England

English Beers

England is another country where beer culture is produced, consumed, and generated. The presence of beer dates back more than 5000 years with the Pict tribes. Being on an island, and thus having the natural barrier of the sea, has filtered continental beer influences, thereby preserving its brewing tradition and culture. However, it was after the end of World War II that mass-produced lager and pilsner beers appeared, seriously threatening the production of traditional beers not only in England but throughout Great Britain. To counteract this threat, CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) was born in 1971, a consumer association that currently has 190,000 members and aims to preserve traditional beer, as well as the traditional and historic Pubs (Public Bar) that represent a whole way of understanding life in England.

Currently, large corporations producing high-volume lagers, traditional breweries, and craft breweries coexist. All these players form a rich brewing landscape where tradition and modernity balance each other to share a lucrative market. One of the representatives of traditional breweries is Samuel Smith brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, which produces beer using coal energy from York, continues to deliver beer to local pubs in horse-drawn carts, and keeps two master coopers on its payroll who produce and repair its wooden beer barrels.