Because I'm an inverterate list maker and drunkard, I was having a wee reminisce about my recent trip. I cataloged almost all of the beers I tried, where sobriety permitted. If I have time I might put the tasting notes up, which in some cases are barely legible scrawls alluding to the room color. Lord do I wish real ale had more of a foothold over here. Spending $7-10 at RFD for a grand choice of 1 beer is no way to live, as prices in GB seemed to be £1.55 at the low end and about £2.40 at the high, with odd exceptions either way. Cask Adnams - Broadside Arran - Blonde Belhaven - 70/- Belhaven - 80/- Cairngorm - Tradewinds Cairngorm - Santa's Sledgehammer Cairngorm - Nessie's Monster Mash Cairngorm - Witch's Cauldron Caledonian - Deuchars IPA Castlerock - Nottingham Dark Stout Clarke - Christmas Man Dark Star - Best Dowbridge - Bonum Mild Exmoor - Gold Greene Kings - IPA Hambledon - Back In A Flash Hancock - IPA Harviestoun - Bitter & Twisted Harviestoun - Special Beer for Bow Bar Festival Hopdeamon - Scrimshander Houston - Killellan Houston - St. Peter's Well Meantime - Blonde McEwans - 80/- McMullen - AK McMullen - Country Best Bitter Museum - Witch Dripping Newtonmore Kingussie - Creag Dubh Oakleaf - Farmhouse Orkney - Raven Pictish - Brewers Gold Ridley's - Old Bob Ridley's - IPA Springhead - Bare Bones St. Austell - Tribute Three Bees - Mild Timothy Taylor - Landlord Wadsworth - 6X Wold - Mars Magic Wye Valley - Santa's Helper Wyndham - Special Beer for Bow Bar Festival Yates - Bees Knees Young's - Bitter Young's - Special Bitter Young's - Winter Warmer Keg Caledonian - 80/- Meantime - Gold Meantime - Red Meantime - Chocolate Meantime - White Meantime - Lager St. Christofel - Blonde Staroprammen - Lager Young's - Double Chocolate Stout Bottle Wychwood - Hobgoblin Young's - Plum Pudding A Few Top Notch Pubs, Drinking Shops, and Booze Emporia Bow Bar (Edinburgh) - could be my favorite bar on planet earth. Starbank (Leith) Royal Oak (Edinburgh - late license!) Four Marys (Linlithgow) Blackfriars (Glasgow - not before games though) the Angel (London) Richard I (London) Meantime (London - next door to above!) etc. I'll have to look at my list as I'm trying to do this one from my hazy memory. I've a dogeared and beer soaked copy of the CAMRA guide to show for all my troubles. and big ups to the 22nd annual Pigs Ear Beer Festival in Stratford.
Last time I was there I did the Queen's pub crawl. It was like 12 pubs in London. Got a t-shirt for doing so. If you get a chance try having a pint down at The Prospect of Whitbey. The oldest pub in London (Oldest in England is in York). It's pretty nice. There is a noose on the back deck overseeing the Themes where they used to hang criminals.
If I had a dime for everytime I heard that something was the "oldest (insert thing here)" in England, Britain, Europe, etc. I'd have a lot of dimes. FWIW I heard that the Jeruselam in Nottingham was the oldest in England. 655321, I'm not God so I can't offer you serenity, but I can give you a break.
For those in the US with an interest in real ale I came across this: http://www.realalefestival.com/index.html I think there's one in NY too, but I haven't found anything definite yet.