Post by Thomas HansenPost by Paul SherwinBTW, 'on tap' is American usage, as is 'draft'. British English
speakers would refer to 'draught Boddingtons'.
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?
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?
Post by Thomas HansenI 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.
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
*cask-conditioned* Boddington's, and you're going to waste a lot of time
looking for that in London, to the detriment of your beer-drinking time
there.
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.
Post by Thomas HansenI have tried numerous other English beers before, though, as will I the
next time I visit London. Thanks again.
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.
--
dgs