Last week I was talking about lager, you know, you were there (and if you weren’t just skim back over the beers, they were much better than the prose) but looking back I realised there was something between the lines I wasn’t entirely comfortable with and I’m not talking about spacing, I’m talking about tone.
I feel I may have been subtly pushing some sort of "us and them" agenda, a "craft" beer (oh, that word makes me itch, but you know what I mean) versus all other beer sort of thing, and I want to nip that in the bud this very moment.
Let me make one thing very clear: As much as I care deeply about what I drink and as much as I love sharing my recommendations so that you can at least make an informed decision, I don’t really mind what you drink in the slightest.
There is no wrong answer, as long as you enjoy it then that is the right thing to be drinking. I think beer is situation dependent and a cold winter night alone by the fire is going to call for something a little different to a rare warm day on the beach surrounded by friends and disposable barbeques. This shouldn’t really come as any surprise I suppose, it’s no different to food, a nine-course banquet – each paired with the perfect wine – in a beautiful restaurant is a wonderful thing, but sometimes you just want a piece and jam in your jammies in the house.
Mass marketed, piled high, sold cheap and virtually tasteless can be totally fine from time to time, so don’t let me tell you any different. However, when it comes to the good stuff then it’s time to pay us a visit.
Pirate Life Pale Ale (£3.50/5.4%/355ml)
Before we get to the beer, we should talk about the can, every single detail from the hops and grain used to the storage temperature is listed round the rim of the can. It’s a simple design feature, but a good one (especially for those – unlike myself who have a handle on exactly what hops they enjoy). The beer within is a cracker too, with plenty of malt up front alongside tropical and citrus hop character and a dry and bitter finish. A textbook modern Pale Ale.
Brasserie De la Senne Bruxellensis (£3.40/6.5%/330ml)
Belgium in a bottle, with plenty of fruit and spice from the yeast right from the off. This has a massive depth of flavour, starting with a huge hit of ripe citrus fruit which continues into a slight sour note before soft fruits and some spice emerge and finishing with a lovely balance of sweet and savoury in the finish.
Erdinger Sommerweisse (£2.00/4.6%/330ml)
A hopped wheat, with much more subtlety than the US variations ever seem to have, this is a light bodied number with plenty of classic wheat character and a slightly bitter finish that is the perfect foil to this week’s sunshine.
Rocket Brewing Club Tropicana (£3.40/5.2%/330ml)
Another sunshine sipper, this is as tropical as you like, with the brettanomyces bringing even more fruit, a little funky note and some spice. The drinks may not be free, but they are very reasonably priced for something so delicious.
Siren Acid Jam (£5.70/9.7%/330ml)
Looking like a 90s boyband member’s shirt, tasting like a blend of pineapple, mango and forest fruits alongside a little vanilla a huge sour hit that lasts. This is a trip.
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