LETTER: How I miss the perfect pint in pub

Tony Levy misses the sound of the ‘happy days’ of a large family Sunday lunch (March 25). Tony’s letter reminded me of the sound I have missed most during lockdown. The soft sigh and the gentle thud of the hand pull returning to the bar counter in the quiet of early evening. Only to be followed by the delivery (minus that torturer of cask beer – the sparkler) of the perfect pint. British cask conditioned beer with a loose, natural head, the perfect CO2 balance and that initial smack of hops and malt which makes you want to sink the lot in one go, although I can no longer do this.

British cask conditioned beer is unique in that it is still fermenting and producing its own natural CO2 right up to the point of delivery. It has a limited shelf life and requires skill to keep, this transient delight is the greatest beer in the world. When we get the chance, let us celebrate this in the greatest social centre ever devised – the traditional British pub.

Let’s start with our own Black Country, which has some of the greatest pubs and beers in the nation. Let us support the great brewers and publicans who have hung on by a thread.

Keith Watkins, Walsall

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