I live in Leamington Spa in the Midlands. However I have relatives in Newcastle Upon Tyne who regard me as a ‘posh southern jessie’.

There is a social and cultural divide in the United Kingdom due to London being the centre of political and economic power. The gap has widened even with ‘New Labour’ in government.

I have just cycled from Leamington Spa to Swanage on the south coast, and the cultural divide was very noticeable in the beer!

During the first day cycling we were able to get real ale with a ‘head’; The creamy froth at the top, the consistency of which is a good indicator of beer quality. The real ale needs to be a high standard with full bodied flavour in order for the head to last whilst drinking the whole pint.

By the second day cycling the beer was being served with much smaller heads, and when we were 100 miles south of Leamington Spa the real ale was completely flat. One pub served the beer straight from the barrel.There was nothing wrong with their real ale, but being a ‘northerner’ I was disappointed that it looked so unappetising without a head.

Southern CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) members will argue that their flat beer is traditional. But living in the north I have got used to real ale being served through ’swan neck’ pipes with a sparkler on the end. The swan neck adds oxygen naturally during the hand pull, and the beer is then forced through a tight sparkler into the pint glass.

The real ale has now been oxygenated and will take a few minutes to clear. When it does finally settle you have a lovely looking head on the beer and a beautiful smooth pint.

John McNally