JustTheSam

I bought this in the hope that it might be in some sense a real beer, but it's basically just an alcopop. Not being a complete fool, I realistically expected that to be the case but assumed that it might at least be quite a special and interesting variant on the ginger beer theme. I like a nice ginger beer, but this is nothing special I'm afraid – sweet and straightforward. It might be just the right drink for certain circumstances, but I can't see myself buying it again.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this before now as it's a classic and a firm favourite of mine. At 5% ABV and with just enough honey to notice but not overpower, this is a well balanced brew. This is true in every sense with not too much bitterness either – just enough to counter the  sweetness. It doesn't taste as alcoholic as it is and I reckon it's a perfect if-you're-going-to-have-just-one-beer-in-an-evening beverage. I prefer it reasonably chilled – more so than less sweet ales – which probably makes me a philistine, but so be it. It's quite similar in style to some of the more floral, sweet and spicy Badger beers, of which I am also a huge fan.

This is a decidedly exotic beer. In fact you may struggle to identify it as beer at all if presented a glass of it. To look at, it's a deep, ever so slightly cloudy colour that can only really be described as 'raspberry'. Which isn't surprising because that's what's in it – 30% of it in fact.

It tastes like finely sparkling raspberry juice with a slightly tart/sour beery edge. Those non-fruit flavours are the Belgian Lambic beer – fermented with yeasts that simply drift in on the air and give Lambics their characteristic sourness – just like sourdough bread in principle. Some Lambics can be face-puckeringly sour, but this has so much sweet fruit that it's tempered to just a cheeky edge that's enough to make it interesting. At only 2.5% alcohol by volume and with so much fruit, it's got to be almost good for you! Ones probably enough at one sitting though, before moving onto something a bit more normal.

From Wales via the supermarket shelf, this beer is a revelation. You're not going to remember it for any particularly unusual flavour – but for its perfect balance and all round loveliness. It's a classic summery golden ale, not too strong at 4.7% but with enough might to assert itself and a really clean, not too bitter taste. I could have drunk it all evening, but I only had the one bottle. The can of Greene King IPA I had after it only highlighted just how good the Brains was.

A common classic in the field of weissbeers but, on this tasting at least, nothing to get too excited about. It's good, but not stunning. Maybe you have to be in the right mindset and the right physical location to really appreciate a beer like this. It doesn't live up to the Edelweiss that I enjoyed on a hot day a couple of weeks back.

If you go to Pizza Express, this is what you must order to drink! They may only serve two different beers (the other being bog standard Peroni) but it’s worth it just for this one. At 6.6% and packed with malty flavour (Birra Doppio Malto as it says on the label) it’s a real standout bottled lager. I was seriously happy to see it in the supermarket, and it tastes just as good at home, especially at a third the price the restaurant charges. Repeat – this is not an ordinary lager – just look at the colour in the glass. It is to be savoured.

This is a challenging beer. It sticks two fingers up to you, even from the shelf with it's "I'm not a fuddy duddy ale" packaging. Once you've picked it up the label continues with the bolshiness, suggesting that you're probably not man enough to drink it. Challenge accepted!

It's a proper old-school IPA at 6% and heavily hopped – as were the original India Pale Ales, to survive the long journey by boat from England to India, if I've got my beer history right. However the bitterness of the hops is a bit too no-holds-barred for my liking and any other subtle flavours are mostly bashed into submission. I wouldn't drink more than one in the same sitting.

 

To complete today's beer review triumvirate, a fantastic find from the supermarket shelves (Sainsburys I think, but I'm not completely sure). This is a near perfect bottle of loveliness, beautifully balanced with just a hint of sweet maple coming through to make it special. I can see why it won a silver medal in an international competition a couple of years back. I'm annoyed that I only seem to have bought one bottle. I will seek out more, to check that it really is as great as I thought the first time round.

This is an odd one – it promises to be a "premium brown ale" and initially it doesn't disappoint, tasting like the classic Newcastle Brown Ale, but more so. However I found that as I drained the glass it became a bit too much, with the main bitter note being too far to the fore. I didn't feel like I wanted another one.

An unusual – "beer still in the bottle" picture for you, to break with my usual habit.

This is a good honest ale with a long history. In a can it's cheap but tasty, and certainly you get more from it than most of its competitors. It really is a "premium ale" as it says on the can, but at 4.5% it's not going to knock your block off, which is fine by me. Increasingly I find myself happy to pay a bit more for this over something simpler and weaker like Greene King IPA. It's just so much more satisfying.