History

In the early 1970s CAMRA coined the term 'real ale' to differentiate between the bland processed beers being pushed by the big brewers and the traditional beers whose very existence was under threat.

So what is real ale?

After brewing, real ale is then left to mature in the cask/container from which it is to be served. It is this process of secondary fermentation which develops the unique flavours and aromas that processed beers cannot replicate.

In the pub, the vast majority of real ales are served using traditional hand pulls (beer engines), rather than modern fonts. There are some exceptions to this, e.g. electric pumps, which look similar to keg fonts, and some pubs serve real ales directly from the cask (or gravity dispense).

Other High Quality Beers - FAQs

Local Breweries

• Crafty Dragon Brewery, Pontsticill
• Glamorgan Website, Llantrisant
• Grey Trees Website, Aberdare
• Twin Taff Brewery, Merthyr Tydfil
• Mabby Brewing, Trefforest
• Twt Lol Website, Trefforest
• Well Drawn Brewing Co., Caerphilly
• Zepto Brewhouse, Caerphilly
  
  

Want to know more?

Find out about different beer styles here or visit the CAMRA National website for a whole host of information about brewing, serving and tasting real ales.