What is “Real Ale”?

Dumfries & Stewartry Branch of

the Campaign for Real Ale

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Use your nose Beer should smell good! You’ll soon learn to recognise the key smells. Hoppiness from a classic pale ale ... burnt chocolate in a stout or porter ... or the banana nose of a wheat beer.
Use your Eyes Beer should look good! It should be colourful and bright - and if meant to have a significant head of froth, this should be thick and creamy. Remember, many beers - particularly those from the south of England -are not brewed to be served with creamy heads.

In the early 1970s CAMRA coined the term ‘REAL ALE’ to make it easy for people to differentiate between the bland processed beers that were being pushed by the big brewers and the traditional beers whose existence was very much under threat at that time.

Many pubs and brewers use the term to describe their beers but just to confuse you they are also called Cask Beers, Cask-Conditioned Ale or even Real Beer!

In the pub the huge majority of real ales are served using traditional hand-pull pumps rather than through modern-style fonts, but there are some exceptions to this.  If in any doubt, just ask!

Tasting beer is like tasting wine.  Firstly - make sure the beer is served at the right temperature.  If too cold, real ale loses many of its complex flavours.  If too warm, it can develop some you don’t want and quickly loses condition in the glass

And finally ... you taste it Beer should taste good! As soon you take your first taste of the beer you should notice the sweetness of the malts at the front of your mouth, while the dry, bitter, hoppy flavours dominate the back. As you swallow the beer, you’ll soon learn to appreciate the ‘finish’. Just like wine, each Real Ale has its own unique characteristics and complexities from the style, ingredients and the Brewer’s recipe.

The best way to sniff beer is with a half-empty glass.  Give it a quick swirl - put your hand over the glass to hold in the aromas - then dive in and take a nice deep breath.

Remember too that some beers such as ‘Wheat Beers’ may be cloudy.  These should still look attractive and not dull or flat.  Generally though, your beer should be bright and clear and your glass should not contain any sediment

Beer Styles

Light Bitter

Bitter

Old Ale

Porter & Stout