Brew Britannia: The Strange Rebirth of British Beer

In a barn in Somerset, plans are afoot to ferment a beer-cider hybrid with wild yeast that blows on the wind, while in Yorkshire an almost extinct style of ‘salty ’n’ sour’ wheat beer is being resurrected for the 21st century. Fifty years ago, this would have seemed impossible. Back then the prospects for British beer looked weak, sweet, bland and fizzy, as colossal combines took over the industry, closing local breweries and putting profit before palate. Yet today the number of breweries is …