Beer/ Real Ale
Not as exciting as it might be. But for me, there are six things that always disappoint when having a pint of real ale.

if it is ...
Sour
Soapy
Heathery
Old
Eggy
or Nutty

then the longed for pint will be a disappointment. Part of the attraction of real ale lies in getting a really nice one. The delicious pints of Bateman's Middle Wicket on Saturday night were perfect. But it always means that - through no one's fault in particular - there can be a disappointment lurking round the corner. Trying a new pint in a pub can be like a particularly low stakes version of Russian Roulette.

Nutty beer. A particular disappointment. But I think that's the difference between disappointment and disaster, a bad pint of beer is a disappointment - losing 25m people's bank account details on a CD is a disaster.
(cheesehead, Mon 30 Jun 2008, 22:06, 3 replies)

I agree

Real ale's so tempramental. That's why I love it - it's great to be pessimistic and actually end up thinking, "fuck me, great pint".
( Turquoise Hexagon Sun has just dropped acid on, Mon 30 Jun 2008, 23:08, closed)

When I was in England
I made a point of asking for local brews whenever I went into a pub- if I had never heard of it before I needed to try it. Some were good, one or two were great, and one or two were on par with Boddington's. (That would be considered the opposite end of the bell curve, btw.) But no matter what, it was a lot of fun to try them all....
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Mon 30 Jun 2008, 23:28, closed)

Beer
If you're not sure just ask for a taste in a shot glass - most places I know will do this. If they say no then they are probably being evasive and have something to hide so best put a swerve on that one.
(Benzyl, Tue 1 Jul 2008, 20:08, closed)