An Gof is brewed with wood-smoked malt and traditional hops.

This is a very nice bottle condtioned ale. Smoky and very malty and not really that strong at 5.2%.

Bottle notes tell us that ‘An Gof was a blacksmith who led the Cornish rebellion of 1497 against Henry VII’s unfair taxes. He was hung drawn and quartered for his trouble.

Named after the Eden Project (which is just up the road from where we are staying) the bottle is a very light 4.5% ale.

There are very little in the way of bottle notes.

This is a lovely pint once you let it de-gas. It is one of those that should probably be colder than I prefer it. It’s bitter, hoppy and has a subtle twangy aftertaste.

Nice bottled pint!

Apart from myriad attractions in the area, alefinder will inevitably be visiting the St Austell Brewery Visitors Centre and the numerous St Austell pubs.

Stocking up on provisions in the local supermarket I noticed that bottled ales are very regional. In Cambridgeshire you get loads of local ales so it shouldn’t really have been a surprise that a Cornwall supermarket would have a good selection from their own area too.

I’ve found 15+ bottles and will be working my way through them during the week. Hopefully there will be some left when Brad arrives!

Among the selection was Tesco Finest Belgian Wheat Beer. Although I have sworn allegiance to Ocado you clearly can’t buy this beer from them – so sorry guys – please don’t fire me!

Label headlines tell us this will be ‘… fruity and aromatic with a crisp finish’.

Bottle notes go on to say ‘… this traditional cloudy beer is light and highly refreshing with a hint of coriander, bitter orange and mixed spice’. Good with fish and seafood apparently.

So – the verdict?

It’s a bit ordinary. Mine was cold – straight from the fridge. Although you could drink lots of this on a hot day, you probably wouldn’t because there is just so much more out there that actually tastes of something.

Yes it’s refreshing – you do pick up the orange and the coriander – but it just doesn’t have enough substance. It probably would go well with seafood as it would be unlikely to overpower anything apart from water.

I’d give it 2 out of 5 – but only because I needed a drink – and it isn’t nasty. I’m sure there’s a place for this – but it’s just a bit Hoegarden for me.

This ale celebrates Nelson’s 200th anniversary at Trafalgar in 1805. Apparently ‘… it was St Austell’s Blue Anchor Inn that the King’s messenger carrying news of the bottle, first stopped for refreshment on his long journey from Cornwall to London’.

Anyway, this premium bottle conditioned ale has been brewed with Cornish Gold malt.

Bottle notes tell is this is ‘… a truly complex beer to savour, best enjoyed when decanted carefully leaving the sediment behind’. Oops! I should have read that before I poured it – but there is nothing here leaving lumps in your ale. Nothing at all.

This ale is brewed with both Styrian Golding and Cascade hops which gives the ale a deep bronze colour and a biscuity flavour and a spicy aroma.

Oh and it’s a 5.0% ale.

The verdict? It’s not hard to understand why this ale has won awards. It’s fruity, malty and downright gorgeous. I’m not really sure what ‘biscuity’ means (I don’t eat biscuits) but it’s irrelevant to me. It’s really great. I’m just upset that I only have one bottle.

This is a great bottle. I’m going to check out hostelries in Cornwall because I can’t imagine how great this would be on tap (if they do that).

I’d score this 4.5+ out of 5. I doubt I’ll find a bottle as good as this for a long time. It really hits the spot and ticks all the boxes. Get some !

ESB has been winning award for years – twice voted World Champion Bitter, three times voted Champion Beer of Britain, and is acknowledged around the world as a one of the World’s Greatest Beers.

This ale is strong. 5.9%. If you’re in a pub watching rugby or some other 90 minute sport you fail to realise the affect this will have on you as the pints come pouring in while you are distracted by the TVs.

Bottle notes say “… smooth, full bodied and bursting with flavour, with marmalade fruitness throughout’. Also that ‘… rich malty notes are balanced by a unique blend of Northdown, Target, Challenger and Goldings hops’.

I love ESB on tap – and ESB in the bottle is equally good once you’ve knocked the gas out.

Their bottle notes are spot on. This is truly smooth and full bodied and certainly does have an orange twang to it.

I love this ale but I tend to not to buy the bottles – maybe out of complacency more than anything. You know this is a good ale so you try and find others that are up to its standard – so sometimes you just forget about it.

This really is a great bottle and could not score less that 4+ out of 5. It’s hard to be objective because I’ve drunk this ale for so long that I have just gotten used to it and taken it for granted.

If you’ve never had it – get some.

Headlining as a ‘… distinctive pale ale’, this ale is brewed with Goldings Hops is one of those that sits in the ‘take it or leave it’ category for me.

This isn’t dissimilar to having a Cobra or another of those beers you get in an Indian restaurant and I am sure that – served chilled – this would be great with a curry.

I thought it was a bit too gassy for my liking and – even after giving it a few minutes degassing with a fork – was just a bit too gassy for me.

It’s got a nice bitter taste with a sweet honey after-taste (it isn’t honey but it’s something like that) but it’s just a bit too gassy for me and I was too impatient for it to go flat.

It’s an OK ale – 3 out of 5. As I’ve said before, the more malty, flat ales are more my cup of tea – but this one just doesn’t float my boat.

Discovery is a Blonde ale head-lining simply as ‘Refreshing’.

Bottle notes tell us ‘…this superb premium blonde beer is the perfect combination of unbeatable flavour and refreshment’. Also, it has ‘… a unique blend of malted barley and wheat for a delicious malty taste bursting with rich, biscuity flavours’.

The ale is made with Liberty hops which give the ale a ‘… zesty character and fruity bite’ and Saaz hops which add ‘… gentle bitterness for a clean, refreshing finish’.

That’s a lot of bottle notes ! But the verdict?

This 4.5% Blonde ale certainly is refreshing – and was necked in next to no time. In fairness I have been pruning trees with a not so sharp saw – so I needed it – but it really is refreshing. It’s subtly malty and a nice hint of bitterness. Very enjoyable – and spot on for a sunny day in the garden.

I’d give this a 3.5 out of 5. Nice bottle indeed.

Honeydew is a ‘… refreshing golden beer’ and is 5%.

Bottle notes say ‘… this award winning premium beer is delightfully sweet, golden and refreshing’. Apparently it is ‘… the UKs leading organically produced ale’.

Honeydew is brewed ‘ …using English malts and the finest honey to give a mellow, rounded character which is deliciously balanced with zesty hops’.

There’s even a recipe idea on the bottle – which I’ll mention sometime if it turns out to be any good.

Fullers recommend you drink this cold – but mine is at room temperature and the taste of honey is amazing. I doubt it would be so full on if it was colder.

It is incredibly refreshing – perfect for today’s sunny day – and it is hard to believe it is a 5% ale. No sooner had I opened this than I had drunk it. It is certainly mellow and I reckon you could easily drink too many of these and be hammered before you knew it. It is just so easy to drink.

This is definitely an ale for a sunny day in the garden or at a BBQ.

Fullers do some great bottles (I have 1845 and ESB for later) and this is one of them. I imagine some people might be put off by the name and the label – but you shouldn’t. This is a great ale.

I’d score this 4 out of 5.

Another St Austell – this time Tribute – headlines as ‘… The South West’s favourite’. and ‘… a delicious beer that captures the essential character of Cornwall’.

I’ve not been to Cornwall yet – but if they have St Austell on tap down there it might not be a bad idea to take a drive down there one weekend !

Tribute comes in at 4.2% – so not too heavy – and is very moreish. I thought this before I read the bottle notes – which say ‘…Tribute is a moreishly drinkable beer’.

Further label notes say Tribute has ‘… delicious, full bodied malt flavours and a citrus aroma’.

Tribute is brewed with Cornish Spring water, Cornish Gold and Maris Otter, Fuggle, Willamette and Styrian Golding hops. That’s a lot of different hops.

There is certainly an orange aroma to this ale and this carried through in the taste of the ale. This ale is neither bitter nor sweet and is just so drinkable. It’s malty, fruity and hoppy – everything I love in an ale.

This is another 4+ out of 5 ale for me. I’m going to have to revise my scoring or I’ll never be able to have a top 5.