Yesterday's Beerfest

To be perfectly honest, I must confess to being a lot less savvy about beer than a village Englishman should be.
Plenty of my companions profess to being beer experts, and when they start talking about different strains of yeast and top-and-bottom-fermented beers, I tend to experience that same mild sense inadequacy I used to get in chemistry classes. Almost a feeling that something truly important somehow passed me by.
I much prefer an ice cold lager to warm beer, however ignorance notwithstanding, I agreed to enter into the spirit of our lttle beer-fest.

Based upon my regular shopping trips to our local Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Tesco's, the evidence suggests that the choice of bottled ales, beers and lagers in our supermarkets and off-licences is better than it has ever been. In my capacity as 'procurement officer', I thought it would be a good idea to call a couple of dozen in and we would try them out to see which performed best in a line-up. I've listed them here, from lightest to richest.

All in all a highly enjoyable evening.(Pity there was no wine) but hey the beer did compliment the BBQ smoked Ribs (Waitrose £4.99 - marvelous)

My 'judgements' are provided just for fun and of course described in traditional wine tasting 'lingo':-


Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, California
5.6% ABV

My Judgement:-
Hints of Citrus fruits and sensous spice with a lingering lemony bitterness.
Probably a beer best served on hot days and with food.
On its own, it's got to be one for serious hop-lovers
£1.89 (Tesco)




Wainwrights Golden Ale, Thwaites, Lancashire
4.1% ABV
Aromatic. English Rose and Citrus. Very refreshing
This would be great after a hard day's walking.
£1.89 (Tesco & Sainsbury's)




Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Strong Pale Ale, Yorkshire
4.1% ABV
On the nose there's hints of Muscat grapes. On the palate it's beautifully well balanced.
For me, as a beer, this is real quality stuff. I really enjoyed it. So much so I had an extra bottle.
£2.77 (Waitrose - where else? ha ha)




Spitfire Kentish Ale, Shepherd Neame
4.5% ABV
A sweet fruity hit on the palate gradually gives way to softer subtle chocolaty characters. A slightly smoky toasted note underneath.
£1.89 (Tesco & Sainsbury's)




Fuller's London Porter
5.4% ABV
This has a rather attractive dark brown colour. On the nose a very bitter roasted chocolate hit. On the palate a real depth of smokiness.
Not my cup of tea at all.
£2.19 (Waitrose & Sainsbury's)