Bright and crisp
Lager
Clean, refreshing and quietly complex. Look for gentle malt, floral hops and a satisfyingly dry finish.
The friendly UK beer guide
Beer, brilliantly explored.
Understand what you like, choose what to try and match beer with food, without jargon, snobbery or pretending there is only one correct answer.
Understandthe flavours in your glass
Choosea style that suits your taste
Pairbeer confidently with food
Explorewithout the beer snobbery
New: Beer School
Understand what is happening in your glass.
Start with what beer is, follow the brewing process from grain to glass, then discover why hops can be floral, herbal, citrusy, resinous or fiercely bitter.
Start here
Three beers worth knowing
A compact introduction to three distinctive families, each with its own ingredients, character and ideal moment.
Bold and aromatic
IPA
Hop-led beer packed with citrus, pine, tropical fruit or resinous bitterness, depending on the brew.
Dark and generous
Stout
Roasted malt brings coffee, cocoa and toasted flavours, from dry and elegant to rich and indulgent.
Taste with confidence
Beer belongs at the table.
A good pairing can make both the beer and the food taste better. Match intensity, look for complementary flavours, or use bitterness and carbonation to cut through richness.
- Crisp lager with salty, fried or spicy dishes
- Hoppy pale ale with burgers and mature cheese
- Dark stout with chocolate, barbecue and oysters
Raise your beer game.
Learn the styles, trust your taste and discover what makes a great glass genuinely memorable.
New food guides
Choose the plate, then choose the pint.
Six detailed guides now cover classic British favourites, everyday comfort food and barbecue.
Stories worth sharing
Beer history is wonderfully strange.
Meet the lease that runs for 9,000 years, the brewery that helped invent the pH scale and the Victorian steam engine that can still make beer.
Dublin, 1759
The 9,000-year lease
Arthur Guinness made one of brewing’s boldest property deals on New Year’s Eve.
Copenhagen
Beer changed science
Pure yeast and the pH scale both emerged from the Carlsberg Research Laboratory.
Oxfordshire
The brewery that still has steam
A Victorian tower, a 25 hp engine and a modern family brewery occupy the same working site.
Beer questions answered
Compare the confusing bits.
Pilsner is a lager, cask is not a beer style, and porter versus stout does not have the tidy answer people expect.
