Scrumpy is basically the 'real ale' version of cider - traditionally made. Not on many farms though (at least not to sell) but you can buy it in some pubs and you can buy it in a lot of shops down there.

Strong and sometimes somewhat 'chewy'. Nice.

Try some Exmoor Gold, its available in pubs around Lynton, at least it was last time we were in the area, you will not be dissappointed! Happy travels.

Since our new home is quite close to the British Embassy and there are plenty of Brits calling Buenos Aires home, the Yankee and I thought we would take some names off of this list and see if we can find any of them here ((B))

I'd be gobsmacked if you can....

Scarlett: Real ale doesn't travel well - it's a living thing and goes off quite quickly.

You may well find it's bottled versions though.

You might be interested in this (I have no experience of it, I just saw it mentioned in the newspaper):

http://www.railaletrail.com/

You could also do a Google on "real ale train" for similar events on other heritage steam trains.

PatrickLondon, that ale train is a hoot! I didn't know that real ale had such an affectionate following--there are souvenir pins and teeshirts to be collected for the serious ale drinker! I can't say we'll get on the train but we'll definitely be in that area so we most likely will visit one or two of the pubs on the rail line (the Exeter/Barnstaple route). Thanks.

And thanks to everyone who gave us all the info for our Devon real ale hunt. I guarantee neither of will go thirsty!

The Good Pub Guide does describe if a pub does real ale, but it concentrates more on the look and feel of the pub, and how good the food is. For instance, they seem to like the phrase "flowery banquette" a lot. Be aware, some (by no means all) of the places listed are more like licensed restaurants than pubs (ie you will be discouraged from popping in for just a drink, and certainly WON'T be allowed to lean on the bar making new friends). The absence of bar stools is actually a very good guide to whether you are in a proper pub or not (no bar stools, it will be either be a restaurant, or a "cafe" bar).

CAMRA's Good Beer Guide concentrates more on the beer, and has a section about the beers themselves, as well as pub listings. At one time, when Real Ale was difficult to get, it simply listed any pubs that did real ale - but now real ale is so readily available (because of CAMRA's success) it can afford to be a bit more choosy: it leaves out the absolute h*ll-holes, and describes ambience of the pubs more. In fact, it has been SO successful that it can't include anywhere near all the real ale pubs in a big town, so the entries rotate a bit from year you year.

If you can afford it, get BOTH books - a pub that is in both will almost certainly be worth a visit. It won't matter too much if you buy second-hand ones from Amazon or ebay, if they are no more than a year old. Reading the pub and beer descriptions in there will have you drooling for your trip.

A little plug for two styles of beer that are creeping back into bigger sales in real ale circles. Mild is (surprise) less bitter than bitter (not "bitters", please), and is usually a dark-colured beer a bit like a very very very light stout (almost always lower in alcohol than the beer on any other "pump"). Porter is between Mild and Stout (sometimes very like a stout).

And you DO get "real ale" stouts made by local breweries (NOTHING like the international one, which has not been a real ale for years and years) and even real-ales called "lagers" (though I'm not sure they really count as lager).

Most specialist real ale bars (and many supermarkets now) will have lots of bottle-conditioned beers, many from Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. These are fizzier than draught real ale, but delicious.

Many cities now have a kind of Real Ale enclave, just on the periphery of the town centre. These pubs will support each other, so find one (Good Beer Guide) and the landlord will tell you how to get to the others (they may even give you a map).

For instance, Sheffield's "Real Ale Trail" has about a dozen wonderful pubs, starting in the town centre and (conveniently) more or less following the tram route along the River Don (yes, many did get flooded in June, but they are back in business now. Google "CoffeeBeer" for a Seattle-ite's view of Real Ales in Sheffield and the Peak District.

Chris

PS - I liked the Carling brewer trying to tempt you with "added dimethyl sulphide" - yum. Carling's ads are getting a bit desperate over here, they make no statement about the taste or quality at all, just pushing the line that "your mates drink it, so you'd better join the crowd".

If you see any beer advertised on telly over here - don't drink it.

Enjoy .....

Is it possible to get mild in London? I thought it was more of a Northern thing, but I haven't been in very many London pubs for a number of years.

Chris England Said: "I liked the Carling brewer trying to tempt you with "added dimethyl sulphide" - yum. Carling's ads are getting a bit desperate over here, they make no statement about the taste or quality at all, just pushing the line that "your mates drink it, so you'd better join the crowd"."

I'm not ever so convinced Carling employ MBs. They certainly don't employ my husband who wrote that entry. He was attempting to point out that they use a method common in real ale production. Your response put me a smidge in mind of those people who market things which are "chemical free" (what?? really??)

Anyway, I see you're a sheffield girl so all love to you xx

Just an update since we got back yesterday from four days in Devon and three in Oxfordshire--

No trouble at all in Exmoor in particular finding a real pint of real ale and the best part was that as many ales as we found, we didn't find them all!! So obviously another trip is required. (good thing)

I always asked about the ales before ordering and without fail, everyone was really helpful in pointing out, for example, that this ale was milder, this one had more of a bite, this one had a high alcohol content, etc. There's such an interesting variety of ales even as you travel from town to town so we hardly ever repeated the same pint. And they all taste different, good different.

I tried the cider (sweet and dry) and liked it but liked perry less so, but that might have been due to the fact that the perry I tried came out of a bottle I bought at Sainesbury's. I didn't see any on pump and we didn't have time to visit any farm orchards to get a pint straight from the source. Another trip next time!

The pubs are wonderful now that they're not stinky smokey. And the food's darn good, too. Cringe if you want, but I fell in love with a big plate of fish and chips with a hefty heap of mushy peas on the side. That and the ale contributed largely for the extra pound (or two) that I came home with. It was too delicious going down!

Ypu enjoyed Fish n chips with mushy peas and proper beer? That makes you eligible for a British passport in my eyes.

That is a fine compliment so thank you. I tried my hand at punting down the Cherwell with my husband's Oxford friends, too, so I figure that makes me nearly dual citizenship (especially since we punted to the pub and I didn't tip anyone in the river coming OR going!).

I also loved pub food! But could never get used to tepid ale. Especially after a long hike on a summer day. I had to suffer through several pints of the stuff before I learned to order lager.

One bartender almost threw me out when I called the ale "warm."

One bartender almost threw me out when I called the ale "warm." >>>>>>

Quite right too!

Can I qualify? I love pub fish n chips, mushy peas, and the lot. But I don't care for any ales - scrumpy is my drink of choice!

Cimbrone, go to the UK in the fall like we did, when it's cool outside, and you'll find the ale inside the pub similarly cool. Not icy-cold, of course, but honestly, there's so much flavor in ale you'd ruin it by over chilling it.

Mermaid

You didn't tip anyone in the river?

I thought Americans tipped everyone!

Chartley, seeing as there was a pub at the end of the punt, I had a vested interest in keeping us all afloat. Though I will say I sprinkled everyone with water and drenched my sleeve every time I dragged that pole up. Everyone was much impressed with my virgin punting skills but said my technique could use some improvement.

BTW, I had a Pimms Cup instead of a pint at the pub because a few years back there was a discussion about Pimms on this forum. Someone gave out a homemade recipe, which I make in the summer. I confess to liking my concoction better than the one served me (too lemonade-y tasting) and the hot pink straw was the last straw!! If I weren't the only American in the group that day (and therefore expected to do something quirky) I'd have died of embarassment about my girly drinkie.

There's nothing girly about a Pimms in the summertime.

They do a winter version too. Presumably it's mixed with Bovril rather than lemonade.