The Frosterley TableHow to Read a Pub Beer Menu: Clips, Styles and ABV
- How do you read a pub beer menu?
- What does a pub beer board actually list?
- How do you read a pump clip?
- Is it from a handpump, a keg tap or a bottle?
- What do the beer style names mean?
- What does the ABV figure tell you?
- What sizes can you order?
- What do the badges, plaques and stickers mean?
- What do "guest ale", "on next" and "coming soon" mean?
- What should you ask at the bar?
- Sources
How do you read a pub beer menu?
Read a British pub beer menu in six passes: how the beer is served (handpump, keg tap or bottle), the style name, the strength as ABV (alcohol by volume), the brewery and where it is from, whether it is pouring now or coming soon, and the size you can order. Pump clips on the bar carry most of this. Then ask one short question, such as "Which of these is the lightest?", and you will get a useful answer.
A chalkboard, a laminated card and a row of handpumps carry the same clues in different shorthand. Here is where each one hides.
What does a pub beer board actually list?
A typical board or menu carries a line per beer: the beer's name, the brewery, a style word or two, the ABV, and sometimes a price for a pint and a half. Chalkboards tend to be the most current, because they are rewritten when a cask runs out; printed menus usually cover the beers the pub always stocks.
Read the board first, then look at the bar. The board tells you what exists; the bar tells you what is pouring. If the two disagree, the bar is usually right, and the staff will tell you which line has just changed.
How do you read a pump clip?
A pump clip is the badge fixed to the front of a handpump or keg tap. It is designed to be read from across a room, so it puts the beer's name largest, then usually the brewery's name or logo, and then the ABV, often in a small box or circle near the bottom. Many clips add a style word ("Best Bitter", "Golden Ale", "Stout") and a line or two of tasting notes.
Four quick reads from a clip:
- The name is branding, not a description. A beer named after a hill, a dog or a local legend tells you nothing about its taste. Skip to the style word.
- The ABV is the most useful number on it. It tells you strength, and strength usually tracks body: a 3.6% beer will normally drink lighter than a 5.5% one.
- The brewery tells you where it is from. Many pubs like to highlight beer from nearby breweries, and that local angle is often the most interesting thing on the bar.
- A clip turned around, or covered with a card, means that beer is off. The cask is empty or not yet ready, and the pump is not in use.
Is it from a handpump, a keg tap or a bottle?
How a beer is served is the first clue to how it will taste, and you can read it from the bar before anything else. A handpump is the tall lever pulled by hand; it draws cask beer up from the cellar. A keg tap, sometimes called a font, is a fixed tap or tower where the beer runs under gas pressure when opened. Bottles and cans sit in the fridge, often on a separate list.
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, describes real ale as traditionally kept beer "served from a specific type of barrel called a cask", and calls draught real ale "a living product, containing brewers' yeast". In practice, the handpump row is where a pub's cask beers live, and the keg taps carry lagers, stouts, ciders and many craft beers. If a board marks beers "cask" or "keg", that is what it means. The full difference between the two is a subject of its own; for reading a menu, it is enough to know which row you are looking at.
What do the beer style names mean?
The style word is the best single guide to flavour. CAMRA's beer styles guidelines group British cask beers into families, most with an ABV band. These are the ones you will meet most often on a pub board:
| Style on the clip | CAMRA's ABV band | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Mild | 4% ABV or less | Low strength; dark milds are dark brown to black and frequently sweet with a light bitterness |
| Session bitter | 4.3% ABV or less | Usually amber to dark brown, with noticeable earthy or spicy hops |
| Premium (best) bitter | 4.4%–6.4% ABV | Medium to strong malt flavour with noticeable hops |
| Golden ale | Premium versions 4.4%–6.4% ABV | Straw to gold; pronounced fruity, citrus hop notes, sometimes strongly bitter |
| British IPA | 5.5% ABV and above | Hoppier than premium bitters, with honeyed or biscuit malt |
| Session stout or porter | Up to 4.9% ABV | Dark to black; roasted coffee or chocolate notes |
| Strong stout or porter | 5.0% ABV and above | Fuller, richer versions of the session styles |
| Barley wine or strong ale | 6.5% ABV and above | Estery, with ripe fruit and marmalade-like notes |
Two cautions. First, these bands are CAMRA's guidelines, not law; a brewer can call a beer whatever it likes, and plenty of pub beers sold as "IPA" sit well below 5.5%. Second, "bitter" is a style name, not a warning: a session bitter is often one of the gentlest beers on the bar. When the style word and the ABV seem to point in different directions, trust the ABV.
The style word helps with food, too: a dark, roasty beer sits naturally beside a steak and ale pie.
What does the ABV figure tell you?
ABV is the strength. The NHS defines it as "a measure of the amount of pure alcohol as a percentage of the total volume of liquid in a drink", and gives the formula for working out units: "strength (ABV) x volume (ml) ÷ 1,000 = units".
Applied to a British pint of 568ml and its fractions, the arithmetic looks like this:
- A pint of 3.8% session bitter: 3.8 × 568 ÷ 1,000 = 2.2 units.
- A pint of 5.2% beer: the NHS's own worked example gives 2.95 units.
- A half pint (284ml) of 4.5% best bitter: 4.5 × 284 ÷ 1,000 = 1.3 units.
- A third of a pint (about 189ml) of 6.5% strong ale: 6.5 × 189 ÷ 1,000 = 1.2 units.
The same NHS page states that "men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis". Small differences in ABV add up across an evening: a pint of a 5.5% beer is a stronger drink than a pint of a 3.6% one, even when the glass looks the same.
If you are driving, choose a soft drink or an alcohol-free option. The bar staff can point you to what they have.
What sizes can you order?
Draught beer and cider in Britain are sold in fixed measures. UK government guidance on specified quantities lists the permitted quantities for draught beer and cider sold by the glass as "Third, half, two-thirds of a pint and multiples of half a pint". So if a board shows prices for a pint and a half, you can ask for either, and some pubs pour thirds as well, especially of stronger beers.
A third is the way to taste along a bar, and asking for one is an ordinary request.
What do the badges, plaques and stickers mean?
Pubs and pump clips sometimes carry small scheme logos. Two you may see:
- LocAle. Cask Marque explains that "LocAle is a CAMRA scheme which encourages pubs to stock beer from local breweries", that each participating CAMRA branch decides what counts as local in its own area, and that "Only real ale can be promoted as a CAMRA LocAle." A LocAle sticker on a clip tells you the beer is real ale from a nearby brewery.
- Cask Marque. A plaque by the door or on the bar means the pub is accredited by Cask Marque, whose assessors visit pubs to "check the temperature, appearance, aroma and taste" of the cask ale. It is a sign the pub takes its cellar seriously.
What do "guest ale", "on next" and "coming soon" mean?
A guest ale is a beer the pub stocks for a limited run rather than permanently. Guest lines rotate, which is why the chalkboard changes and the printed menu does not. "On next" or "coming soon" lists the casks waiting in the cellar; they are not pouring yet. A beer marked "last few pints" is nearly finished, and once it goes, that handpump gets a new clip.
What should you ask at the bar?
Once you have read the board, one concise follow-up does the rest. Good questions are short and specific:
- "Which of these is the lightest?" or "Which is the darkest?"
- "Is the golden ale very hoppy?"
- "Could I try a drop of the bitter before I choose?" Many pubs will pour a small taster of a cask beer; it is a request rather than a right, and it lands better at a quiet moment than across a three-deep Friday crowd.
- "Have you got anything under 4%?"
If you have coeliac disease or a cereal allergy, ask the staff directly and do not rely on the pump clip. Beer is commonly brewed from barley, which the Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance lists among the "cereals containing gluten", and the same guidance states that "Food businesses must inform consumers if they have used any of the 14 mandated allergens as an ingredient in their food." A pump clip is a sales badge, not an ingredients label.
For how to order, wait your turn and pay at the bar, our guide to British pub etiquette covers the rest. And if you are planning a day out with a pub stop at the end of it, our list of things to do in County Durham is a good place to start.
Sources
- CAMRA: What is live beer?
- CAMRA: Beer styles
- NHS: Calculating alcohol units
- GOV.UK: Weights and measures, specified quantities
- Cask Marque: How CAMRA's LocAle scheme works for pubs and breweries
- Cask Marque
- GOV.UK: Allergen information for non-prepacked foods, best practice
Frequently asked questions
What is a pump clip on a pub bar?
A pump clip is the badge fixed to the front of a handpump or keg tap. It shows the beer's name in large type, usually the brewery's name or logo, and the ABV, often in a small box near the bottom. Many clips add a style word such as best bitter or stout and a line of tasting notes. A clip turned around or covered means that beer is not currently pouring.
What does ABV mean on a beer menu?
ABV stands for alcohol by volume, which the NHS defines as the amount of pure alcohol as a percentage of the total volume of liquid in a drink. You can work out units as ABV times volume in millilitres divided by 1,000, so a 568ml pint of 3.8% beer is about 2.2 units. The NHS advises not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.
Can you order a third of a pint in a British pub?
Yes, where the pub offers it. UK government guidance lists the permitted quantities for draught beer and cider sold by the glass as a third, half and two-thirds of a pint, and multiples of half a pint. Not every pub has third-pint glasses, but many pour thirds, especially of stronger beers, and asking for one is an ordinary request.
What is a guest ale?
A guest ale is a beer a pub stocks for a limited run rather than permanently. Guest beers rotate as casks run out, which is why chalkboards change more often than printed menus. Lines such as on next or coming soon list beers waiting in the cellar that are not pouring yet, and last few pints means a cask is nearly finished.
Is bitter actually a bitter-tasting beer?
Bitter is a style name rather than a warning. CAMRA's guidelines place session bitters at 4.3% ABV or less, usually amber to dark brown with noticeable earthy or spicy hops, and premium or best bitters at 4.4% to 6.4%. A session bitter is often one of the gentlest beers on the bar, so check the ABV rather than judging by the word alone.