Non-Beardy Beer » J http://www.nonbeardybeer.co.uk An Alternative Guide to the UK’s Favourite Beers, Lagers and Ciders Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:36:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 JOHN SMITH’S ORIGINAL BITTER http://www.nonbeardybeer.co.uk/2009/john-smiths-original-bitter/ http://www.nonbeardybeer.co.uk/2009/john-smiths-original-bitter/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:56:28 +0000 Beer Book http://stuffbypaulbrown.com/beer/?p=122 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

]]> http://www.nonbeardybeer.co.uk/2009/john-smiths-original-bitter/feed/ 1 JOHN SMITH’S EXTRA SMOOTH http://www.nonbeardybeer.co.uk/2009/john-smiths-extra-smooth/ http://www.nonbeardybeer.co.uk/2009/john-smiths-extra-smooth/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:19:43 +0000 Beer Book http://stuffbypaulbrown.com/beer/?p=28 Scottish & Newcastle
UK 3.8-4% ABV

In the world of ale drinking, frivolity is very much frowned upon. I know that, you know that and John Smith’s know that, which is why they like to bill John Smith’s as a ‘no nonsense’ beer. Even the name is a straight-up, honest-to-goodness, kind; one that is as English as a wet bank holiday and one that they hope we can do business with. However, despite its impressively non-frivolous merits, it’s not a name that was chosen by a committee of market-testers, but is, in actual fact, the name of a real bloke. John Smith was born in Tadcaster, a market town in North Yorkshire. He began brewing his ale in 1847, and it swiftly won a hearty thumbs-up from the town’s thirsty mill workers and factory hands. The company have maintained their down-to-earth image with a series of popular adverts, the most famous of which in recent times starred (tee-total) comedian Peter Kay. The classic ads saw Kay ‘perfect bombing’ his way to diving glory, spectacularly ruining a game of keepy-uppy (‘Ave it!’), terrifying a young girl with tales of wardrobe monsters and burglars, and packing his 55-year-old mother off to an old people’s home ‘because I wanna put a snooker table in your bedroom and the kids are frightened of your moustache.’ As it goes, John Smith’s Extra Smooth is fairly innocuous, with the unadventurous taste, nevertheless, helping it to sell a million pints each day in the UK alone. RM

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