YOUR delicious.
STAR EMAIL
FROM: HARRIET ELEY
I’ve worked my whole adult life in the beer
industry (from pot washer in pubs to
marketing) so I feel I must comment on
the description of cask ale in The Great
Christmas Drinks refresh [Dec, p137].
I support experimentation. I’m a craft
beer drinker and love what it has brought
to Britain, so it was devastating to see the
line “falling asleep over dull, brown,
old-fashioned cask ales” in print.
Cask ale is Britain’s beer heritage. It has
a rich history of regionaldiversity,ofsmall
producers, of generationsofbrewers
learning their craft, andit hasa huge
variety of styles andflavours.It struggledto
survive the 70s, 80s and90swhenbland,
over-gassed ‘lagers’reignedsupreme.
The biggest dangertothiswonderful
product is the perceptionthatcaskaleis
‘flat, dull and warm’anddrunkby‘oldmen’ – which discourages potential
drinkers from even trying it, let alone
visiting some of Britain’s oldest and best
pubs, where fantastic ranges of expertly
selected and cared-for ales shine.
We have lost so much of our food and
drink heritage. While European countries
have protected the origins and championed
the uniqueness of their cheese, charcuterie,
wine, butter and more, we lost or threw
most of ours away. Please be mindful of
how you represent cask ale, so it remains
part of our culture and not our history.
DrinkseditorSusyAtkinsresponds:“I’msorry
youweredisappointed.It wasanentirely
humorouspiece,meantina frivolousfestive
spirit(I likesweetsherrytoo!)butI do
understandthepointyoumakeaboutcaskale
deservingmoreseriousattention– thereare
manythatareanythingbutdullandold
fashioned.I’llputthisrightwithmore
positivebeerrecommendationsin2020.”Save our cask ale heritage!
3
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