Yell Piranha on 8/12/2008 at 22:38
Newcastle Brown is (at least among my peer group) held in reasonable regard but we tend not to drink it, sticking instead to beers from micro-breweries which you are unlikely to find stateside.
Theakstons is a very decent middle ground if you can get hold of it but bottled beer is just not the same as getting it on tap (at the Theakstons brewery for the big win).
Starrfall on 8/12/2008 at 22:54
I don't remember if Old Speckled Hen was any good but it has a good name!
Al_B on 8/12/2008 at 23:43
Old Speckled Hen is good - but a little on the strong side for my taste.
Theakston is ok. It's owned by the same company that makes Newcastle Brown Ale so there's a chance they have distribution to where you are. I personally prefer Black Sheep but I doubt you'll get that.
quinch on 9/12/2008 at 00:18
Ah yes, Old Speckled Hen makes up one of many bottled beers that seem to dominate the beer shelves of every convenience store and supermarket these days. Along with Bombardier, Hob-Goblin, Bishop's Finger (tee-hee) etc. I've seen gift boxes of them for Christmas so you should be able to get them abroad. Nice packaging but I find them a bit rough.
BEAR on 9/12/2008 at 02:20
Thanks for the suggestion guys. Whether or not any of these get bought for a gift I've got a mind to try a few just for myself since I've not partaken of any english beers. After running it through the irc kru I'm leaning more towards a local microbrew since he's likely to have the impression that all american beers are terrible.
Tocky on 9/12/2008 at 04:17
Quote Posted by sp4f
tis much easier to carry around than a flimsy plastic pint glass.
Waht? Nooooooooo. When? There were two glasses, one a thin glass widening toward the lip and the other a thick clear mug with nubbly bits you couldn't break against a skinhead. No plastic. None. NO.
Oh and be sure to warm whatever beer you get to the temperature of piss.
Fafhrd on 9/12/2008 at 05:31
Quote Posted by quinch
I love my beer but am a quaffer which is something you can't really do with typical English beers and dark ales. Well I can't...
Then YOU, sir, are no quaffer!
And I fully support the Boddington's and Young's Double Chocolate Stout suggestions. Fuller's is also pretty good, but a bit harder to find, and Newcastle is tremendously overrated.
sp4f on 9/12/2008 at 10:22
Quote Posted by Tocky
Waht? Nooooooooo. When? There were two glasses, one a thin glass widening toward the lip and the other a thick clear mug with nubbly bits you couldn't break against a skinhead. No plastic. None. NO.
Only happens in the clubs, there was a spate of glassings in various parts of the UK a few years ago. You still get glass in pubs and some of them have started reintroducing the old style pint mug because of the boom in real ale sales.
Fingernail on 9/12/2008 at 10:40
Seconded on Adnams, particularly Broadside. My family (well, my mum mostly) has a thing of going to Southwold where it's brewed every summer.
It's probably not easily available in the US at all, though. It does pop up at some London pubs, which is always nice to find. Ain't Nothin' but the Blues in Soho, of all places.
