Anyone seen in Tesco lately the massive stacks of unsold, discounted, Alcohol-Free

[Ash]

Real ale > lager = snobbery

Beer ABC is sh1t = personal opinion

I actually find that my experiences of ales varies from day to day, depending on my shifting climate of micro-taste. Sometimes a love a dark, malty, even chocolatey number, other times a lighter, less busy taste and occasionally* even a zingier model.

* actually not very often.

[Burney]

I actually find that my experiences of ales varies from day to day, depending on my shifting climate of micro-taste. Sometimes a love a dark, malty, even chocolatey number, other times a lighter, less busy taste and occasionally* even a zingier model.

* actually not very often.

I'm very much a quaffing man. The dark, malty, chocolatey numbers have never really done it for me.

[SWv2]

I now have about a dozen bottles of homemade cider maturing on my shelves at home. I am curious to find out what its effects on my digestive system will be. I suspect the effects of the early stuff (before I honed my technique) will be deleterious.

I expect this will go through you like the proverbial dose of salts.

At least drinking it in the sanctity of your own kitchen will allow for hasty relocation the shítter as required.

[Luis Anaconda]

Don't need to, SOD. I believe Doombar is made by the same people as Atlantic, is it not?

Quite wonderful stuff is Atlantic, probably my favourite at my local. I have also recently discovered Harveys as my local began serving it, also quite wonderful.

But Doombar has a vile, acrid finish which makes me nauseous. The sort of bitter that gives bitter a bad name, for me.

Had a pint of Harveys when I was home - first time I've seen it in ages. It is certainly a fine pint.
And I would agree Atlantic is a fine pint and much nicer than Doom Bar. Still don't get your particular criticism of it - if anything it's rather bland

[Burney]

Had a pint of Harveys when I was home - first time I've seen it in ages. It is certainly a fine pint.
And I would agree Atlantic is a fine pint and much nicer than Doom Bar. Still don't get your particular criticism of it - if anything it's rather bland

I'd agree, but it's decent for drinking in quantity. Must admit I personally find Harvey's a little too floral for my tastes. I'll drink it happily enough, but it's not my favourite. I think a deeply underrated pint is Young's Ordinary.

[Luis Anaconda]

I'd agree, but it's decent for drinking in quantity. Must admit I personally find Harvey's a little too floral for my tastes. I'll drink it happily enough, but it's not my favourite. I think a deeply underrated pint is Young's Ordinary.

I've always liked Young's. Used to have proper pubs as well. Quite depressing wandering through London recently - it was like walking through a graveyard of places I used to drink

[World's End Stella]

I'd agree, but it's decent for drinking in quantity. Must admit I personally find Harvey's a little too floral for my tastes. I'll drink it happily enough, but it's not my favourite. I think a deeply underrated pint is Young's Ordinary.

My local always has Doombar

And it always has either Harveys or Young's Ordinary. I find the latter thin and slightly watery, lacking in flavor. The third pint is rotated as per the brewery's rules i.e. it can only come from certain other brewerys. Which is sh1t. The other day it wasa Warringtons, a golden ale that tasted like watery grapefruit juice. Absolutely vile.

If only my local was a freehold.

[World's End Stella]

There is no doubt that real ale has vastly more complex flavours and notes than bog-standard pub lager, which apart from anything else, is too cold to taste anyway. You might as well compare water with ale. So, if we are talking about flavour, then yes, real ale is better than lager because it actually has some. Not snobbery. Fact.

If you happen to prefer lager, that's fine. However, there is no denying that it is a vastly less sophisticated and nuanced drink than ale.

There is some truth to that but I think you overstate it.

Lager has more taste than you give it credit for and on a hot sunny day there is simply no comparison. Also, even a bad lager can be enjoyable under the right circumstances whereas I have had real ales that made me want to spit them out.

So no, real ale is not better, merely different and a chap should be able to enjoy both.