What Makes a Real Ale "Real"

Real ale is beer that undergoes a secondary fermentation in the container from which it is served, and is drawn without any added gas. In plain terms, the yeast is still alive when the cask leaves the brewery. It settles, carbonates the beer naturally, and continues to shape the flavour in the cellar of the pub. That is why a well-kept pint of real ale tastes fresh and evolving rather than static.

Temperature matters enormously. Cask ale should be served at cellar temperature, roughly 11°C to 13°C. That is cool enough to be refreshing and warm enough for the malt and hop aromas to open up. A pint served ice-cold will taste of very little. A pint served warm and flat is a failure of cellar management, not of the style. When you see a pub with a well-kept cellar, you will usually find a short, rotating list of beers rather than twenty tired ones.

The Bitter Family: Ordinary, Best and Premium

Bitter is the backbone of the British pub, and the name is a historical accident. It simply meant a beer that was more generously hopped than a mild. Within bitter there are three broad bands, and knowing them helps you order with confidence.

• Ordinary bitter — around 3.4% to 3.9% ABV. Session strength, amber to copper, with a gentle malt base and a drying, grassy finish. This is the pint you can drink two or three of across an evening.
• Best bitter — around 4.0% to 4.5% ABV. More malt backbone, often a touch of crystal malt for biscuit and toffee, and a firmer hop bitterness to balance it.
• Premium or strong bitter — around 4.5% to 5.5% ABV. Fuller-bodied, often with English hops such as Goldings or Challenger, and a long, bitter, marmalade-tinged finish.

Colour is a poor guide here. A bitter can be pale gold or deep ruby and still sit firmly in the same family. Look at the ABV and the description on the pump clip instead.

Mild: Dark, Gentle and Underrated

Mild was once the everyday drink of industrial Britain, and it is enjoying a quiet revival. It is low in alcohol, typically 3.0% to 3.6%, lightly hopped, and built on malt. Expect chocolate, coffee, dried fruit and a soft, almost sweet finish rather than any bracing bitterness.

Dark mild and pale mild both exist, though the dark version dominates. It is a wonderful beer to drink with food, and it suits anyone who finds modern hop-forward beers too aggressive. If a pub has a mild on, order it — the licensees who keep one usually know exactly how to look after it.

Golden Ales and Modern Pale Ales

Golden ales arrived in the late 1980s and never left. They sit between 3.8% and 4.5% ABV, pour a bright straw to gold, and lean on late hopping for citrus, elderflower and gooseberry aromas. Bitterness is present but clean rather than harsh.

Pale ale and India pale ale push further. British versions tend to be 4.0% to 5.5%, and many now use American or New World hops alongside traditional English varieties. Expect grapefruit, pine and tropical fruit. The malt is there to support the hops, not to compete with them. These are the beers that converted a generation of lager drinkers, and they remain an excellent gateway into cask.

Old Ales, Strong Ales and Winter Warmers

At the darker and stronger end sit old ales, strong ales and barley wines. These range from about 5% to well over 8% ABV, and they are sipping beers rather than session pints. Rich crystal and roasted malts give raisin, treacle, plum and dark chocolate, while ageing in cask or bottle softens the alcohol into something rounded and vinous.

Brewers often release these in autumn and winter, sometimes spiced, sometimes barrel-aged. They pair beautifully with mature cheese, fruitcake and game. Serve them a little warmer than a bitter — 13°C to 15°C — and use a half-pint glass if the strength is high.

Choosing and Serving Well

Style is only half the story; condition is the other half. A superb beer served badly is a poor pint. A few practical points will improve almost every glass you drink.

• Check the clarity and the head. A properly conditioned cask ale should be bright, with a tight, lasting head of small bubbles.
• Ask about the sparkler. A sparkler nozzle gives a creamier, tighter head and knocks some carbonation out; it is standard in the north of England and less common in the south. Neither is wrong, but it changes the texture noticeably.
• Respect the settle. Cask ale needs a couple of minutes to come to rest after pouring. Good pubs pull it in two stages for a reason.
• Drink it fresh. Once a cask is tapped it has a limited life, usually three to four days. Ask what has just gone on, and you will rarely be disappointed.

Above all, trust your palate over the label. British real ale rewards curiosity, and the best way to understand these styles is simply to work through them, pint by pint, in the company of people who enjoy talking about them.