There may be a lot of cork stoppers this weekend, but I suspect it will be the beer at the heart of most street parties. And what could be a more traditional British drink to celebrate the jubilee?
But will yours be done in a traditionally British style? Beers have become in recent years a vehicle of so many different flavors, driven in many cases by such high levels of alcohol that it is difficult to think of some of them as session drinks. For beer writer Pete Brown, the trend has gone too far: “The problem is we’re too driven by novelty,” he says. “Some varieties of hops may have a touch, for example, of mango or papaya in the aroma, so brewers say,” Great, we put a load of mango or papaya pulp if that’s the flavor people want. “In the craft world, the balance is boring and the tracks don’t make sense when you can be fantastic. But the joy of a well-made traditional pale ale, for example, is in its balance and nuance.” .
There are, however, some tentative signs that the pendulum is turning in the other direction. Theakston, for example, recently relaunched its refreshing 3.4% Dark Mild, citing a return to interest in traditional styles. “I think there’s a real curiosity among‘ craft ’breweries to produce so-called traditional beers,” says Adrian Tierney-Jones, author of the recently published United Kingdom of Beer. “There are people like Elusive and Boxcar making soft, Five Points, Deya and Anspach & Hobday doing the best bitter, and Orbit in south London making an English-style pale ale.”
Tierney-Jones adds: “Other brewers I spoke to while writing the book said that they have always liked to drink traditional styles and that, having made their name with very hop craft beers, they now want to branch out. The result is a bitter one.
But just as many drinkers developed an interest in wine through tastier styles such as New Zealand white sauvignon or large, daring Argentine malbecs, beer drinkers may have no inclination to go ahead, or back, as you will see. Fans may welcome the return of these beers, but the general public may find it harder to convince. Although an enthusiast, Tierney-Jones reluctantly admits, “I don’t think they’re supplanting New England’s juicy, blurry, and fruity IPAs anytime soon.”
Five classic beers to celebrate the jubilee weekend
M&S Platinum Jubilee Ale £ 36 for 12 bottles of 600 ml Marks & Spencer, 5%. With a pale malt grown in North Norfolk and English sovereign hops from Herefordshire, this limited edition golden beer made for the Marks and Sparks brewery by Elgoods in Cambridgeshire has an impeccable origin. Great for a street party.
Butcombe Rare Breed Pale Ale £ 14.95 for 8 500ml bottles (and also in pubs), 4.2%. Multi-award-winning beer with a great malt character made from maris otter barley grown on Cotswold Farm by Countryfile presenter Adam Henson.
Timothy Taylor Boltmaker £ 42 for 16 bottles of 500 ml, or £ 1.90 the Ocado bottle, 4.2%. Slightly bitter and darker than TT’s most famous Landlord, but a beer that breaks. Call for a farmer or a cake.
Taste the Difference Golden Ale £ 1.60 (500ml) Sainsbury’s (in store only), 4.3%. Cool summer session ale made for Sainsbury’s by Hall & Woodhouse in Dorset. It would go well with salads.
Fyne Ales Jarl Citra Session Blonde £ 27.60 for 12 bottles of 500 ml or £ 30 for 12 cans of 440 ml, 3.8%. Brewer Camra Scottish champion last year. Pale, citrusy and refreshing, but also with an intense bitterness (although the can is less bitter than the bottle). Perfect for fish and chips.