Someone suggested in my previous thread, that shop-bought bottled ale goes through a lot of processing. My question is, if we take emotional elements out of it - buying local, sticking one to corporate chains, avoiding big-name-brands, etc - is there anything wrong with ale I can buy in Tesco compared with elsewhere? I mean they have a massive selection but from a blind taste test perspective, would sourcing local brews from farm shops or micro-breweries be better to anyone but a real expert?
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Originally posted by MaryPoppinsOriginally posted by vetran -
Here in Berkshire I have visited 2 local breweries and bought their beer directly in polypins and 2-5L bottles for parties etc. The quality compared to bottles from the supermarket is very noticable as the beer is unprocessed and still effectively 'live'. It also works out at half the price of the local pub (so ~£1.50-£1.60 per pint here). The beer is usually 'racked bright' meaning it was transferred to the carry-home container from a tank where the yeast has already settled out. This means you can drink it immediately, unlilke in a pub where the cask has to settle for maybe 24+ hours. The only problem with this is it lacks the fantastic condition of 'gravity' served beer in a pub and needs to be drunk within about 3 days of opening, but is still far superior to bottled ale IMO. Some (not many) breweries will let you take home beer with the yeast, but generally you wont be able to do this properly without borrowing a firkin. If you borrowed a firkin you would need all of the other pipes and pump equipment associated with a pub, so probably not worth it unless you're serious about it. Polypins (bag in a box) will generally expand with gas pressure and probably burst if they have live yeast in them. One of my local breweries now has the option of loaning pressurised containers that use CO2 canisters. I've not done this but the beer shelf life and condition is kept for much longer (something like 3 weeks).
Check out who your local breweries are, and see if they have a website with brewery shop information. Taking beer home from a brewery is becoming more popular these days, and I'm glad I've tried it. -
Nothing wrong with supermarket beer at all, much better than fizzy lager tulipe. Most of it though, especially from the bigger breweries, will undergo pastuerisation and filtering. This does affect the taste/ quality in my opinion, however it is these processes which give it longer shelf life, quicker turnover, and better/ clearer appearance.Originally posted by d000hg View Post
Your previous question was about how to handle bottled beer. As you had bought mainstream real ale, it is going to have gone through the processes, and therefore it didn't really matter how you drank it. If it had been bottle conditioned then there are ways in which to avoid a cloudy pint. Infact, the yeast will not hurt you and is full of B vitamins, too much may give you the 'eathas', so it doesn't matter at all really, but most drink with their eyes - an evolutionary symptom I suppose.
Don't let it detract from buying non-bottle conditioned beer as it is only the pastuerisation and filtering processes that affect the flavour in my opinion and beer can be bottled clear without the sediment by use of some special equipment - without going into detail. Unfortunately they don't usually offer this info on the bottle.
This point is where I disagree with the flowery fairies at CAMRA as they will only let a manufacturer put CAMRA approved or somesuch on the bottle if it is bottle conditioned, i.e. with sediment.
Cheesey has the other methods covered quite well.
I did write a more detailed response but it got lost in the ether and I couldn't be so arsed second time around.Comment
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Yeah, exactly. I don't want to buy into mysticism and seting up a home bar, I just want to have beer that tastes nice. I don't expect it to be up there with a hand-pulled pint, but if I'm going to buy bottled I'd like to try some nice ones.Originally posted by wobbegong View PostOriginally posted by MaryPoppinsOriginally posted by vetranComment
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The good supermarkets source local produce, here in Somerset Sainsburys sells a good selection of fine ales and a sh*t load of zider.
Arrrrrr.
Science isn't about why, it's about why not. You ask: why is so much of our science dangerous? I say: why not marry safe science if you love it so much. In fact, why not invent a special safety door that won't hit you in the butt on the way out, because you are fired. - Cave JohnsonComment
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Just buy a selection and keep a few hand-written notes. You'll soon work out what types you like and whether you like it bottle-conditioned or not. You may find you prefer the consistency and flavour of the big name breweries, or you may prefer the variety and complexity of smaller brands.Originally posted by d000hg View Post
But it's a damn good excuse to get yourself on the outside of 30 or 40 different bottles of beer.
The old "Currently Drinking" thread has shedloads of information on beer embedded within it.My all-time favourite Dilbert cartoon, this is: BTW, a Dumpster is a brand of skip, I think.Comment
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We loiks ar zider ere in Darzet an aal.Originally posted by gingerjedi View PostThe good supermarkets source local produce, here in Somerset Sainsburys sells a good selection of fine ales and a sh*t load of zider.
Arrrrrr.
An oi loiks that smoilee, I may take it orn.Comment
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Was a brewer in a previous life before this IT tulipOriginally posted by d000hg View Post
Fresh beer from a good quality microbrewery anyday over mass packaged stuff
Yes all bottled are normally sweetened (higher gravity) and pasteurised to survive for the 12 months shelf life but tbh anything after about 6-9 months starts to oxidise and can taste terrible (over pasteurisation also causes this).
On top of that there is so much blending done within the processing plants the mass produced brands can contain the leftovers of several other beers - but due to the scale of production they can get away with it. Also families of beers are made meaning brewers brew a batch up at 7% then dilute down to the usual beer bands i.e 5.5%, 4.2% and 3.5% - but at the end of the day its all the same beer. All legit ways of saving money and energy but spoils the thought of traditional beer making
mmmmm need a plan C involving brewing beer again me thinksComment
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We're all real ale and fine wine snobs here
at the end of the day its a case of try what's in the supermarket, check out the CAMRA website for beer festivals to try the local fare, as well as what breweries are in your area and see if you can sample their wares.
At the end of the day its what you like and not what others think you should like.Comment
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