Boddington's on tap in London

In message , Thomas Hansen writes

Why ? there must be much better beers in London , if you must drink boddies go to Manchester

On Wed, 15 Mar 2006 9:13:07 +0000, martyn dawe wrote (in message ):

Perhaps he likes the taste of wet dogs.

I'll try to be helpful here.

If you are referring to keg (pasteurised/pressurised) Boddingtons, you'll find it widely available. If it's not available there will be another nitrokeg bitter such as John Smiths Smooth.

If you mean cask Boddingtons, I don't know anywhere in the areas you mention which sell it on a regular basis.

You should be aware that Boddingtons has a *very* poor reputation among British cask beer drinkers, which explains the somewhat dismissive responses you've received to your post. You should use your visit as an opportunity to explore the many interesting and tasty cask beers available in British pubs, almost all of which are a more enjoyable drink than Boddingtons. Search previous threads for 'London pubs' for lots of good suggestions.

BTW, 'on tap' is American usage, as is 'draft'. British English speakers would refer to 'draught Boddingtons'.

Enjoy your visit, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

Thanks, I knew I'd get that wrong. :-)

Thanks also for your reply. I wasn't aware of Boddington's reputation. Is taste the only reason for this, or is there some other reason?

I have to admit that I have mostly tried the canned version of Boddington's, which seems to be available in stores throughout Europe. I know of course that canned ale is nothing but a poor excuse for the real, draught ones, which is why I think I'll take my chances on a pint of Boddington's when I get to London.

I have tried numerous other English beers before, though, as will I the next time I visit London. Thanks again.

Thomas

The hostility to Boddingtons is partly down to taste, partly down to the fact that it's usually available only as a pasteurised filtered gas injected beer, and partly historical. 30 years ago Boddingtons was one of the finest session bitters available in Britain, but the beer has declined greatly over the years, particularly when the brewery was owned by Whitbread.

If you like it, drink it - it's your choice :-) You should certainly try the cask conditioned version if you find it (served through a hand pump) as this is much better than the nitrokeg version (and the cans - {shudder})

Best regards, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

I won;t drink Boddies and I live in the Manchester area! Boddington Bitter started its decline many years before Twitbreads even appeared on the scene,

Why ?

It's not brewed up here any more - brewery shut down.

-- JohnB

The cask version is still brewed in Manchester at Hydes, although I believe the keg version comes from South Wales.

Is that right Peter - didn't know that - I thought it had all gone to Wales.

Not that i'm inclined to be bothered anymore - sadly.

I recall first moving to Manchester in 1972 as a student when Boddies was a truely lovely pint and a revelation.

The Old Garratt, and the one behind the Free Trade Hall were my favourites then.

But what a decline over the next 20 years or so - really sad.

-- JohnB

There are many other reasons. It's dumbed-down flavorless gnat's pee, a shadow of what it was, and in their haste to put profit above all, InBev shut down the Manchester brewery that was the home of Boddington's for so many years. Nice for the stockholders, and who cares about the beer drinker?

You don't seem to understand, then. There is more than one style of beer served from a tap in the UK. The Boddington's you'll find on draught in London is pressurized, filtered, bland gnat's pee, served on so-called "nitrokeg" dispense, a method that might work for the likes of Guinness, but not for everything. Boddington's served in this manner is not one of "the real, draught ones." To get that, you're looking for

You could, instead, take a walk from Kings Cross station into Bloomsbury (to the south) and stop in at the Lamb in Lamb's Conduit Street for a reasonably decent pint of Young's Bitter, a cask-conditioned real ale served from the handpump. You could, instead, take the tube out to Hyde Park Corner or Knightsbridge and walk from there to the Star Tavern in Belgrave Mews West for a good pint of Fuller's, silently cursing them for shutting down Gale's while you're at it. You could, instead, head to Charing Cross and find the Ship and Shovell in Craven Passage, and enjoy a Badger Tanglefoot there.

If it's variety you're looking for, head west from King Cross to Euston Station and the very nearby Head of Steam pub. Or take the tube out to Parsons Green and join the bright young upwardly mobile things at the White Horse, aka "the Sloany Pony," with a good variety of cask ales on.

And FFS, let this year's CAMRA Good Beer Guide help you out. Even if used only in London, it'll be well worth the investment.

Thanks for your advice. I've heard of Young's but never tried it, so I'll see if i can find it when I do get to London.

Heh. "if."

It's quite easy to find Young's in London.

On Sun, 19 Mar 2006 23:14:12 +0000, Thomas Hansen wrote (in message ):

If you're in London please, please, please don't make Youngs the only beer you try. Youngs "Ordinary" is not even that - it's dreadfully dull from a dreadfully complacent brewer. Their Pilsener is good however.

My advice FWIW is go to Soho and try the Pillars of Hercules on Greek Street for an ever changing selection of real ales then round the corner to the Dog & Duck on Bateman Street for a great pint of Timothy Taylor's landlord.

I'm worried you'll never come back if you drink Youngs!

Steve Pickthall a écrit :

Good as in "good for a british approximation of a pilsner" or "good enough to stand up to a proper german or czech pilsener" ?

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 19:56:06 +0000, The Submarine Captain wrote (in message ):

Yes, good as a British approximation of a pilsner, though I don't see why that wouldn't make it qualify as "good enough to stand up to a proper german or czech pilsener".

Steve Pickthall a écrit :

Because carbonation is never quite right in british approximations, simply. Too gassy.

stand up to a proper german or czech pilsener" ?

wouldn't make it qualify as "good enough to stand

Hi Laurant, how would you rate Schiehallion as a lager? We like to drink it and it has no carburation at all. You probably have a better experience of continental lagers for comparison. Regards,

Thank you for your concern. :-) I love London, though, so I think I'll come back no matter what I drink...

And I'll remember the name Pillars of Hercules, I was at another pub in Greek Street the last time I was in London (a few weeks back) so I'm sure I'll find it.

Nice to see you looking for decent beers, but "I love London"?

Does insanity run in the family?