Beer Review: Golden Bolt

Still in the beer festival, though it has now ceased, and a lovely sunny evening. Warm day, busy day, but pleasant for the most part. I decided that I may as well have an ale, well, no, actually Willow decided that she would have a cider with the work she was doing and I thought "hey, I could have an ale with the work I shall be doing" and lo, I am having an ale. Tonight's summer-like addition to the tasting annals is Golden Bolt by Box Steam Brewery. And a very nice bottle it is too.

Children bouncing on the trampoline and screaming hysterically with joy, small stuffed animals from Conkers festooning the sofa and a gentle breeze to take the sting out of the heat of the day (leaving the car like an oven by the by), would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Law of the Land

This week I 'ave been mostly in Lincoln. Basically, a place I usually go one day for a trip I ended up there on three consecutive days. And, what do you know, there are plenty of ale shops (including a lovely bottle shop that had a specimen of Sink the Bismarck in it, but too rich for my budget) - by the end of the third day, as I get rather stressed on trips, I caved in and bought some of the special ales they had in the castle. So it is that today I decided that I should break from my marking and enjoy a look at the Law of the Land brewed to celebrate last year's 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta by Batemans Brewery and only just still in date (being best before the end of June 2016).

Couple that with a warm and bright day, if not terribly sunny, involving much ferrying about and rushed shopping (I was up late last night marking like a berk) and it seemed like the perfect moment to sit a little in the garden. I say seemed, because I tired of that and retired indoors fairly soon after starting because it was a bit too close out there.

Not even a King can escape the Law of the Land so would you like to know more?

Beer Review: Double Dragon

The fifth of the Aldi ales (and the second of those bought for me for Father's Day)! My daughter has a thing for dragons, it would appear, and liked the idea of pairing this with the Unicorn on Sunday (see here).

This one is from the oldest brewery in Wales that is still active, since 1878. Okay, that means that the ale isn't the oldest recipe I've tried, not by a long chalk, but it's still pretty venerable and I'm not going to complain about Wales and their breweries because Wales have dragons and if Game of Thrones has taught me anything it's that one shouldn't try to spice up exposition by showing semi-clad and nude women in the sh- no, wait, I mean: that dragons are to be respected and make terrible pets. And Wales has dragons. Two of them are on this bottle. Because it's Double Dragon by Felinfoel who are just outside of Llanelli. Alas, not near Pwllheli.

Hoffech chi wybod mwy?

Beer Review: Unicorn

Today it is Father's Day and so I really ought to review one of the ales that I was given by my daughter as a present. We'd been in to Aldi a few weeks ago and she'd observed me perusing the selections. Knowing that I like ale she then proceeded to tell me all the beer that she would choose for me, including this rather nice example, because this one had a unicorn on the front of it. She also wanted to get me Wizard (see here) and Double Dragon. Funding dictated only two ales and Aldi sold out of Wizard. So, of course, now I get to try and review Unicorn in celebration of the day that honours fathers. The Double Dragon will have to wait.

Of course, I contend that every day is father's day so it does seem rather strange to be setting aside a whole day to celebrate the patriarchy in such an obvious fashion. However, with an ale from Robinson's to hand (and they do seem rather good at the Twitters) I can't really complain too much. I check my privilege, find that it is doing very well, thank you, and meander off down the route towards tea and and ale in my very comfortable middle-class and largely unthreatened life.

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Beer Review: Surrey Nirvana

The fourth in a series! Well, okay, just the fourth ale from the Aldi beer festival thing. This is the one that initially drew me to the display, being brewed by Hog's Back Brewery who I still have something of a soft spot for having popped in on the off-chance nearly a year ago. It's another summery one, out of place in the warm but wet day we've just had, but nevertheless welcome. I was hoping to pair this Surrey Nirvana with a picnic lunch but no such luck and it will have to suffice later into the evening and indoors as there is a bit of a wind blowing and all the garden furniture is wet. Never mind.

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Beer Review: Fired Oak Scotch Ale

So it's time I returned to my roots, I guess. And by my roots I mean going back to an old favourite pastime, reviewing speciality ales on a Sunday. Of course, most of those ales were from the Innis & Gunn stable and so it makes sense that when I have a bottle of speciality ale from them that I review it as a Sunday ale. Also I am boring and thus always like to keep some semblance of a pattern - it's almost like I plan things in advance.

Tonight, then, it is my pleasure to review Fired Oak Scotch Ale that I picked up rather cheaply locally - and I haven't seen it anywhere else. This could be a good or a bad thing, but past reviews from the brewery suggest a better hit rate than a miss rate and so I am reasonably confident that I am in for something that will at least warrant my time spent typing up the review.

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Beer Review: Wizard

It's the third ale in the beer festival haul from Aldi, but not my last. I shall get through them as quickly as I can but I shall also endeavour to enjoy them as they were intended to be supped rather than thrown down, like a barricade. Bonus points if you have any idea what I'm semi-quoting. For the rest of you, relish the thought that you are sane and immune to such jumps. I haven't looked up the legend but it deserves thanks: the legend of the wizard of Alderley Edge - the thanks because it has inspired the brewing of tonight's amber ale: Wizard from Robinson's who have given much enjoyment recently.

Add to that a hearty day's toil and a bad back from carrying one of my children recently (and utilising the shoulders, ah, I'm getting too old for this) and you have an evening that is made for enjoying a nice ale and a nice ale that was made for an evening of enjoying it.

Ouch, that is one over-exposed photo, my camera phone sucks. Would you like to know more?

Beer Review: White Witch

Next ale on the list from the local supermarket! I almost think I ought to be creating a tag for these but I'm not sure anyone actually uses my tags other than me. In which case, let's not, let's just enjoy the moment and bask in the evening, being rather warm and heavy, indoors and with Willow researching stuff for her own articles and books. My children have watched Flight of the Navigator and found it worthwhile and I have managed to finally get round to opening a bottle of ale. Tonight's delicacy is White Witch by Moorhouse's who are the creators of much that I enjoy and pimp to others. Of course they continue the witchy theme with this offering.

Been a while since I had a blonde, come to think of it, would you like to know more?

Beer Review: A-hop-alypse Now

Summer seems very much in evidence at the moment and so it behooves me to move on to proper summer ales with a lighter hue and less stout. Which is a pity, but does rather make sense. Helping me in this endeavour is the fact that a local supermarket is holding a 'beer festival' in which it stocks a selection of ales from across the country. It's almost like I'm being part of the 'in-crowd' by buying and having bottled ales. Almost, but, of course, not quite. Anyway, one of the brews that were available just cried out to be bought (well, they all did in their own way, but this one did it in a particular way) because of the allusions that are held there. I refer, in this case, to A-hop-alypse Now by Camerons and I have to say that I rather like the bottle design.

So, if you would like to proceed with the horror, the horr- I mean, if you would like to know more, then venture forward was you will by clicking the finely crafted link below.