Beer

Brewing

Foam formed on the top of a fermenting beverage – used to leaven bread; gives its name to a soft, floury bread roll (used in the North of England) and to a slang term meaning crazy (empty–headed)		Barm
Fermentation system invented in the 1830s, allowing excess barm to be expelled from the casks without leaving excessive unused space in the casks		Burton Union System
Kriek: a Belgian beer, flavoured with		Cherries (sour)
Finings are used to		Clarify the beer
Vessel where the wort is boiled with the hops		Copper
Word traditionally used in Scotland for a strong bitter beer		Heavy
Obtained from a plant with the Latin name Humulus lupulus; originated in the Hallertau region, now in Germany, in the 8th century; first imported to England from the Netherlands around 1400, after which the term "beer" began to replace "ale"; imparts a bitter taste, balancing the sweetness of the malt, and acts as a preservative		Hops
Kind of gelatin used to fine beer, comes from swim bladders of freshwater fish		Isinglass
Term for a type of barrel, introduced by Flowers brewery in the 1950s – designed to stand on one end, rather than on its side		Keg
The process of steeping the malt in water and heating for one or two hours		Mashing
Name formerly used for sweet stout, but now illegal		Milk stout
Gas used to give Guinness its creamy head		Nitrogen
German laws governing the ingredients of beer – literally "purity order" (the best–known version was adopted in Bavaria in 1516)		Reinheitsgebot
Fitted to a beer pump to vary the amount of head		Sparkler
A small wooden or metal peg, used to control the flow of air into a cask (and carbon dioxide out); word used in the name of a chain of real ale pubs founded in the late 20th century		Spile
Frame on which barrels are stood		Stillage
Liquid obtained after mashing		Wort
Ingredient that Lambic and Faro beers (from Belgium) lack		Yeast
Chemistry of brewing		Zymurgy

Countries

Note that many of these beers are produced under licence in the UK (and no doubt elsewhere). So if in doubt, ask where they were first brewed.

Coopers, Swan (lager)		Australia
Lambic and Faro are types of beer brewed in		Belgium
Brahma beer (lager): brewed in what is (according to Wikipedia) the world's fifth largest brewery		Brazil
Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen		Czech Republic
Wiibroe beer		Denmark
Beck's		Germany
Red Stripe lager		Jamaica
Kirin is the oldest, and until 2000 the best–selling beer in		Japan
Available in UK supermarkets from 2008, Tusker Lager was first brewed in 1922 (by two white settlers) in		Kenya
Sol, Corona		Mexico
Heineken, Grolsch, Oranjeboom		Netherlands
Lech, Okocim, Zywiec		Poland
Superbock, Sagres		Portugal

Brewers (and brews)

Founded in 1872 in Southwold, Suffolk; incorporated in 1890		Adnams
Swindon (Wiltshire)'s oldest company – founded in 1843		Arkell's
Hall & Woodhouse – beers include Fursty Ferret and Tanglewood – is better known as		Badger
Founded in Burton–on–Trent, 1777; red triangle was Britain's first registered trade mark (1876); bottles of its product appear in Manet's A Bar at the Folies Bergeres		Bass
Founded in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire (between Boston and Skegness), in 1874: best known products are XB and XXXB; slogan "Good Honest Ales"		Batemans
Founded near Dunbar, East Lothian, in 1719; in 2005 it was Scotland's biggest and oldest independent brewery, but it was then taken over by Greene King		Belhaven
Founded in 1991 in Masham, North Yorkshire, by a member of the Theakston family, previously MD of Theakston's – which had been taken over in 1984 by Blackburn–based Matthew Brown plc, which in turn was taken over in 1987 by Scottish & Newcastle		Black Sheep
Founded in 2007 in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire; moved in 2014, to the town of Ellon – which is nearer to Aberdeen than to Fraserburgh; by 2020 it claimed (according to Wikipedia) to be "the #1 Craft Brewer in Europe".		BrewDog
Edinburgh brewery, founded 1869: brews Deuchar's IPA (as well as most of McEwan's draught beers)		Caledonian
Associated with the elephant since 1901 when a gate to the brewery was constructed (based on an elephant statue in the Piazza della Minerva, in Rome); brews a beer called Elephant (since 1955); created a brand of lager (Special Brew) to commemorate a visit to Denmark by Winston Churchill in 1950		Carlsberg
Pale ale, first brewed in 1876 by Samuel Alsopp & Sons of Burton–on–Trent, which merged with Ind Coope in 1934; one of Britain's best–selling beers throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s, remembered for its advertising slogan "I'm only here for the beer" and jingle " ... works wonders"		Double Diamond
Claims to be Wales's oldest brewery: named after the village near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, where it was established in 1878; best–known brew is Double Dragon		Felinfoel (vellin–voil)
First brewery outside the United States to sell beer in cans (1931 - BBC website)
Based in Chiswick, west London, since 1845; beers include London Pride		Fuller
Britain's biggest brewer and pub retailer (2019) – brands include Abbot Ale; based in Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk; taken over in 2019 by a Hong Kong–based property developer		Greene King
Founded in 1615 in the eastern Dutch town of Groenlo; bought by SABMiller in 2008; sold to a Japanese company in 2017 (as a condition of the take–over of SABMiller by Annheuser–Busch InBev); now brewed near Enschede		Grolsch
1989: the first brewer to put "widgets" in cans of beer (a device to form smaller bubbles when the can is opened and thus produce a creamier texture)		Guinness
Founded in 1985 in Alva, Clackmannanshire (approx. 5 miles ENE of Stirling): best–known product is Bitter & Twisted		Harviestoun
The world's largest brewer: formed in 2004 by the merger of Interbrew (Belgium) and AmBev (Brazil); Interbrew already owned the UK brewers Tennent Caledonian and Whitbread; bought Annheiser–Busch (US, maker of Budweiser) in 2008, incorporating that name into its own; brands include Stella Artois, Boddingtons, Beck's, Staropramen, Jupiler, Leffe, Labatt, Hoegaarden, Bass		InBev
Founded (under this name) in 1845 in Romford, Essex; moved to Burton–on–Trent in 1856; best–known product Double Diamond; merged with Ansells and Tetley Walker in 1961 to form Allied Breweries		Ind Coope
Founded in 1828 in the Cumberland village of Lorton; moved to the Castle Brewery, Cockermouth, in 1874; brews include Sneck Lifter (launched 1990) and Cocker Hoop (1995)		Jennings
Founded 1990 in Sheffield – same name as an industrial museum		Kelham Island
Founded 1664 in Strasbourg (Alsace was formally annexed by France in 1681)		Kronenbourg
Canada's largest brewer: founded in 1847 in London, Ontario; bought in 1995 by Interbrew (Belgium); its top brand is Blue (after the colour of its label)		Labatt
The last brewer to use the Burton Union style; beers include Pedigree		Marston
Founded 1865 in Burnley, Lancashire		Moorhouse's
Low–alcohol brew introduced by Brewdog in 2009: name is a term used by politicians and lobbyists since the 1960s to describe over–protective Government policies		Nanny State
Named after the town where it was founded in 1993; moved in 1998 to Peterborough (25 miles away), where its Brewery Tap is Europe's largest 'brewpub'		Oakham Ales
First brewed in 1979 (by Morland's of Abingdon, Oxfordshire) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of MG cars' factory in Abingdon		Old Speckled Hen
Wandsworth brewery, opened in 1576 – bought by Young's in 1831, closed in 2006 when Young's merged with Charles Wells; Young's claimed it was Britain's oldest brewery		Ram Brewery
Stockport brewery, founded in 1839 at the Unicorn public house, whose name was adopted for the brewery site and (from around 1990?) to its best–selling beer brand, previously known as Best Bitter: took over Hartley's of Ulverston, Cumbria in 1982; introduced 'build a rocket boys!', developed in collaboration with the rock band Elbow and named after their album released at the same time, as a limited edition in 2011 (it was eventually sold for two years), and Trooper, a premium bitter made to a recipe created by Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, in 2013		Robinsons
Founded in 1994 in Rock, Cornwall; bought out by Coors in 2011; best–known product is Doom Bar, named after a notorious sandbank in the mouth of the river Camel (overlooked by the village of Rock)		Sharp's
The world's second largest brewer, after AB InBev: listed in London, but has its origins in South Africa (hence the first part of its name) and Milwaukee (hence the second part); brands include Fosters, Grolsch, Miller, Peroni, Pilsner Urquell		SABMiller
Britain's oldest brewer (established 1698) – based in Faversham, Kent		Shepherd Neame
Second largest brewer in the Czech Republic; name means 'old spring'		Staropramen
Founded in 1851 in (and named after) one of Cornwall's largest towns; best–known products are Tribute and Proper Job		St. Austell
Based in Keighley, Yorkshire – best–known product is Landlord bitter		Timothy Taylor
Founded in 1827 at the Black Bull public house in Masham, North Yorkshire		Theakston
Described by The Independent as Britain's first craft brewery: named after the Derbyshire country house in whose grounds it opened in 2005; it now owns the house, but does most of its brewing in Bakewell; best–known brews include Jaipur IPA and Bayern pils		Thornbridge
Founded in 1985 in Burslem, Stoke–on–Trent; named in honour of Captain Edward J. Smith		Titanic
Beer brewed by Tolly Cobbold and named after Sir John Harvey–Jones		Tollyshooter
Founded 1876 in Bedford; best–known product is Bombardier bitter; merged with Young's in 2006		Charles Wells
Founded 1875 in Devizes, Wiltshire: best–known product is 6X		Wadworth
'Legendary' ale produced by Phoenix Brewery of Heywood, Lancashire (strictly speaking Greater Manchester) since 1991, previously at Oak Brewery of Ellesmere Port (moved to enable expansion); said to be named after a three–legged cat that lived at the Oak		Wobbly Bob
Founded in 1983 in Witney, Oxfordshire; bought out in 2002 by a subsidiary of Marston's; best–known product is Hobgoblin ("What's the matter Lagerboy – afraid you might taste something?")		Wychwood

Consistent Pubs

In 2016 there were five pubs that had appeared in every edition of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide. I'm a big fan of pubs, real ale and the Good Beer Guide, and for no other reason I'm listing those five pubs here.

Star Tavern		West Brompton, London
Buckingham Arms		Petty France, St. James's Park, London
Queen's Head		Newton, Cambridgeshire
Square & Compass		Worth Matravers, Dorset
Roscoe Head		Liverpool

Actually ... I say for no other reason than because I'm a fan, but we did have a question about this subject in Stockport Quiz League, in October 2016. The question was: which one of the five is in Liverpool? (It's actually the only one that's not in the south of England.)

While researching this section, I found that there were ten pubs that had featured in every Good Beer Guide up to 2008 – i.e. the first 35 editions. I also found that in 2011 there were seven.

The five that have fallen by the wayside since 2008 are:

Cherry Tree		Tintern, Gwent
Sow & Pigs		Toddington, Bedfordshire
Blue Anchor		Helston, Cornwall
Star Inn		Netherton, Northumberland
New Inn		Kilmington, Devon

I should add that being omitted from the Good Beer Guide is not necessarily a sign of any decline in standards. CAMRA tends not to list a pub that has recently had a change of licensee – to give them time to assess the quality of the beer over a respectable period of time. So no slur on any of the five pubs that have "fallen by the wayside" is intended, or should be inferred.

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23