#13 - Shepherd Neame - Bishops FInger

To my mind this is an excellent beer.  Pleasantly malty with a smooth crisp flavor.  It is fruity as opposed to nutty, but rich enough to pull it off.  A hint of coffee and caramel help it on its way.  Possible criticisms include a faint metallic taste and the seemingly frequent complaint with beers this famous that they have somehow become normal or unremarkable.  Most likely this is simply the result of continued success and a host of newer breweries desperately seeking to imitate.  All in all, I would happily drink another, either on tap or in the bottle and give it a firm 7.5/10.

#12 - Marston's - Old Empire

Now, I'm a fan of big hoppy IPAs.  Those of you who know me will be aware that Pacific North West Double IPAs with all of the subtlety of a brick to the skull are mother's milk to me.  This beer, in comparison, is a more refined offering.  While the hops come through, it lacks some of the citrus that might be expected.  It is well balanced and smooth, especially surprising given its 5.7% ABV.  All of this combines to create an IPA likely to be palatable to all bitter drinkers and the majority of lager drinkers as well.  And yet, there is something missing.  Perhaps it is the fact that the golden and fuggles hops overpower the cascade to just too high a degree.  Or perhaps it just lacks that tinge of excitement that makes the drinker want to order a round for the bar and damn the price!  Whatever it may be, I've drunk it before and I'll drink it again, but it scores a respectable though not exceptional 7/10.

#11 - S A Brain and Co - The Rev. James

The Rev. James is in one sense superb, as a 4.5% malty bitter it tastes like, well, real ale.  It is self assured in its mild malty flavor.  The aftertaste is pleasantly bitter.  It is exceptionally smooth from first sip to final dregs.  However, and it is a big however, there is very little aroma or actual flavor.  After the first sip, this is not a problem, but by the end of the pint, this seems like a serious deficit.  There is no doubt that this beer is well made and absolutely worth trying and perhaps even drinking all evening, depending upon what else is on tap, but in the search for the world's best beer, it doesn't come close.  There is no personality, verve, or hint that it is in any way special.  A shame given the craftsmanship that has no doubt gone into its creation.  A 6.5/10 in total.

#10 - Banks's Park Brewery - Sunbeam

For once the marketing is spot on.  This is indeed a 'Gloriously Zesty Blonde'.  Lovely cereal flavors give way to a pleasantly hoppy aftertaste.  A hefty hint of citrus keeps keeps this beer refreshing and at 4.2% it can be drunk all afternoon.  Unfortunately, it is kept from true greatness by a crispness that at times prevents Sunbeam from a smoothness that would add to its drinkability.  That having been said, it is an exceptional beer and well worth finding for a drink.  Once more, this will be a better beer for summer consumption, but don't let that put you off.  7.5/10 and that is probably on the stingy side.

#9 - Rudgate Brewery - Mrs Brewer

I have, on many occasions, enjoyed the work of the Rudgate Brewery, but Mrs Brewer is something of an abomination.  Indeed, the phrase 'omnishambles' springs to mind.  At 3.7% it doesn't taste delicate, but rather, watery.  Instead of flavors of toasted oats and a 'spicy blackcurrant aroma' all that comes across is a touch of malt mixed with an odd sickly-sweet taste reminiscent of over-ripe fruit, long past its prime.  Manning the pumps on a recent evening, I gave out ten tasters only one customer of which decided to purchase a pint - probably out of misplaced guilt.  I wouldn't drink this beer again if it were free.  Being generous, 2/10.    

#8 - Durham Brewery - Pale Ice

Pale Ice in an American Pale Ale clearly designed as a session beer and weighing in at 3.9%.  The Columbus hops create a powerful flavor and for those of you who are not big fans of the citrusy-hoppy types, you had best stay away.  I've had this in two different pubs with differing results.  The first time I tried the pint, I found it bitter to the point of unpleasantness.  My second try yielded drastically different results, and to be perfectly honest, was quickly followed by a third, fourth, and fifth try.  The difference between the two pubs tends to be cellar and glass temperature, with the second pub markedly cooler.  Most if not all of the American beers that employ this style are designed to be drunk ice cold and to my mind Pale Ice is at its best under similar circumstances.  If you're drinking it from a bottle, pop your glass in the freezer for half an hour, if you find it on tap, hope they have a cold cellar!  All in all, based on the second tasting, it gets a 7/10 and should be a firm favorite if well chilled and served on a warm summers' day.

#7 - Staropramen Breweries - Vratislav

Welcome to part two in my budget beer series.  Tesco kindly gave me a coupon that brought Vratislav down to 99 pence, so I thought it deserved a review.  Now, although I've listed the brewery as Staropramen, this is simply what the internet tells me.  The beer as labeled gives little indication and it seems to be produced specifically for Tesco.  Having said that, it is a 5% Czech Pilsner and its heritage shines through.  Let's get the direct comparison out of the way up front; if you have only 99 pence and are in a Tesco, buy this instead of the Bavaria, it is simply better in every way.  There is a pleasant cereal taste throughout, but the big complaint has to be the watery edge that higher priced beers tend to avoid.  All in all it comes in at a 5/10 without taking the price into consideration, when it is considered as a one pound pint, that has to easily rise to a 6.

#6 - Bateman's Brewery - Autumn Fall

Bateman's Autumn Fall is in many ways my kind of beer.  It contains an innovative use of multiple grains (Barley, Wheat, Rye, and Oats) and has a nice malty flavor as a result.  The official tasting notes remark on the taste of orange and pear drops and while the orange is apparent, the pear drop flavor doesn't really come through.  The pleasant coffee aftertaste, however, is delightful, I just wish it was more pronounced and lasted a touch longer!  While I was only able to sample this in a bottle, I fully intend to try it on tap in the autumn.  This beer is a great purchase for bargain seekers at Aldis up and down the country.  It warrants a firm 7/10 and leaves me wishing I had a second bottle...

#5 - Bavaria Brouwerij - Bavaria Premium

When I first envisioned this blog, it occurred to me that it might be wise to review a few beers on the cheaper end of the spectrum, suitable for parties or those awkward occasions on which cash might be in short supply.  As a 99 pence bottle at most stores, this Dutch 5% lager seemed like a good  first venture.  It tastes, in short, like lager.  It is entirely generic with little else that can be said.  Perhaps this was a beer designed for accountants, or other individuals who value cost over personality - I don't know, but whatever the influences on its creation, it seems to have found a niche.  Would I drink it out of choice? Probably not.  Would I buy it for my friends? No.  Would I happily down a few at a party with no other beer options? Absolutely.  If cost were no object it would get a 4/10, but in this pragmatic and unfortunate world I will give it a generous 5/10, the extra point being added for its undoubted value.  

#4 - Maxim Brewery - Stiff Tackle

This is a pint that combines two of my favorite things - good beer and a delightfully childish pun.  There's nothing like hearing the lad or lass behind the pumps give a little giggle when you place your order and this one fits the bill nicely.  Maxim has been producing some very good beers over the last five years or so years (and one that I find dismal, but we will come to that in future weeks) and this one was no exception.  A nice smooth pale ale that could be drunk all afternoon, really it is hard to find a serious fault, except perhaps that it isn't very adventurous or challenging.  The one additional niggle is that it would be rather nicer with just a touch more citrus to add a bit of balance, but this really is being exceptionally critical.  Perhaps a more pertinent critique is that the brewery uses it as a seasonal beer in the winter, when it would seem to better lend itself to warm summer afternoons.  I had it on tap in The John Duck Ale House, an excellent watering hole if you're ever in Durham, and I can't help but feel that the quality of the pub contributed to my fondness of the beer.  All in all I am happy to award it 7/10 and recommend, as it says on the label, that you 'Give it a Try!'.

#3 - Otley Brewing Company - Otley 09 Blonde

Now, generally I hate hipsters and the beer they drink!  After all, I had a beard before it was cool, indeed, before you'd even heard of beards.  This however is a notable exception.  It's bold, you can taste the cloves, orange peel, wheat, and coriander, but somehow it's pleasant, even tasty.  This Welsh pint weighs in at 4.8%, which, while slightly higher than I would like, keeps it crisp and refreshing.  Even the bottle is svelte, seeming to scream, 'Drink me not as a beverage, but as an experience!'  While it doesn't quite make it into the session beer category, I can imagine having one on a fairly regular basis.  Possibly as a sort of dessert pint, or palate cleanser between other types of beer.  That having been said, it will not be to everyone's taste.  Everyone should try it, but at least half would never go back for a second pint.  A solid 7.5/10 and a definite desire to see what else Otley produces.

#2 - Brewers & Union UG - Bern Stein

I had high hopes for this 5% Munich brewed unfiltered unpasteurized Amber Ale.  It came with a snazzy red label and a delightful musical pun of a name.  The first taste didn't let me down.  I ran across the room and insisted that those with me try it immediately!  They did so just as I took my second sip, swallowing both my pride and credibility as a taster.  'Ugg, antiseptic!' one of my companions remarked and I found myself in complete agreement.  What began as a very promising new German beer that I had hoped to add to my repertoire ended as a glass that I didn't even finish...  (A rarity indeed for me ).  Unfortunately I cannot find a second bottle to make sure this is not simply an aberration from an otherwise excellent brewer.  For now we'll call it 2/10, but I shall certainly keep an open mind if any other offerings come my way from Brewers & Union UG.

#1 - Sadler's Ales - Mud City Stout

Sadler's Mud City Stout is an excellent party beer in the sense that all of your friends who don't normally drink beer will head straight for it, leaving the more challenging flavors for the connoisseurs.  It provides a very smooth finish for an ABV of 6.6%, although that does limit its utility as a session beer.  The brewer's claim of a 'complex blend' may be overstating the point.  This beer is undemanding and comfortable, but the converse of this is that it doesn't challenge the drinker and fails to satisfy.  Just as crisps may provide a delicious snack, you would be disappointed if you were served a plate of them for dinner and this beer leaves the drinker with a similar sensation. With that in mind, I found the bottle in Home Bargains at the cheap rate of one pound forty-nine pence, so it scores well in terms of value for money.  All in all it scores a 6/10 - I'd gladly drink a pint of it in the pub, but I can't imagine it becoming a firm favorite.  Having said that, for those of you who regularly seek out chocolaty stouts, this may well score more highly on your palate than it did on mine.

Welcome

For some time now it has been an ambition of mine to drink more beer.  In the past I've poured it, brewed it, drunk it, gazed at it lovingly, but never with quite the organised and evaluative approach that would let me begin a quest which is, for me, akin to the search for the Holy Grail.  Namely, what is the best beer in the entire world?  With this in mind, I have embarked on a the first steps of this mission with one simple goal, to drink 365 different types of beer in 365 days, sharing the results with all of those interested enough to follow.  As to what I will find, who can tell?  It may be that I falter, it may be that I lose heart, or it may be that I find the greatest treasure of all, a truly perfect pint.

Please send in your suggestions for review and I will do my best to try them all.  After all, no man can succeed on such a quest single handed, and drinking is always best with a group of friends!

'He was a wise man who invented beer.' - Plato