InterWined is no longer much of a beer drinker, especially in London.
A recent jaunt to New York and New Jersey represented the first trip to the United States in six years. And who could guess, that in that time, Americans have become relatively sophisticated beer drinkers?
This isn’t even to mention the superior wines by the glass in America. For $12, for instance, at a Hyatt hotel of all places, one gets a choice of several outstanding wines by the glass. In this case, the 2006 Erath Pinot Noir from Oregon. Served in the proper wine glass for Pinot Noir, it should be mentioned. Elegant and stunning. But the U.S. has always offered far superior wines (both in quality and quantity) by the glass in chain bars and pubs.
But even at dives serving horrible food, the beer choices were well beyond Bud, Bud Light, Miller. At one spot, for less than $6, a pint of Magic Hat dark lager was suggested, on tap, to pair with my rosemary-encrusted pork chop with lobster tail. It was one of many suggestions this hole in the wall had for its customers. And it tasted so good, InterWined found it depressing. Depressing because beer is so bad back in Britain.
A beverage analyst for Fitch Ratings recently put out a report that, in the wake of the smoking ban, pubs needed to diversify in order to survive. This is likely to take the form of breakfast offers and more child-friendly environments. In rural areas, little country shops may open adjacent to the pub in order to bring punters in.
But of all these changes, the simplest improvement never crossed anyone’s mind: stop serving crap beer.
The big drinks companies have placed a rather effective stranglehold on the market so that our choices are not based on styles, as in the U.S. Instead, we are forced to choose between several horrible brands that all taste basically the same way.
Blind taste Kronenberg, Carlsberg, Foster’s, Stella, etc. and see if you can guess which is which.
There is nothing special or original about beers in British pubs.
And until the servicing model wakes up to try something different, the trend of pub closures will continue. And it won’t bother me one bit.
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