I was tidying up the cellar in the motorhome and discovered these two beauties that I'd forgotten about. And as much as I'm enjoying French lager and Belgian wheat beers they were a welcome change
ELSIE MO GLORIOUS GOLDEN ALE
Castle Rock Brewery Nottingham
5% a/v, 500ml bottle. Challenger, Bobek and Aurora hops. Maris Otter malts "Full bodied and totally irresistible"
ROARING MEG IPA
Springhead Brewery Notts
5.5% a/v 500ml bottle known as The Big Blonde
Both £1.50 from Morrisons, UK. Both highly recommended if you want a beer with FLAVOUR.
Both 4.5/5 rating from me
SADLER'S HOP BOMB
How could I resist a beer with a name like this. It's been brewed using five different hops and combined outstandingly with some serious malt. A beautifully balanced beer that is nudging perfection.
5/5 rating from me
500ml bottle
4.6% a/v
£1.49 from Home Bargains
Home Bargains is a Poundland/$2 Shop type outlet with the most random little booze section I've ever seen. I picked out these four and I can enthusiastically recommend the lot.
Stella Cider? Who would have thought? Not only that it's an Elderflower flavour. If you like this style you will love this one. It's a little bit sweet but chill it right down with heaps of ice and you'll cut through that sweetness.
Not my type of drink but the quality at just 99p gives this a 4.5 rating.
Marstons EPA is one of those full of hop flavour mid strength beers [3.6% a/v] that we should be drinking Down Under.
Just £1.09 for a 500ml bottle makes this another 4.5 rating.
Greene King IPA Reserve is an outstanding beer. Gloriously bitter with the perfect balance of malt and hops. 5.4% a/v £1.49 for 500ml and 5/5 rating from me.
Sadler's Peaky Blinder is a black IPA . It's deep rich and inky. A combination of 5 different malts and 5 hops. It's a complex treat that's a meal in a 500ml bottle. 4.6% a/v. £1.49 and 4.5 rating.
TIMOTHY TAYLOR'S LANDLORD CLASSIC PALE ALE
There is nothing quite like a draught beer. Even VB is tolerable when poured from a tap. But never have I tasted a beer like this TTL that could just as easily been hand pulled from the cellar.
Fizz is delightfully restrained but flavour is full on. Malt just dominates the hops but only just. It's as close to perfect balance as we could hope for. No surprise then with a back label claim that "Landlord has won more major awards than any other beer, including 4 times as CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain." 4.1% a/v
5/5 rating from me
£23.40 for twelve 500ml bottles from Majestic
