At the Woodstock Arms you can enjoy a range of quality Greene King Ales and Lagers

When Edward Greene died in 1891 his obituary in the London Star described him as: “one of the first country brewers to discover that beer need not be a vile, black, turgid stuff but brewed to a bright amber-coloured liquid, full of character and flavour of its own, which he sold at a shilling a gallon and made a fortune.”

The modern Greene King brewery takes the traditional art of brewing to new heights, producing what is arguably the finest range of cask ales in the country. No other UK brewer is as committed to cask ale.

Ale and lager – the differences

Ales are made with a top fermenting yeast, and usually thought of as ‘hearty, robust, and fruity’. Bitter is an English version of ale, often golden-brown in colour, hoppy, dry, and lightly carbonated. Stout, typically dark, heavy, and richly flavoured, is top-fermented beer made from pale malt (often with caramel) and roasted unmalted barley.

Top fermentation occurs at temperatures in the range from 15 to 25 degrees C, and is complete in about five or six days. The aging period is relatively short, and ‘conditioning’ continues in casks open to the air until the point of sale, meaning that considerable care and skill are required to ensure the ‘perfect pint’. Ales are usually served at about 12 degrees C.

Lagers are made with a bottom fermenting yeast and are characteristically ‘crisp and clean’. Pilsner (‘Pils’) beers originated in Bohemia and were found to improve if stored in cool caves and iced. German beers of lager type are made without sugar (ie all malt) and with bitter and aromatic varieties of hops in accordance with Bavarian purity laws of 1516.

To ‘lager’ is to store or put aside.

’Bottom fermenting’ means that the yeast flocculates (ie aggregates in flakes or masses) at the bottom of the vat. Fermentation occurs at low temperatures, usually in the range of 5 to 10 degrees C (41 to 50 degrees F) and so perhaps three weeks will be needed for complete fermentation, with a relatively long aging time required to achieve the typical character with light and crisp flavours on the palate. Lagers sold on draught are stored in pressurised kegs and usually served at about 8 degrees C.