Staropramen Premium

Staropramen Premium is a light lager brewed with Czech hops.  It's mass produced and brewed in the UK by Molson Coors.

This bright golden beer has a very frothy off-white head that clings to the side of the glass as you drink it.  The aroma is very hoppy with hints of sweet caramel.

It has a traditional beery taste of hops and caramel with a dry, bitter finish.  It's well carbonated and fizzy with a thin body that makes it very refreshing to drink.

Considering it's mass produced, it's a very tasty lager with a bit of oomph thanks to the Czech hops.  Although it's nothing complex, it's a very refreshing thirst quencher to drink in summer and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Molson Coors Brewing Company, UK
5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Staropramen

Greene King Flint Eye

Flint Eye is a lovely clear golden beer with a loose, off-white head that disappears quickly, leaving just a faint swirl of bubbles on the surface.  It has a hoppy aroma as well as notes of yellow fruit (banana, pineapple, peach and lemon) and a hint of honey.

Flavour is quite light, as you’d expect for a lager, but the dry hopping process gives it a lovely tang of hops as well as a hint of pine.  It has a thin body but it’s well carbonated, which adds a nice prickle to the mouthfeel.

It’s a lovely crisp, dry and refreshing lager with a decent ABV of 4.5%.  I’m pretty impressed with this lager and I think it’s the perfect lager to quench your thirst on a hot summer’s day.  Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Greene King Brewery, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Greene King Brewery

Seven Bro7hers Amber Lager

Just look at that beautiful amber colour of Seven Bro7hers' Amber Lager - this is lager, Jim, but not as we know it. 

I love the colour of this lager - it's deep golden/light amber with a small, loose off-white head that vanishes quickly to leave a patchy layer.  The aroma is not like any lager I've ever smelled before - it's sweet, fruity, hoppy and malty with notes of pineapple, tropical fruit, honey and caramel.  It smells like sunshine in a glass.

The flavour is equally impressive with a delicious blend of sweet fruit, caramel, malt and hops over a dry biscuit base.  It is well carbonated with a thin body and it's so refreshing to drink.  It's sweet and fruity at first but followed by a lovely crisp, dry finish.  This is a lager with attitude and I would never have guessed it was a lager in a blind taste test.

Very impressive and perfect for summer drinking, Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co, Manchester
4.3% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co

Darwin Beagle Blonde

I have been very impressed with Darwin Brewery's core range and Beagle Blonde is no exception.  It's nothing fancy and sometimes you just want to drink something more traditional, so this easy drinking and refreshing golden coloured pale ale fits the bill.

It's a lovely golden coloured ale with a pretty tight off-white head that lasts and thickly laces.  It has a deliciously crisp and light aroma of hops, citrus, biscuit and caramel.

It's a hoppy tasting beer with a hint of mild citrus and sweet caramel and a lovely dry finish.  It has a thin to medium body and good, strong carbonation that retains the head right until the last drop.

The lovely sweet/dry balance makes this the perfect sunny day beer.  It's very light, refreshing and easy to drink and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Darwin Brewery, Sunderland
4.1% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Darwin Brewery

The Kernel Dry Stout Taiheke Wakatu

This is a lively bottle conditioned dry stout from London brewery, The Kernel.  It's a beautiful dark brown ale with a frothy, surprisingly robust dark cream coloured head.

It has a strangely floral aroma and a hint of citrus.  It's very alluring but a little strange for a stout as it smells quite heavily perfumed.  The taste is definitely dry!  It doesn't have any particular flavour competing for my attention; it's just dry.  There is a malty hint to it though so it's very drinkable.  It has a medium body and is well carbonated with perfectly balanced bubbles.  

It's a very unusual stout and I love the dryness of it.  I would have liked a bit more malt to boost the flavour but it is what it says on the bottle and I can't fault that.  It's well worth trying but I wouldn't go out of my way to have it again, so Ale not Be Seeing You.

Brewed by The Kernel Brewery, London
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at The Kernel Brewery

Maltsmiths IPA

This is a lovely dark American IPA from The Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh and it looks like molten toffee in the glass.  It's an orange hued amber coloured ale with a small but very tight cream head.  There is a bit of sediment in the bottle so I left a bit behind to ensure a clear pour.

It smells very citrussy, but more oranges than grapefruit, and it has a slight hint of caramel and malt.  The flavour is quite weak, although this means that it's not too citrussy or bitter for me, and

thanks to the dry-hopping it has a lovely dry finish.  Body is thin but it's very fizzy which maintains the head nicely.  

It just seems a little too weak on flavour so Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by The Caledonian Brewery, Edinburgh
4.6% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Maltsmiths Brewing

Põhjala Hooaeg

 

Hooaeg is a dry-hopped saison brewed with coriander seeds from Estonian brewery Põhjala.  It's very lively on opening and has quite a lot of sediment in it so, as I prefer a clear beer, I didn't quite manage to get a full glass out of this one.  It's a lovely bright golden yellow beer with a huge frothy off-white head that lasts well despite its loose appearance.

The aroma of hops and citrus is quite strong but very appetising.  I was a little disappointed in the flavour as the citrus completely overpowers the hops, although I did get a slight tang of coriander.  It's just far too pithy for me and it has a lingering bitter grapefruit aftertaste that isn't something I enjoy.

Definitely one for citrus fans but unfortunately not for me, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Põhjala Brewery, Estonia
5.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Põhjala Brewery

The Great British Brewing Co/Hogs Back All 4 One

 

All 4 One is a 4 hop lager produced for Aldi by Surrey brewers Hogs Back, although unfortunately there's no mention on the label as to what hops they are.  I don't drink much lager as I find it too gassy but you can't beat a lager in the garden on the odd occasion when the sun is shining. 

This is a golden yellow beer with a loose off-white head and it does have a little more colour than most mass-produced lagers.  It has a lovely aroma of hops (no surprise there as it's got 4 varieties in it), citrus fruit, grassy earth and a dash of sweet honey.

The first thing I noticed with the flavour is how very dry it is.  It's has a grassy citrus bitter taste followed by some mellow caramel but it is drier than the Sahara.  It's not too fizzy though so if it wasn't so dry, I'd have definitely given it a higher score.

It's not bad at all for a budget craft lager but it's a little on the dry side for me so if this comes back into production, Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed for Aldi by Hogs Back Brewery, Surrey
4.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at Hogs Back Brewery

Black Sheep Yorkshire Square Ale

 

Pouring a beautiful golden amber, Black Sheep's Yorkshire Square Ale looks like molten toffee in my glass.  It has a small but robust cream coloured head that retains a thin layer while you drink.

The aroma is quite light for this one.  There's a bit of malt and hops but nothing else that stands out for me.  Thankfully, it redeemed itself in the flavour!  It's deliciously malty with a lovely dry finish.  There's also a hint of sweetness (from the addition of demerara sugar) which tastes quite treacly when blended with the malt.  To please bitter fans, there's a slight metallic bitter taste to the dry finish that rounds it all off nicely.

It's quite a fizzy medium bodied ale but the bubbles aren't harsh so it's very easy to drink.  As the bubbles burst on my tongue, I did feel like I could detect a little fizz of demerara sugar.

It's not up there with my favourite Black Sheep ales but it's a decent ale nonetheless.  Being sweet, dry and bitter, it has a bit of everything to appeal to many palates.  I would have it again, but I wouldn't actively seek it out; I'd definitely recommend you give it a try if you see it (you can also find it in Sainsbury's labelled as Yorkshire Bitter).

Brewed by Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, North Yorkshire

5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Black Sheep Brewery

Adnams Dry Hopped Lager

A light straw yellow lager with an almost non-existent head.  It has a lovely fruity pineapple aroma and lots of hops.  It tastes so light and refreshing and it's definitely on the dry side - I almost felt as if it needed a squirt of lime to give it a bit of sweetness and some flavour.

It is different from standard lagers, although it feels quite thin and watery in consistency. It has a slightly sour and bitter taste but is so crisp that it's definitely well labelled as 'DRY'.   Despite the lava lamp appearance, it is surprisingly lightly carbonated and would be a perfect thirst quencher on a sunny day, should we ever get one in the North East of England.

Brewed by Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk
4.2% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Adnams

Adnams Mosaic Pale Ale

This pale ale has a deep golden yellow appearance with a thick frothy white head.  A little darker than most pale ales it has stunning aromas of pineapple, mango, tropical fruit and a slight hint of grapefruit.

I'm not a great fan of fruity flavoured pale ale but this Mosaic Pale is really unusual, it is crisp and dry with a tropical fruit burst aftertaste.  There is barely any bitterness although it seemed to acquire a bit more of a citrus flavour as I was drinking it.  Softly carbonated, it's very refreshing and surprisingly nice.  A good summer ale, and I have seen mini kegs of Mosaic Pale on offer on Amazon so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for a summer barbecue or a relaxing day of reading in the sun (or shade, in my case).

Brewed by Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk
4.1% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Adnams

Bath Ales Wild Hare

A lovely golden yellow colour with a bit of sediment in the bottle so I stopped pouring just before it started to get cloudy.  There is a small white frothy head which disappears quickly, leaving a small frothy film.  It has a really nice hoppy aroma for a pale ale with not even a hint of the citrus aroma you often get with a pale ale.

As you know, I'm not really a pale ale fan but this has to be one of the best pale ales I have ever tasted.  It transforms from dry with a sweet edge to bitter and slightly grapefruity on the palate.  It is crisp and refreshing with the perfect amount of fizz to make it a smooth easily drinkable ale.

I didn't think I would ever give a five pint rating to a pale ale but Wild Hare gets a big thumbs up from me.

Brewed by Bath Ales, Bristol

5.0% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Bath Ales