Tandleman made an interesting post on the subject of British brewing.
His contention (as I understood it) is that British brewing hasn't really changed all that much in recent years, contrary to the claims or perceptions of some. He remembers drinking hoppy beers made with American hops years ago. He also posted a photograph taken 20 years ago which featured three bottles of what some might now call 'artisan ales'. His view was that whilst niches may grow, British brewing 'remains solidly middle of the road' and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.
My question is this: is this a bad thing?
Do we want British beers to push the boundaries, with British Brewers becoming a tribe of Heston Blumenthals? Or would we rather see quality stouts, porters, milds, golden ales, and yes, 'session bitters' produced by professional brewers with the emphasis on quality ingredients, processes and selling it to a local and loyal market?
Or is there room for both?
Best Beery Visits of My Hols
6 days ago
I think what Tandleman was saying was not that there hadn't been a good deal of innovation in the "micro" brewing sector, but very little of it had percolated out from that particular niche into the mainstream of the cask beer market, let alone the wider beer market.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he'll correct me if that's wrong.
Welcome to the blogosphere, btw :-)
But do we want it to percolate through?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the welcome btw...and for making the first comment :)
Welcome Sam. I'll put you on my links list. Hopefully you'll do the same when you get round to having one.
ReplyDeleteI think there is room for both, but as Mudgie says, there has been little cross pollination.
We'll see how it all develops, but I intend to write more about this.