Pils, porters or pale ale: these are the beers every pub should be serving

Travel

What would the perfect pub offer at the pumps? From cask ales and clear lagers to strong sippers and thirst quenchers, a balanced selection is key

ByThe Thinking Drinkers

Published January 13, 2024

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

When it comes to putting together the perfect pub tap line-up, parallels can be drawn from football management. As with an ideal first 11, there needs to be balance at the pumps — a required blend of promising youth and gnarled veterans, an equilibrium struck between the scampering pomp of the new world craft brewing scene and a solid spine of enduring, ageless classics, the odd eccentric from overseas and, at the fear of stretching the analogy a little too far, a couple of unashamed crowd-pleasers who go down far too easily.

Let’s kick off with the classics — the beers that changed the world, the giants on whose shoulders contemporary craft brewers currently stand. Illustrious and inspiring, they’re liquid legacies of a certain time and place. Take Sierra Nevada Pale Ale — this perfectly balanced pale ale kick-started the American craft brewing revolution from a Californian bike shop back in 1979 and has lost none of its independence or integrity. Then there’s Orval, the sublime, shape-shifting Trappist dry-hopped pale ale, famous for its funky Brettanomyces yeast and boldness of hop. Or Schneider Weisse, an iconic Bavarian wheat beer that saved the style back in the 1850s — its signature burst of banana, bubble gum and cloves often imitated but seldom improved upon. Finally, let’s not forget Guinness — because sometimes only a pint of the black stuff will do.

A pub without cask can’t be considered a proper pub. Also known as ‘real’ ale, cask ale is hand-pulled beer that undergoes secondary fermentation in the barrel. Unfiltered and unpasteurised, it’s fresh beer that, still containing lively yeast, remains alive and kicking in the barrel until it lands in your glass. Properly brewed and lovingly looked after, it’s the best that beer can be. Harvey’s Best Bitter is a great example, effortlessly striking a balance between rich malt and muscular hop character. Then there’s Northern Monk Faith Hazy Pale Ale, which is tropical, juicy and smooth.

People who go to the pub are thirsty — which is where quenchers come in. These are the easy drinkers, the thirst-slakers and the session beers that won’t buckle your knees but may well make your elbows ache. Take Burning Sky Petite Saison, for example — a sensational, slaking Belgian-style saison pale ale from one of Britain’s finest breweries, which is based on the Sussex Downs. Or Kernel Table Beer, made by Bermondsey brewer Evin O’Riordain, who coaxes heaps of character out of this easy-drinking beer (around 3%) through an ever-changing hop profile. Then there’s Päffgen Kölsch — brewed like a golden ale yet matured like a lager, Kölsch can be complex yet immensely quaffable, and Päffgen comes with a brisk bitterness and lovely woody notes from the barrel. 

Of course, there must be lagers. Deserving of distinct deliberation, the lager may be the greatest pillar of the modern world of brewing, but no other beer ‘style’ has been more abused — at their worst, they’re quick-brewed beers that simply haven’t been stored (or lagered) for any period of time. But just because a lot of lousy beers are lagers, don’t assume all lagers are lousy. A legendary lager, like all great beer, needs time to perfect. At their best, these iconic beers have a clarity and preciseness of flavour, and are approachable, but never dull. Not demonstrative and loud, they’re best enjoyed slowly in precisely the way they’re painstakingly made. Budweiser Budvar Nefiltr (Unfiltered) is the reason why Czechs drink more beer per person than any other nation in the world. The hazy, rich Nefiltr deftly blends fresh, young unfiltered beer with a batch that’s been fully matured for six months in cold conditions. Augustiner Helles, from Munich’s oldest brewery, is simply one of the best lagers in the world, while Lost and Grounded Keller Pils is a hazy, crisp, clean ‘cellar’ lager with lots of character, born in Bristol yet inspired by Bavaria.

Similar veneration is also required for sippers; strong, strapping beers that you sit through and invest in — like a classic novel or an iconic album. Often high in strength and complexity, these aren’t poured into pint glasses, but supped from small glasses or snifters like a cognac. Great examples include Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze Golden Blend, a sensational sparking ‘sour’ blend of young and old Belgian lambic beers; Harviestoun Ola Dubh, a mellifluous Scottish stout, aged in barrels formerly occupied by Highland Park 12-year-old single malt whisky; and Fuller’s Vintage Ale, a ruby-red, bottle-conditioned annual release that’s tweaked every year and becomes more complex with age.

Next, there are hoppy beers. The hop may have been used in British brewing since the 16th century, but one just can’t overestimate its influence on modern beer, the hop-heavy Americanisation of India pale ale (IPA) being the most significant event to have shaped brewing in the past 40 years. So, any desert island draught selection simply must hail the hop in style — from upliftingly aromatic pale ales and single-hop varietals to archetypal American IPAs and, for those hardcore hopheads out there, double IPAs. Thornbridge Jaipur IPA is a beautifully balanced beer that really rolled out the red carpet for more British (American-style) IPAs. Proper Job IPA is a Cornish classic — full of lychees, tropical fruit and biscuity malt, while Russian River Pliny the Elder Double IPA is pure catnip among hopheads who crave that bold bitterness, cacophony of citrus fruit and a long finish.

Last but by no means least, any dream draught line-up needs a non-alcoholic beer. The good news is they’re a lot better than they used to be — take Big Drop Paradiso Citra IPA for example, with its burst of citrus fruit and clipped bitter finish.

Published in Issue 22 (winter 2023) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK)

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