Scottish & Newcastle
UK 3.8-4% ABV
 
The majority of John Smith’s sold in pubs and shops today is of the Extra Cold variety, but it is in fact Original Bitter that is the UK’s bestselling real ale. How can that be? It’s because Extra Smooth is pasteurised and filtered, and served from pressurised kegs rather than casks. According to beardier types than us (that’s the folks at the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)) only ales that are unpasteurised and unfiltered, and served from casks can be classed as ‘real ales’. (CAMRA also accept bottle-conditioned ales, which are also unpasteurised and unfiltered.) So, despite John Smith’s advertising direction favouring Extra Smooth, Original Bitter remains a huge UK seller as a solid, widely-available choice for the real ale drinker. It’s an easy-to-drink session beer, perfect for supping on long afternoons down the Working Men’s Club or old-school boozer. First brewed 160 years ago, John Smith’s Original Bitter quickly became a Yorkshire legend – until S&N shifted production across the Pennines to Warrington. Yorkshire drinkers were furious, claiming that the Warrington-brewed version was flat and tasted odd. A boycott saw sales plummet and landlords returning full barrels. S&N admitted there had been ‘quality issues’, and shifted some production back to Tadcaster – but for how long? That story and the continued success of John Smith’s Original Bitter goes to show that many drinkers know what they like and drink what they know. They like their no nonsense beer to be no nonsense. And you can keep your widgets, too. PB

28 September 2009 | Reviews, J