Had a Greene King IPA in the pub the other day...

[Arcs]

So far this summer, I've been trying the usual trap holes and found them all here to be $hite, even my local wethy has let me down. I really despise summer and pubs. It seems that they think they can sell a beer with any old $hite in it, especially fruit.

Fruit belongs in a cider and that's ok, but does it belong in a bitter or an IPA, for some that's a matter of taste but in my opinion, if you want fruit in your beer then it's cider/wine or fruit juice. Keep it out of good beer.

So in that instance, I am glad Drunkula won the last compo on this forum. Class normal beers are long gone in the name of paying staff wages and profits which is sad.

But on the plus side, that means I can swerve the pubs on my well trodden road and spend the cash more wisely on beer I would rather drink. And FYI, I even had one local wine bar have the audacity to tell me that because it is summer, that there are no dark beers available at this time of year, my bet? To sell crap to his punters who were all enamoured with his personality and 'great' choice of beer to sell to his public like. Bollocks!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Doom used to be decent, i'm sure I used to enjoy it, it got too popular I think and they got greedy over produced and lost their way. Bit like some of the pasty shops down here in the summer.

 

[PhilBrew]

Lots of IPA’s were never strong, in fact I can’t remember any being strong until the original, strong and hoppy style of IPA was resurrected quite recently.

How IPA’s deteriorated into what they did is anyone’s guess!

Big corp profit margins I suspect?

... according to Mr. Pattinsons research, it was more a product of increases in taxation and (successive) war time restrictions on use of ingredients by brewers (some info from his latest blog there (link)) throughout the 20th century

Cheers, PhilB

 

[bobukbrewer]

about 15 years ago I had a GK IPA from a new barrel (had to wait 10 minutes whilst it was set up) - it was absolutely superb. Since then the odd time I had one they were ok drinkable. TT Landlord seems the best bet to me if no notables on the pumps.........

 

[Spratt]

about 15 years ago I had a GK IPA from a new barrel (had to wait 10 minutes whilst it was set up) - it was absolutely superb. Since then the odd time I had one they were ok drinkable. TT Landlord seems the best bet to me if no notables on the pumps.........

The best pint of my life was one August early evening. We had been combining a field of beans at the back of the local, and anyone who's had experience of harvesting beans will know that the dust from that crop is like sandpaper on the throat. The landlord used to keep his beer immaculately, in the cellar with wet towels over the barrels and a pedestal fan to cool the air. He'd just put on a new GK IPA and a new Abbot. Having worked on a farm himself he knew what it was like cutting beans, and as soon as he saw me, went downstairs and pulled a pint of IPA straight from the barrel, which was then followed with a pint of Abbot also drawn straight from the cellar. Heaven.

 

[chesters-mild]

Ahh.. yes the beer of England cricket

https://www.greeneking.co.uk/newsro...ene-king-as-official-beer-of-england-cricket/

If the lads drink it it's no surprise we lost the first test

 

[Slid]

Only had it once or twice from bottle, but delicious. IPA reserve also very good, IIRC. Tastes somewhat like Abbot, as it happens!

Lots of IPA’s were never strong, in fact I can’t remember any being strong until the original, strong and hoppy style of IPA was resurrected quite recently.

How IPA’s deteriorated into what they did is anyone’s guess!

Two World Wars is the simple answer. Both stretched the resources of the country to the point that beer had to be weak to save the calories.

The first was about nothing more than posturing, the second was kicked off to save the sovereign rights of small and weak nations, ironically enough.

 

[Gerryjo]

Best selling cask ales in the UK

1. Doom Bar
2. Greene King IPA

And we almost all think they’re both rubbish.

That's because those that drink them don't know what they are drinking as they are afraid to divert their palette.

 

[Scottyburto]

Doom bar is cask ales john Smith's!

 

[matt76]

Two World Wars is the simple answer. Both stretched the resources of the country to the point that beer had to be weak to save the calories.

The first was about nothing more than posturing, the second was kicked off to save the sovereign rights of small and weak nations, ironically enough.

This got me wondering about something.....

Maybe I'm being naive, but based on my own travels in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands why do we not see the same effects there on their beer cultures? They were all affected in their own ways by the same two wars.

My impression is beer is more respected there. And in B & NL for sure, beers in excess of 6-7% are not at all uncommon (not sure about Germany though) and drunk in moderation.

Was it just Britain's position in those wars that meant we were more affected by rationing and trade restrictions etc?

 

[Slid]

This got me wondering about something.....

Maybe I'm being naive, but based on my own travels in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands why do we not see the same effects there on their beer cultures? They were all affected in their own ways by the same two wars.

My impression is beer is more respected there. And in B & NL for sure, beers in excess of 6-7% are not at all uncommon (not sure about Germany though) and drunk in moderation.

Was it just Britain's position in those wars that meant we were more affected by rationing and trade restrictions etc?

That, my friend, is a very interesting line of thought. Somewhat off topic, but so what, really.

As a small-ish island, I guess Britain was more vulnerable to having its access to food cut off. Producing enough food for roughly only half the population is a precarious position to be in during a crisis. Britain appears to have been in roughly this position since shortly after the industrial revolution and the dawn of Empire.

As for the other point you raise, despite high-profile foodies and a resurrection of craft brewing, a glance at the average supermarket trolley will tell you that we are not a particularly sophisticated set of nations. The industrialisation of food (and drink) production, processing and preparation has seen that off.

 

[simon12]

Here we kept a much higher tax on the beer.

 

[chesters-mild]

I think in part it was to restrict the alcoholic strength of beers as well

 

[marshbrewer]

Greene King sold to a Hong Kong company.

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/suffolk-based-greene-king-agrees-£2-7-billion-sale.83119/