Features

Ralph Findlay, the soon-to-retire chief executive of Marston's brewery and pub company, says the beer world has changed dramatically in recent years and younger drinkers are no longer passionate about cask ale. The group's biggest beer brands are Hobgoblin and Wainwright's while such revered ales as Pedigree and Banks's are struggling. He says the merger with Carlsberg will give Marston's greater muscle in the free trade

Added: Friday, July 9th 2021

The Magdala Tavern in Hampstead, North London, is famous as the place where Ruth Ellis -- the last woman to be hanged in Britain -- shot her lover in 1955. The pub, owned by Punch Taverns, had been closed since 2014 but it's been bought by Dick Morgan who also runs the Express Tavern in Kew and the Sussex Arms in Twickenham. He has spent £250,000 restoring a famous North London landmark with a fine range of beers

Added: Saturday, July 3rd 2021

As the Campaign for Real Ale celebrates its 50th anniversary, a book by Laura Hadland charts the history of CAMRA, the rise and fall of keg beer, the growth of British lager and the dynamic impact of Progressive Beer Duty. With sales of cask beer in crisis as a result of the pandemic and pub shutdowns, the campaign is as a relevant today as it was in the 1970s.

Added: Monday, June 14th 2021

Just when you thought there could be no further versions of IPA, along come two new interpretations -- Milk Shake and wild. Milk Shake IPAs are brewed with the addition of lactose that can't be fermented by brewer's yeast and gives a creamy note to the beer, while wild Brettanomyces yeast leaves a funky and acidic note. The Brett beers are brewed by Beavertown (pictured)

Added: Saturday, May 8th 2021

As CAMRA celebrates its 50th anniversary, it also recognises the strong links between the organisation and St Albans. The city is home to the head office while the local branch, South Herts, is the oldest in the country, founded at the Farriers Arms pub in 1972 (pictured) The branch also runs one of the most successful beer festivals in the country

Added: Friday, March 19th 2021

Back in the 1970s the strength of beer and the ingredients used were treated like state secrets by breweries. CAMRA unlocked the doors and consumers began to learn more about their favourite brews. Beer writers started to develop a language for beer appreciation -- derided at first but now widely accepted. Pictured: Butty Bach from Wye Valley with information about strength and ingredients on the back label

Added: Wednesday, November 25th 2020

A once obscure beer style from the Wallonia region of Belgium has now been taken up by brewers in many parts of the world. Saison was originally a seasonal beer brewed by farmers to refresh their workers at harvest time but it's now produced all year round. The classic Saison comes from the Dupont brewery based on a former farm in the Hainaut region

Added: Friday, November 6th 2020

A decade ago the English hop industry was on its knees as more and more brewers imported hops from abroad. But the revived British Hops Association has breathed life back into the market and has developed a new range of plants that deliver the rich, fruity aromas and flavours that craft brewers demand.

Added: Tuesday, October 6th 2020

Bill Tidy at the age of 86 has hung up his pens and sketch pads after years of tickling the nation's ribs with such strip cartoons as the Cloggies and the Fosdyke Saga. He created Kegbuster in the 1970s for CAMRA's What's Brewing newspaper where he lampooned the activities of the Grotny Hardmen and Twitbread and their lacklustre keg beers.

Added: Wednesday, July 29th 2020

Steve Crawley has brought the much-missed Higson's beers back to Liverpool -- but there's a lot more to be found at the Love Lane Brewery in the fashionable Baltic Triangle. Pale Ale is far and away the biggest beer, backed by IPAs and Baltic Stout. And there are modern gins to please a young clientele as well as excellent food

Added: Friday, June 26th 2020