Can’t have grapefruit due to some of my blood pressure medications, so it seems like I’m not missing out then😜

Personally I'm really enjoying the current revolution in brewing. I like trying different styles. Fruity IPAs are great as are really dry hoppy American style IPAs. Many of my friends think I'm crazy as I'm also into Sour beer, which is an acquired taste . That said nothing wrong with a traditional English bitter as long as it is a decent one.

The citrus flavours were a bit of a novelty for me but they seem to turn up a bit too often in my locals guest beer lineup. The Oxford area was dominated by Morrells and Morlands but both were closed by Greene King, Old Speckled Hen is still a decent pint but the Morlands Original doesn’t seem like anything that left the Abingdon Brewery but not a bad session beer. I welcome the “craft” beers as they seem to broaden the lager drinkers horizons and I know many youngsters who enjoy real ales now. Fruit flavoured cider what’s all that about?

Mike

I enjoy an occasional bottle of light ale from the supermarket, by a Cornish brewery. Golden Hare is one of them. There was a beer I tried in San Fransisco when I was over there called Steam Brew, similar to British bitter.

Ed.

Like "Nick Clarlke 3", I was weened on "Shippoes" and endorse his comments. A magnificent draught bitter if kept well. The Ferry at Wilford serving the best IMHO.
However back to the unexpected posting by the editor…..
I worked in Belgium for several years and acquired the taste for Belgian fruit beers in hot weather especially Kriek lambic. But not tried these new versions Neil describes and wont rush to do so. These days my preference is for the Czech beers such as Staropramen.

Trouble of course is taste in beer is likened to taste in women, seldom will 2 men agree on what is palatable.

I seem to be one of those people who are particularly sensitive to bitter flavours. I find many craft beers (and sprouts!) far too bitter for my taste – there seems to be something of a competition for hipsters to make beers as bitter as possible. A nice , malty pint of best for me. I was brought up on Wadsworth 6X and Brakespear.

Rod

Those of us in the north west will remember Greenalls. Horrible stuff. When they stopped brewing the chief brewer set up Coach House. It's in a wriggly tin shed on an industrial estate so you don't expect much but it is really good. Other good ones in the area are Wood's Shropshire Lad and Titanic Plum Porter.

What I do find silly is transporting beer hundreds of miles, it's 95% water and we've got plenty of that. I had some Doombar last week, all the way from Cornwall. It's good stuff when I'm down there on holiday, but either it doesn't travel or (more likely) the pub had let it go off.

there seem to be many beers that have a slight fruitiness to them, my favourite being grapefruit (only a hint mind you).

i cannot have normal grapefruit as such as it defeats the purpose of the statins they have persuaded me to take.

doesn't stop me having the beer though

Doom Bar can indeed be very variable but it’s a popular beer that sells well. My first pint had enough fizz and was nicely chilled. Some others have been soapy and not cold enough – the sort of bitter that bearded old foggies like.

At risk of this becoming an esoteric topic, Duncan W's comment needs support i.e. "Those of us in the north west will remember Greenalls. Horrible stuff. " Too true !
Greenalls had much to answer for, other than awful beer. They took over the Nottingham Shipstones brewery (see Nick Clarke 3's posting), changed the process & thus the product and later closed the entire operation.
For anyone interested in 'real ale', local brweries' products etc ~ there's a wealth of information here:-
**LINK**
Then again, should there be any readers of Viz here, their comic strip "Real Ale T***s" is a salient reminder of not becoming too obsessed about beer.