Kissimmee Restaurant Guide

"When you have lost your Inns, drown your empty selves, For you will have lost the last of England" - Hilaire Belloc

This dire warning may seem a little extreme, but should the pubs of England disappear, life in that "sceptered isle" would never be the same. For those pubs are not merely soulless structures, existing only for the consumption of extraordinary amounts of good English ale, they are the original town meeting place, the other home, a veritable haven at the heart of the community.

Public Houses, Inn, Taverns, Alehouses, have become known collectively as "Pubs." The decadent Victorian era witnessed the emergence of a new kind of pub or gin palaces as these glitzy city taverns became known because of the large amounts of gin and other spirits consumed there. Gin was often portrayed as the cause of the family's ruin, and "gin palaces" were regularly blamed for a young maiden losing her innocence.

In the 13th century, a tax known as a "scot" was imposed on ale drunk in the licensed city taverns. Drinkers would thus hurry to the village pubs or ale houses and drink "scot free" a term used to this day.

While many countries brew excellent lager beers, quality ales are the exclusive domain of the British. There are literally hundreds of brewers in Britain, each with their own variation of Britons favorite brews, be it Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Mild, Porter or England's national drink "Bitter," a heavily hopped, copper colored, malty, low carbonated, bitter tasting ale. Traditionally served in a 20 oz pint mug. Imperial Measure not the 16 oz pint that the rest of the world uses. Many prefer to drink their ale not from the traditional tankard type of mug, but from a handle less straight glass or "sleever." Either way all agree nothing compares to a good pint of English "Bitter."