Fuller’s 1845 claims to be Britain’s best selling bottle conditioned ale, winning many awards including two gold medals at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival. For those not in the know, ‘bottle conditioning’ is when a small amount of yeast is allowed to ferment gently in the bottle. A bit like the Sierra Nevada Pale [...]

Brad and I tried this offering a couple of months ago – and at the time we weren’t convinced that this as a ‘proper ale’ at all. Given where if comes from – California USA (no singing the OC theme tune please!) – it has all the signs of being an American beer and not [...]

I have posted so many bottled ale reviews this week. Lucky I don’t think of myself as an alcoholic! Badger make Blandford Fly. This unique ale celebrates the infamous Blandford Fly, a resident biting insect of Dorset’s River Stour. Local folklore has it that ginger could help reduce the fever and swelling inflicted by the [...]

Now there has to be an ale to rule them all. And for me it is ‘Timothy Taylor’s Landlord’. An earlier tasting with Brad had me unsure but now I have put it against my previous number 1 (Adnam’s Broadside) – I would have to say I have changed my mind.

Every time I am in France I end up drinking lager. And it is always Leffe. Now I like Leffe, but it isn’t ale. It is passable Belgian Beer. I promised Enrico (my Italian friend) that – on my next trip to France – I would bring some English ale for him to try. So [...]

I’ve reviewed a few organic ales and compared them to St Peter’s Organic Best Bitter. Well now we get to talk about it properly. First the bottle details. St Peter’s Organic Best Bitter is 4.1%. It is made with organically grown Charlot malted barley – which makes up the mash for this ale. To give [...]

Prince Charles has his own food line. Top quality produce and all organic. Amongst it all is Duchy Originals Organic Ale. Made to a traditional and exclusive recipe using barley from selected organic farms including the Home Farm at Highgrove (Charlie’s house!) – this ale comes in at 5.0% Prince Charles pretty much pioneered organic [...]

Now I can’t decide if Theakston XB makes it into my top 5. Having driven for 12 hours from the UK to my house in France, I was in serious need of some refreshment. I had brought a selection of ales with me from the UK – I can’t be drinking Leffe Lager all week [...]

Not many brewerys make big bottles of ale. Sometimes it is just as well. Imagine working your way through 750ml of Caledonian or Youngs Ale.. erghh! But Morland Old Speckled Hen – is definitely an ale that is great in big bottles. Simply because it is a bloody good ale. I like it on the [...]

Apparently Caledonian were the first Brewery to create an organic ale. They did it in the early 1990′s. The bottled ale has won awards for ‘Best Beverage’ by the Vegetarian Society and is apparently one of very few beers that vegans will drink. Well even at 5% it doesn’t taste of much. It is a [...]