Best foot forward "Casketeers"

And now, without further ado, the last of the increasingly tedious links to WhatsApp, but fortunately, this is the humorous one.

The message which came up on the Beer Socials group was “Glad to report Real Ale Twats back in Viz”. Cue much appreciation and general all round approval, along with comments about picking up a copy.

I found the latest edition on sale in Tesco’s whilst Mrs PBT’s was engaged in pushing the trolley round. I waited until we arrived back home and unpacked the shopping, before taking a look. The comments were indeed correct, and what’s more the comic strip was a whole page worth.

 Without giving too much of the script away, the Twats, as usual, end up making fools of themselves, after this time being belittled by a group of hipsters in a Craft Beer Bar. This was after tying to do the same in their local JDW – called in this instance, "Bletherforks".

We could probably all recognise traits of the Real Ale Twats amongst people we know from CAMRA, or indeed from the caricatures depicted, but it is all done in a light-hearted and non-offensive way. And now, the craft hipsters, with their beards, man-buns and artisan ales, help bring the strip right up to date.

I hadn’t realised that the first Real Ale Twats first appeared in 2001, and whilst by no means appearing in every issue of Viz, the “casketeers” and “tavern-o-philes”, have been a fairly regular feature in the adult comic.

Just under a year ago, beer writers Boak & Bailey, published an interview with the Real Ale Twats’ creator, artist Davey Jones, in which he reveals what led to him coming up with the strip. He also details some of the behaviour and stereotypes observed amongst pub-goers, which often provides the basis of an idea for the next strip.

You can read the full interview here, and learn more about the man behind the UK’s finest and best-loved real-ale bores.