Drinkers are spoilt for choice these days, so Phil Mellows suggests introducing a little variety and a little less of “the usual.”

By Phil Mellows

One phrase you hear less of in pubs is “a pint of the usual”. Beer drinkers have so much to choose from these days the old habits are breaking down.

I visited a brewery recently that, in the space of a year, has gone from four core beers plus a few seasonal specials to producing 100 different brews in 2023. And customers have been lapping them up… well, most of them.

Locally, you’ve only to glance at the bars of pubs such as the Boleyn Tavern in Upton Park, the Denmark Arms in East Ham, the Black Lion in Plaistow or the Borough’s surviving Wetherspoon, the Goldengrove in Stratford, to get a sense of what’s available.

Of course, some pubs have always had a wide choice on the pumps but is used to be mainly bitters brewed in different parts of the country. Now we a have a much greater variety of styles, thanks to the growth of microbrewers and craft beers, and their willingness to experiment over the past 20 years.

So we’re seeing pale hoppy ales made with new world hops that can conjure all sorts of surprising flavours, ‘pastry’ stouts that mimic cakes and desserts and even British-brewed lagers that deliver a something more interesting than the big brands.

This winter I’ve noticed a surge of red ales with a warm fruity tang. And if you venture into craft specialists such as Mother Kelly’s or Tap East in Stratford, or the Husk Brewing taproom in Canning Town you’ll find even more wild and wacky concoctions on the taps. Sour beer, anyone?

Not all these beers are for everyone, and many will stick with their trusted ‘usual’. At least most of the time. But it would be a shame not to give them a try now and then. Variety plays an important part in a healthy beer scene. It gets people talking. And it gets people out of their comfort zone. Which is never a bad thing.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.