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The 50 best beers

BITTER

Hook Norton Old Hooky

'This often-overlooked beer is a classic example of an English bitter,' says Zak Avery. 'Copper-brown in colour, with lots of toasted biscuity malt, dried fruit and a hoppy spiciness in the finish, Old Hooky is complex and drinkable in equal measures.'

BreweryHook Norton Brewery (www.hooknortonbrewery.co.uk)

How much £1.66 4.6% ABV - 500ml

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Drunk on the marketeers trendy names?
[info]countup wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 12:22 am (UTC)
The compilers of this list appear to have been seduced by trendy marketing names rather than the quality of the beers.
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Re: Drunk on the marketeers trendy names?
[info]rain1950 wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 01:09 am (UTC)
It all looked very timely to me. Gucci was rather nice.
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Re: Drunk on the marketeers trendy names?
[info]auntypat wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 08:10 am (UTC)
Trendy names? What, you mean like 'Hook Norton Double Stout' and 'Weihnstephan hefeweisse'? Yeah, you're always seeing people like Russell Brand and the Arctic Monkeys namedropping beers like that.
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Best Beers
[info]jamieselva wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 07:37 am (UTC)
But surely, this is 50 best BOTTLED beers. In my estimation nothing from a bottle i ever as good as straight from the barrel.
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best beers
[info]squealer666 wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 10:59 am (UTC)
I am missing Polish 'Perla' beer. The best beer I've ever had in my life.

http://www.perla.pl/index.php (English version available).
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A grave sin of omission
[info]dinsylwy wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 11:38 am (UTC)
The absence of Greene King's Abbot Ale. Tut, tut.
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Re: A grave sin of omission
[info]mrpling wrote:
Monday, 19 October 2009 at 08:56 am (UTC)
quite agree - and where's Timothy Taylors Landlord?
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could do with a couple of additions
[info]beerreviewsandy wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 12:50 pm (UTC)
could do with a couple more - Like Moor somerland gold or mikkeller beer geek breakfast ;o)

some great ales in that list though, it's always really hard to complile a best of - you can't fit them all in
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Re: could do with a couple of additions
[info]wrighthorse wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 01:16 pm (UTC)
Disappointing that none of the world famous Sheffield beers get an inclusion such as Kelham's Pale Rider or Bradfield's Brown Cow. Gives me the impression that the research has been influenced by marketing contributions from big breweries rather than 'fieldwork' sampling!
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German wheat beers
[info]euro_zone wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 03:23 pm (UTC)
shame that the "contest" has been done on availability in the UK, the mentioned wheat beers and also the Veltins don´t get past my doorstep! I have the luxury of living in Bavaria where I´m spoilt for choice
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[info]farmville wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 06:38 pm (UTC)
best beers on what basis? taste is so relative
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Good list - it's given me some ideas.
[info]niccameronbrown wrote:
Saturday, 17 October 2009 at 11:57 pm (UTC)
I can't see any trendiness in the list and I think that it is a strength that most of these beers are available nationally.

I've always disagreed that ranking food and drink is somehow meaningless because taste is relative. Connoisseurship, the development of a good palate and the resultant discrimination help us to retain diversity and stave off the corporates' desire to achieve the lowest common denominator.

Really good to see Samuel Adams Boston Lager on the list too.
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Can't be bothered!
[info]dinerouk9 wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 05:01 am (UTC)
Why don't you put them all on one page? Most people don't want to keep clicking to get all these?
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Beers
[info]cavirac wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 08:29 am (UTC)
If Roger had concentrated on writing about good british breweries over the years instead of waxing lyrical about obscure, but good granted, quirky beers the british brewing industry might be in better shape. Hardly any regional brewers are ever worth a mention by Roger.
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Rather Provincial
[info]tdlm wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 10:50 am (UTC)
I know that the intended audience for this article is mainly British, and consequently the authors were aiming to help the average person searching for a good bottle at the local Oddbins. That said, they should have titled the article "The Best Beers Commonly Available in Britain," or better yet they should have worn their prejudices on their sleeves and made a list of "The Best British Beers," since they clearly know very little about anything brewed outside of England and Wales. Samuel Adams is considered a mediocre beer in America, and Goose Island and the Brooklyn Brewing Company aren't far behind; there are literally scores of breweries making far superior stuff in the States and in Canada. Their list of Belgian and German beers seem like a perfunctory nod to acknowledged national icons, when they should have listed some of the less well known but equally ingenius brews to be found their. Finally, their attempts at inclusion of other nations are laughable. Kiri Ichiban? Pilsner Urquell? Are you joking? Why not throw Tsingtao and Corona on the list while you're at it? I know lists like this are supposed to generate controversy, but this one is best tossed out rather than discussed.
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Youngs Bitter
[info]rogwen wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 01:55 pm (UTC)
I didn't look at the list yet, but if a pint of Young's Ordinary isn't on the list all your credibility will have fled through the window.
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the 50 best beers?
[info]rogwen wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 02:10 pm (UTC)
I see that the list should have been called "The fifty best beers unless you go to the pub". And note that I said "the" pub intentionally, implying going to a pub chosen not at random or for the comfort of its chairs but specifically for its beer.
I can't help thinking that some of the foreign beers were chosen for reasons other than their taste; perhaps a touch of foreign-means-at-least-a-touch-of-sophistication-for-my-image? While I have drunk some of them on a regular basis that was only because I was out of range of my usual brewery in some foreign land, and they were the best of what was available. It didn't mean I took a case home with me. Still, this is all a matter of personal taste, so I suppose i should be somewhat benevolent about another's somewhat eccentric palate.
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Orval
[info]johnnynorfolk wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 02:48 pm (UTC)
My favorite is Orval there is no hint of sweetness. It is a strange taste but I love it.
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[info]the_town_crier wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 05:42 pm (UTC)
Oh please. About half of these nominations are English, and English beer is nowhere near as good as either German or Eastern European beer - or even Northern American or French beer. As far as I'm concerned, the Germans make by far the best beer in the world, not only because beer there is (unlike here) actually valued as a drink, but because they have laws that make it impossible to brew piss-water like Carling (which, need I say it, is laden with caramel and injected with carbon dioxade just to make it palatable - which, need I say it, it isn't).

The Germans also have probably the greatest variety of beers per population. My girlfriend, who's never drunk before in her life, recently came back from Bonn carrying 5 different varities of bottles. She picked these up at a small store before travelling, and as she didn't know any names just picked the ones she 'thought' would taste good. There were around 150 varities in this single store, the size of your average Co-Op/Tesco Express. Comparing these beers to the dross served up here was like comparing a mountain to a molehill: they were so good, in fact, that they all made it into my top 10 instantly, which says something - I've been drinking widely for just under 10 years, at a rate of a beer (or two) a night!
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Nope
[info]jef007 wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 08:31 pm (UTC)
In fact we have the greatest variety per population, and we always get ours nominated or winning international contests. Check out your own Michael Jackson in his publications about beer. There may not be so much to brag about in Belgium, but next to our chocolate, this sure as hell is worth bragging about. Forget Stella and such, try stuff like Westvleteren.
Greetz
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Re: Nope
[info]gherkins123 wrote:
Monday, 19 October 2009 at 11:53 am (UTC)
I agree - I live in Germany, but there is very little variety here as a result of its purity laws. And even the "purity" is misleading as it just refers to only using barley malt, hops, yeast and water - not about additives and pesticides. I grant that the average quality of beer is very high, but variety - not a chance. Belgium wins hands down.

See for example: http://www.xs4all.nl/~patto1ro/reinheit.htm
and: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-241-Beer-Examiner~y2009m7d1-Trouble-in-Deutschland-part-1--German-beer-culture-in-doubt
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How disappointing!
[info]griffin036 wrote:
Sunday, 18 October 2009 at 06:50 pm (UTC)

Seems like the complier of this report has simply been to tescos and made notes off the back of the bottles! In the first instance the "best" beers are those served from the cask and not with the preserving gaseous additives of the bottled kind, in any case the omission of Leffe Blonde is inexcusable!.
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Missing link
[info]sparkozy wrote:
Monday, 19 October 2009 at 06:14 am (UTC)
You forgot Duff Beer. Doh!!!
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Hook Norton
[info]domskidom wrote:
Monday, 19 October 2009 at 12:27 pm (UTC)
for those new to the beers from this little family run brewer, i'd strongly recommend you try not only the marvelous Old Hooky but you also try it's Double Stout, Summer Haze and the tremendous Hooky Gold. All really awesome beers ... unfortunately for those who live further afield than Oxon it's a rareity to get hold of them.
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50 photos
[info]comradekaff wrote:
Monday, 19 October 2009 at 02:37 pm (UTC)

I love a good beer, but do not want to click 50 times to see them. Next time can we have a simple list please? I don't need to see labels.
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Scottish Ales
[info]rg112 wrote:
Monday, 19 October 2009 at 03:03 pm (UTC)
A real must for any ale fans is Fraoch... well worth including here.
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The 50 best beers
[info]revelstoke wrote:
Monday, 19 October 2009 at 11:12 pm (UTC)
Dogs bolloocks from Wychwood's
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ginger beer
[info]jimmyjitt wrote:
Tuesday, 20 October 2009 at 06:37 am (UTC)
and there is no mention of Crabbie's Ginger Beer, (4.5%) - the most refreshing beer to drink on a hot summers day.
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No Mexican beers?
[info]londonsquire wrote:
Tuesday, 20 October 2009 at 11:24 am (UTC)
Bohemia beer from Mexico is the best bottled beer I've ever tasted.
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American beers
[info]expat_john wrote:
Tuesday, 20 October 2009 at 09:23 pm (UTC)
The Town Crier offers the opinion that "English beer is nowhere near as good as either German or Eastern European beer - or even Northern American or French beer." Nothing wrong with German beer but most East European beer is mediocre because they don't have decent hops - the notable exception being of course Czech pilsners. I've never had a French beer worth drinking, although I'll admit that the ones I have tried were so poor I've given up on the place so may have missed something. However - Noth American????? Ninety nine percent of what's sold here in the US is fizzy water percolated through used kitty litter. I've been drinking this stuff for a quarter century and have yet to come across anything I'd swap for a pint of Young's Ordinary or Fuller's ESB - or even a bottle of Sam Smith's Pale Ale.
So TDLM claims "Samuel Adams is considered a mediocre beer in America, and Goose Island and the Brooklyn Brewing Company aren't far behind;" Considered by whom, pray? Sam Adams is probably the best widely available beer in the US. Yes there are better, but naming the brew-pub in the center of my adopted home town doesn't do the average beer drinker in the UK or the US any good - doesn't matter how good it is if you can't get it. I drank some variety of Goose Island (probably not IPA) while in Chicago a few years back and wasn't terribly impressed and I've never coma acroos the Brooklyn, but if as TDLM claims "there are literally scores of breweries making far superior stuff in the States and in Canada." - how come he couldn't favo(u)r us with the names of one or two?
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beer
[info]alanburden wrote:
Wednesday, 21 October 2009 at 07:57 am (UTC)
It is all your fault .I looked at the best beer article. I was shopping in our local Hypermercado and took refreshment at the German Kiosk. I had currywurst and a Veltins Strongbier. They didn't have Veltins pilsener but I figured a same make beer would be worth trying. One very large iced glass mug later and I can only say they shouldn't be allowed to sell it in a car park! Hic!
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Weissbier
[info]obidoug wrote:
Wednesday, 21 October 2009 at 09:43 am (UTC)
Glad to see my two favourites are included, Schneider Weisse Original & Franziskaner
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its a health drink
[info]legbreak wrote:
Wednesday, 21 October 2009 at 02:08 pm (UTC)
A bit of sour hops over bottled beer vs. draught beer. Unnecessary to compete, both have their place.
It would go well on my CV if I could say that I regularly use products that promote good health. Beer is made of barley or wheat, hops and yeast. Surely this is recipe is an ideal profile for a 'Health Drink'? l'd bet it is qualifies more completely than dairy products laced with bacteria. Anyone got information about what exactly constitutes a 'Health Drink'?

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Family Guy's opinion of Sam Adams
[info]malvenus wrote:
Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 11:23 am (UTC)
Man #1: I'll have water, please.
Man #2: I'll have water too, but with lemon, please.
Man #3: I'll have a Sam Adams, please
Man #4: It's 9:30 in the morning!'
Man #1: And don't you have an outstanding DUI?
Man #3: Yeah, but I gotta get the taste of weed and hooker spit out of my mouth.
Man #4: [pause] I'll have a Sam Adams as well.
Sam Adams: Samuel Adams! Always a good decision!
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Mark, Real-Ale-Reviews.com
[info]realalereviews wrote:
Thursday, 29 October 2009 at 10:04 am (UTC)
There's lots of good beers in here and a few average ones (in my opinion), lots of favourites missing. But it's not a bad list and it's not just a list of available beers either (when did you last see Orval in Sainsbury's?!). Yes, it's quite focused on British beers and why not, micro breweries are in somewhat of a renaissance and there are loads of great beers around at the moment.

Speaking to Zak, it sounds like not all of the judges selection actually made the cut so the actual choice came down to the editors. The list is subjective as every other list is, the guys have picked beers they like and they believe are some of the best in the world. Everyone who's read anything by Pete Brown on India pale ale will have heard him wax lyrical on converting wine drinkers to Goose Island IPA!

Anyway, we're very happy to see Old Hooky in here, interminably underrated as it is, plus great to see Saltaire's Hazelnut Porter in here which is fabulous. I'll be waiting for a special occasion to grab a bottle of Dark Island Reserve though!
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36 Headcracker
[info]valcolvera wrote:
Friday, 6 November 2009 at 08:09 am (UTC)
Is this this the correct photo?
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