of a pub doing crosswords with a fly-fishing sleeveless jacket on complete with half a dozen pens in the top pocket

[Gromit]

Treal Ale tw@ts 1

Real Ale Tw@ts 2

Real Ale Tw@ts 3

[New Judge]

Treat yourself to a trip to CAMRA's Great British Beer Festival, ELVIS (coming up next month at Earl's Court).

http://www.camra.org.uk/

There you will see no crosswords being done, no fly fishing jackets, but a lot of (mainly) young people enjoying one of Britain's finest products.

If the Real Ale you have drunk tasted like washing-up water you should have asked for your money back and change your pub to one which can serve it properly.

[gelda]

Nice one Gromit !!