Beer

[Theseus]

Adnams used to be my drink of choice. The place I drank it used to have a couple of barrels on a table behind the bar, one with a spigot in and the other settling.

Unfortunately not available up here.

 

[Dave Davenport]

The Ringwood brewery do some good ales, fortyniner (4.9%) is great and their 'best' at only3.8%'ish still tastes pretty good and makes a good lunchtime/quaffing pint.

 

[darkstar]

I don't drink ale often, but the nicest i've had from England is 'Bluebird', brewed up in the lake district. Lovely stuff. Oh, also, 'Nobbeys' just becuase it's brewed in a village near me (no, it's not connected with the nuts in anyway )

 

[radger]

Glad it's not just me surprised at Pale Rider being cited as a session beer.

To answer the OP, I don't know if there's a 'best', but I also like to try the local stuff, so at the moment I go for quite a lot of Bath Ales' output.

 

[Cubist]

To me, a session ale is an ale with a ABV below 4.5%. Anything over that stength and 4or 5 pints is about the limit for me, would the other ale lovers agree?

I lower the bar to 4. Perhaps it's an age thing, but get me up amongst the 4.5-5.0s and I lose the power of speech after half a dozen.

Fortunately there are an awful lot of tasty , relatively complex beers around nowadays at 3.6, 3.7 so we don't have to settle for the mediocre casks like tetley.

 

[radger]

I lower the bar to 4. Perhaps it's an age thing, but get me up amongst the 4.5-5.0s and I lose the power of speech after half a dozen.

Under 4% for me as well, and I'm only 31.

 

[Hacienda71]

Working in Macclesfield i do like the Storm Brewing Co who have been producing some great bears for the last ten years.

http://www.stormbrewing.co.uk/about.php

 

[BrumJim]

Hopshackle Historic Porter. Now I just need to find out where I can get some...

Love the new Purity Brewing Co stuff - Gold, Mad Goose or Ubu.

Failed to pick up anything from the Ludlow Brewing Company when I was there on Sunday. Mainly due to the man being at the same Christening that had brought me over to Ludlow, and therefore his shop was closed. So didn't get any Gold from their this time.

 

[ASC1951]

My beer drinking days started in the late 60s, when the country was swamped by industrial fizzy brews and Camra had only just started, so there were none of these micro-breweries and many of the local brewers were close to going under. God, those were grim times. Remember Watneys Red Barrel? No? You're lucky.

 

[2Loose]

Hmmm, I would like to point out that my 'sessions' are a bit short
Even shorter with Oakham Ales or Brew Dogs ...

Some fine ales mentioned here all the same.

 

[Dave Davenport]

The increased availability of 'summer' ales is great, in the past I'd often have a lager (imported Heineken or similar) on a hot day but stuff like Fullers Discovery really hits the spot.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Under 4% for me as well, and I'm only 31.

Green King IPA isn't a bad pint and it's only about 3.6%.

 

[ianrauk]

You know it does remind me talking about all these Ales as to why people prefer to drink euro fizzy pop all the time?
Don't get me wrong, a nice cold lager in the summer is lovely now and again, but for a really nice drink Ale is the way to go.

I am also one of those that like to try the local tipple before any name brands.

We are lucky down in Kent to have one of the best brewery's in the UK imvho. Shepherd Neame and also a special mention to Sussex finest, Harvey's. Both who produce a fair few cracking Ales between them.

 

[trsleigh]

My beer drinking days started in the late 60s, when the country was swamped by industrial fizzy brews and Camra had only just started, so there were none of these micro-breweries and many of the local brewers were close to going under. God, those were grim times. Remember Watneys Red Barrel? No? You're lucky.

What would we have done without Watneys Party Sevens? Big tin cans full of seven pints of Watneys finest.

 

[Theseus]

My beer drinking days started in the late 60s, when the country was swamped by industrial fizzy brews and Camra had only just started, so there were none of these micro-breweries and many of the local brewers were close to going under. God, those were grim times. Remember Watneys Red Barrel? No? You're lucky.

Ha!, if we are talking worst offenders, then I nominate Hartsman Lager from MacMullens.