British History of Beer

1. The British Army supplied its men with a cash allowance for beer, considered a vital nutritional staple on long overseas missions. With this allowance of one penny, soldiers enjoyed six pints of ale every day.
2. One common stereotype of the English (and indeed most residents of the British Isles) concerns their love of "warm beer." In fact, English beer is usually served around 12 degrees Celsius - not as cool as most cold drinks, but still cool enough to be refreshing. Modern-day pubs keep their beer constantly at this temperature, but originally beer would be served at the temperature of the cellar in which it was stored. Proponents of British beer say that it relies on subtler flavors than that of other nations, and these are brought out by serving it at a temperature that would make other beers seem harsh. Where harsher flavors do exist in beer (most notably in those brewed in Yorkshire), these are traditionally mitigated by serving the beer through a hand pump fitted with a sparkler, a device that mixes air with the beer, oxidizing it slightly and softening the flavor.
3. Beer has been produced in Scotland for approximately 5,000 years. The Celtic tradition of using bittering herbs remained in Scotland for longer than the rest of Europe. The two main cities of Scotland, Glasgow and Edinburgh, are where historically the main breweries developed; and Edinburgh in particular became a noted center for the export of beer around the world. Though by the end of the 20th century small breweries had sprung up all over Scotland.