Real Ale and Micro Breweries

Beer has been brewed in this country for hundreds of years and will go on so, even though it has been messed up by the big boys with still more imports arriving every day.

Why do we dispense beer so cold?….. To hide the bland taste. So it comes as a welcome relief when you see a local brew on the bar; one you know has been brewed just up the road adding to the local economy…by your local Micro Brewery.

I have sat up and taken notice because over the last few years two have sprung up in my immediate area and the other day I installed my first real ale bag in box set up, for one of them (I have to use the term real ale because it is not in a cask).

So how does it work?  Apparently it is filtered bright in the brewery, bagged ready for use straight away. A bit of yeast is left in the bag so this keeps fermenting away, but you must start using it within a certain period otherwise the bag will expand and split. Because the beer is enclosed in a bag and not subjected to the dank cellar climate, it will last a lot longer, well over a week I am told. Can this brings the fun back into looking after beer? I can remember trying to change a split keystone (when they were wooden) in a barrel (36 gallon), without moving it or spilling any beer.

But is it Traditional? Are micro breweries pushing out the boundaries or are they bending the rules? Perhaps CAMRA will have an answer for this one, after all you can now get real ale in bottles, does that count?  But the possibilities are endless Pubs that do not sell enough to warrant a 9 gallon. Guest houses, Restaurants,  Beer festivals and outside bars using ice jackets.

Do you have a Hand-pull not doing anything? Why not give the line a good clean, attach a bag in box connector and with a 10 or 20Litre B in Box, and you are away. While they still only have 2% of the market. I do hope local brews (Micro Breweries) do make a significant comeback unlike Germany who never lost theirs.

What is you view? Leave a comment below or on the forum.

 Loading ...