Member Article

UK Craft Beer

The headline news about the world famous British beer has been somewhat grim over the past decade. There has been over 30 pubs closing every week, while alcohol consumption is on the fall. This means that we are consuming less beer. However the story is completely different if you look at it from the perspective of a new generation of grassroots beer enthusiasts. In the past few years, we have seen a great rise of excitement when it comes to new beer styles and creative brewing. A new revolution has begun in UK, and it’s our very own UK craft-beer revolution.

When we think about the consumption of beer in the UK or Ireland, we can easily associate it to the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. If you ask anyone, what’s the first two thing that comes to their mind when they think of Ireland, they will most probably answer St. Patty’s Day and the dark beer of Guinness made from Irish dry stout. The electric atmosphere of St. Patty’s Day is simply magical, where drinking beer is considered as a tradition, while seeing people dressed as green leprechaun is a common sight. Although St. Patrick’s Day is over for this year, you can still reminisce about this festive day by indulging in brilliant Irish themed online slots such as Shamrockers and Rainbow Riches at the top online casino Magical Vegas.

Coming back to the beer revolution in the UK, we can’t really give a clear definition of what craft is, as it does not undergo a secondary fermentation in a cask like real ale. Craft beer can be canned, bottled, keg or cask, and it is made everywhere. GCA Strategies – the food and drink analyst observed that craft beer was consistently growing at nearly 80% a year. Big brewing companies have already started wondering how they should respond to this sudden interest of Craft beer in the UK. Just a few years ago, the tap line-up on nearly every bar was made nearly of an off-colour, uninspiring, and dull mix of cheap European Lager, draught wine, and flat bitters. However at that time, everyone seems to like them. Everyone, with the exception of those who were joining the craft beer revolution.

And over the past few years, this craft beer community has steadily continued to gain momentum thanks to the expanding culture or innovation and collaboration among these new brewers. While some believe that we have already reached the peak of beer crafting, others firmly believe that it’s just the beginning. Some of the must try UK craft beers are the Black Betty – Black IPA (Beavertown), Street Porter – London Ale (Pressure Drop), Baby Faced Assassin (Roosters), Highwire – West Coast Pale Ale( Magic Rock), and Sierra Nevada Twin Peaks – Pale Ale (Thornbridge).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sonya Roy .