Some Beer Humor

If you've never read, The Oatmeal, it's time for you to start. It's so funny.  Here's some fun beer facts via The Oatmeal:

20 Things Worth Knowing About Beer

The Campaign for Real Ale

Wait - isn't ALL ale REAL ale? Apparently not. "Real Ale," according to Randy Mosher, was "once the national drink [of England]," and is sadly now "a specialty beer." The general rarity of such a beer has spawned some beer afficionados to launch the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Also known as "Cask Ale" or "Hand Pull," Real Ale is defined by CAMRA as "beer brewed from traditional ingredients...matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide." Thus, the cask or keg is stored usually in the pub's cellar, at a temperature of between 50 and 55 degrees fahrenheit, and connected directly to the hand pump, which is used to dispense the beer and inject a little natural carbonation. Us Americans are used to our cold cold beer, so to many, Real Ale tastes warm and flat, but it's the more traditional way to serve beer (at least according to the Brits).


With the ever growing craft beer movement, CAMRA seems to be picking up steam. At least that's how it seems - more and more brewpubs feature one or two Real Ales on their menu. Once you get over the idea that Real Ales aren't super cold, you'll find that many are quite tasty!