Craft Beers - Enjoy your local brews.

A quiet revolution is spreading across the suburbs of Britain. For many years wine has been the preferred tipple of the drinking classes but now there is credible alternative – craft beers. Traditionally beer was drunk in pubs and thanks to the effort of Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) one can buy good quality cask conditioned beers in most bars.

However, drinking beer at home was often confined to having a few chilled cans of supermarket lager in the fridge. Now there is a real choice for the discerning drinker who perhaps wants to limit their consumption of alcohol or enjoy the depth of flavours available when experiencing real ale in a pub.

The choice is now being provided by the numerous small craft brewers across the country that produce excellent quality beers which perfectly complement any dining experience. It was not thaT long ago that big corporations swallowed up most of our traditional local breweries but the tide has turned and there are now over 1100 independent brewers in the UK.

Here in Havant we are leading the way with Havant Brewery who started in 2009 from home and are now based in an industrial unit brewing a wide range of bottled and cask beers which are available from a variety of local outlets or direct from the brewery. Havant Brewery has its own shop which is open from 1200 – 1700 Thursday and Friday and 1000 -1400 on Saturday. Havant Brewery is located at Unit 25, The Tanneries, Brockhampton Lane, Havant. For more information www.thehavantbrewery.co.uk

Craft beers can offer a healthy alternative to wines and other drinks as they are made of natural ingredients – water, malted barley, yeast and hops. Beers tend to range from 3.5% - 6% alcohol which is a lot less that the 11% -14% strength of wine. Many people feel that they may not like beer but have they tried all the different styles that are now available?

The dark roast bitter flavour of a stout may be an acquired taste but the light spicy, lemony taste of a wheat beer could win over even the most sceptical of beer phobics. Craft beers have far more depth of flavour and complexity that their industrial produced counterparts.

Whether you are an experienced beer drinker or someone who is looking for a new taste experience I do commend you to try the wide range of craft beers that are now available. Traditional bitters, old fashioned milds, pale ales, hoppy Indian Pale ales (IPA), wheat beers, stouts and lagers are produced by small scale producers who are all real beer enthusiasts. Independent off licences and Coop community shops will often stock a good range of local craft beers which are a delight to drink at home either on their own or to accompany a fine meal. There are over 20 independent breweries in Hampshire ranging from very small home based brewers to larger concerns such as Upham Brewery who operate nine pubs including the recently refurbished Wheelwright’s Arms in Emsworth Road, Havant.

In future editions I will be exploring the many types of craft beers that are available and helping you to enjoy these marvellous brews.

By
Freelance writer David Harris contributes a new regular column on craft beers
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