A sense of lad-venture

Blokes are no longer one-dimensional creatures who stick to the old, tried and tested drinks. These days, chaps are eager to try new things and experience new tastes — even if that means afternoon tea.

Beer chic​

Beer is suddenly cool. And we're not talking cellar temperatures. A new kind of pub is serving a new kind of drinker. He's not out to swallow large volumes of the nearest available lager, nor is he a lonesome note-taking beer-ticker. He's an explorer, a discoverer, and he's keen to impress his mates with his new-found knowledge.

In a short space of time pubs have responded to, and fuelled, this growing interest in beer. They are most easily distinguished by not only displaying a bank of handpumps, but also a line of unfamiliar fonts. Unlike his predecessor, the 21st-century ticker doesn't necessarily favour cask over keg.

The people behind Pivo Café Bar in York were among the pioneers, and since being named Beer Range Pub of the Year in 2009 they have taken the concept to the Sheffield Tap and the Euston Tap, developing the idea further at each.

And it's in London that the new beer houses are really taking off. Martin Hayes persuaded Greene King to drop the tie to open the Cask Pub & Kitchen in Pimlico and recently opened his second, the Craft Beer Co, in Farringdon, boasting the country's largest range of draught beer — 16 on handpump, 21 on keg.

The pricing tells you something about this market. Rare keg imports here push £8 a pint.

Add to these the Rake in Borough Market, the Draft House chain, the Dean Swift, just south of Tower Bridge, plus a number of others and you have a movement.

Phil Strongman is behind the Dean Swift and his company, Pubs of Distinction, has just opened its second 'local beer house', the Old Red Cow in Smithfield.

Downstairs the small bar counter bristles with handpumps, mainly ales from London microbrewers such as Sambrook's and Kernel, while behind the bar keg beers are poured from taps on the wall, a space-saving ruse Strongman borrowed from the Euston Tap.

Upstairs the bar is exclusively keg and bottled. Regulars including the house Red Cow Pilsner, Stiegl, Veltins, Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted, Maisel's Weisse, Schremser rye beer and Camden Pale Ale are joined by the latest creation from BrewDog and a guest from a US craft brewer such as Flying Dog or Odell.

"I didn't realise myself there were so many different beers before I started doing this," says Strongman.

"People are beginning to want quality and something different. Guys will come in and drink the whole range between them over a few hours. They'll bring their friends and say, 'try this'. It's like a boys' club.

"They tend to be 25 to 35-year-olds who are reasonably well-heeled. There's a City suit market here that's quite experimental. Some are really into hops and it becomes a topic of conversation for them. There's an element of fashionability about it.

Strongman says: "One group will come in just to drink American beers — and the rotating American import is nearly £6 a pint.

"Blokes will go through the bottled beers in the fridge, too. They want to know what else we've got," he claims. "Others have read a lot about us and come in and ask for specific things. We blog and tweet about what we're doing all the time."

One thing that's surprised Strongman is the popularity of 750ml sharing bottles — prices range from £10 for Meantime IPA to £30 for Deus Brut. "People will drink them with the cheese selection we get from Neal's Yard.

"Food plays a strong supporting role here."

As well as cooking with beer, the Old Red Cow menu features imaginative 'beer snacks' including Scotch egg, ox tongue fritters, saffron squid rings and cured meats.

Strongman has a warning, though, about potential problems facing as-piring modern beer-house operators.

"You can faze your customers with too much choice. You've got to help people more than you think.

"It comes down to the people who run it, the atmosphere you create and having familiar faces behind the bar so customers feel comfortable asking them questions," he says.

"It's very important that our staff know about beer and what we're trying to do here. We want them to be more interactive than the average barperson. Beer is an opportunity to chat. There's a natural engagement there."

And as well as your people, you have to get the pricing right.

"Niche beers are not sold at the same margins as regular beers — they can be very tight and duty hits you harder," says Strongman. "Your business model needs to take that into account."

Whisky business ​

Whisky is always a great subject to explore and offers a brilliant opportunity for blokes to display their erudition and good taste. But where do they start?

Auchentoshan thinks it has the answer. This summer the malt is going on the road with a series of Sunday parties in pubs and bars across the country.

Each party kicks off with a whisky tasting followed by a line-up of DJs and live acts.

"We aim to challenge the perception that whisky is the preserve of an older pipe and slipper-wearing gentleman," explains a spokesman. "This whisky is different, it's the only single malt that's triple distilled, which makes for an ultra-smooth whisky with a real robust character.

"It's targeted at consumers who enjoy the finer things in life, but who might not have tried a single malt before. It has a young, cool feel and it's increasingly the choice of guys — and girls — who want to be educated and knowledgeable and see drinking malts as a sign of stature and sophistication among friends."

Dram good tea​

What's this? An afternoon tea for blokes? Yes — and it's all made possible by the addition of a dram.

The idea is the brainchild of Ryan Neill, head chef of the Cameron House hotel on Loch Lomond.

He's teamed up with the nearby Glengoyne Distillery to offer a tea designed to appeal to men with a selection of savoury, carnivorous Scottish favourites served with a whisky and a mug of tea on a slate spread. It's available daily from 2pm to 5pm at a manly price of £26 per person.