There's a myth that ale is an old mans drink. This is something that's perpetuated by any footage you see of the large beardy men in control of CAMRA (I intend to be large and am often beardy so don't take this the wrong way) and young codgers like James May. I think this is pretty unfair. One fifty-something who should no better - you know who you are - has repeatedly told me he doesn't like to drink ale 'because it tastes of fart'. How rude. On the other hand almost all my friends are ale drinkers and I think this is indicative of a wider trend. Ale fits perfectly into the current interest in traditional British products, provenance, local buying and all of the other trends which have been mercifully rescued from the sandals and socks brigade. The Germans, Belgians and Czechs have lager and wheat beers, the French, Spanish and Italians have wine, we have ale. This item won't just look at ales or British beer, but I would like them to be a focus. So it is with regret that I kick of my beer reviews with an example made by our cousins from across the pond, where micro-brewing is as cool as Lilly Cole buying a Rothko and has exploded way past our still endangered, if growing scene.
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