Badger England's Own

 

Like sunshine in a bottle, this golden blonde ale has the most amazing hoppy, floral and elderflower aroma.  It's a shame that it has such a small, rapidly disappearing off-white head as it looks a bit off-putting in its headless state.

The elderflower aroma is replicated in the flavour along with white grape and its actually very refreshing.  It has a slight hint of bitterness in the finish which rounds it off nicely.  It has a thin body and surprisingly prickly carbonation which belies its flat appearance.

I really didn't expect it to be so nice; it's a perfect summer beer and I'd buy it again if it gets rebrewed.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Badger Brewery, Dorset
4.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Badger Beers

Oakham Inferno

Inferno is a light yellow golden blonde ale with a loose off-white head that disperses to leave a thin layer of foam.  It smells very floral, perhaps elderflower, and there is a distinct whiff of hops (as there are 5 American hops in the brew: Sterling, Amarillo, Centennial, Cascade and Chinook).

The taste is very pleasant: hoppy and floral with a bitter citrus finish.  The subtle yet complex flavouring reminds me of a Scottish heather ale.  It has a medium body and it's quite softly carbonated so it feels very smooth on the palate.

So fresh and hoppy, Inferno is a lovely beer to have on a warm, sunny day and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Oakham Ales, Peterborough 
4.4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Oakham Ales

Harper's North Bridge Brown Ale

 

North Bridge Brown Ale is a budget beer from Aldi and although it's not a patch on Newcastle Brown Ale, it's not bad at all.

It's a lovely chestnut brown colour but it's let down by the very small, rapidly disappearing beige head so you very quickly end up with a flat looking headless ale.

It has a lovely malty smell with a dash of sweet caramel which is replicated in the taste, along with some chocolate and burnt toffee.  The chocolate is more sweet than bitter so it has a lovely balance for the sweet-toothed among us.  Most surprising is the harsh carbonation, which considering its flat appearance came as quite a shock to the palate. 

Not bad at all for a budget beer and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed for Aldi by Harper's Brewing Co
4.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Three Kings Tyneside Tommy

 

This is an absolutely wonderful idea from Three Kings Brewery who have produced a traditional English ale with Tyneside's First World War soldiers commemorated on the bottle.  The beer has been brewed to raise awareness of the Northumbria World War One Commemoration Project which aims to create a memorial garden and place blue plaques on 600 homes of Tyneside soldiers who fell in the conflict.  

Each bottle has a little tag around its neck with a photo and story of a real Tyneside Tommy.  I got Private Joseph Forster who was born in Cramlington and lived in North Shields with his wife and six children.  We often hear of enlistees claiming to be older than they were but in an unusual twist, as he was considered too old for military service, Joseph Forster amended his birth certificate to make him appear younger than he actually was.  Private Forster was killed in action on the Somme in October 1916, aged 44 and I raise my glass to him.  

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

Tyneside Tommy pours a lovely deep gold/light amber colour with a very impressive tight, thick, cream coloured head that lasts and laces right up to the last drop.  It has a hoppy and lightly fruited aroma that you would expect from a traditional ale.

When you can actually get through the huge head, it has a metallic bitter taste with a dash of citrus and tangy hops.  It's a lovely old fashioned bitter and you can just imagine many a Tyneside Tommy drinking a pint of this when they returned home on leave.  It's full bodied and moderately carbonated giving a lovely smooth mouthfeel.

A tangy and refreshing old fashioned bitter this is a beer for real heroes.  I wholeheartedly recommend you pick up a bottle if you see it as it's a lovely bitter and supports an amazing project.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Three Kings Brewery, North Shields
4.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Three Kings Brewery

BrewDog 5AM Saint

 

It's a bunch of fives from BrewDog with their American red ale 5AM Saint: 5% ABV, 5 malts and 5 hops (actually 6 but I like the pattern they're going for).  Doesn't it look stunning?  It's a beautiful slightly opaque red/brown colour with a small, loose cream coloured head that vanishes quite quickly.

There's nothing subtle about the aroma with a huge hit of malt, caramel and orange marmalade citrus so I couldn't wait to dive in.  With a wonderful mixture of malts and hops, this really tingles the tastebuds.  Sweet malts and caramel make are followed by a bitter citrus tang but these conflicting flavours are seamlessly woven together on a biscuit base.  

The only thing that lets it down is the body.  It has a very watery mouthfeel and relatively low carbonation so it feels quite light despite the amazing flavours.  With a bit more body and a longer lasting head this would have been a five star beer without doubt.  I'd still have another one, so Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog Brewery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4.25/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery