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.
6 comments:
Always assumed the TWATS were much earlier than 2001 but may be me remembering actual CAMRA branch magazines from the 90s?!
Rather like the idea of "Bletherforks".
Boak & Bailey thought the same about the Real Ale Twats, and I must admit there's an assumption that the strip had been around for much longer. Also there's a resonance about the way in which the characters mimic real life.
The TWATS remind me of pub goers I've seen in real life, and two in particular share an uncanny resemblance to a couple of local CAMRA characters.
How did the bottled Kolsch compare to what you had in Cologne?
Only tried three so far Dave, but am gradually working my way through them.
The Richmodis tasted very similar to Gaffel, which isn't surprising as the former is now a Gaffel brand.
The three tried so far are "easy drinking" beers, but it's not the same drinking them at home.
I will produce a more detailed write up after I've sampled them all.
Great. I am curious since I have only had Kolsch in bottles. I have not been to Cologne.
2001 is a long tome ago now, Martin!
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