Phoenix Beer

Bought at Taste of London months ago as this would be a new beer-country for me. Was annoyed to find out later that it could be bought from Beers of Europe for basically half the price...

• Name: Phoenix Beer, 5%, Mauritius
  
• Appearance: Light golden, little bit of white head.
  
• Aroma: Malt and some fruit and honey. Hops.
  
• Taste: Bit of malt and hops, watery.
  
• Bought: Taste of London, 330 ml, £3.00
  
• Overall score: 2/6
  
• Info: 28/9-2007

Monteith's New Zealand Lager

• Name: Monteith's New Zealand Lager, 5%, New Zealand
  
• Appearance: Orangy golden brown. Little bit of shortlived fizzy head.
  
• Aroma: Fruit and malt, quite nice.
  
• Taste: Some malt and hops, quite sweet. Fresh.
  
• Bought: Waitrose, 330 ml, £0.99
  
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 23/9-2007

Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc

Just to fill in the "gaps", to be honest:

• Name: Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc, 5.0%, France
  
• Appearance: Pale yellow, hazy. Little bit of white head.
  
• Aroma: Very fruity, lemony. Some wheat.
  
• Taste: Pretty fruity, and sweet. Bit of wheat. Peaches?
  
• Bought: Waitrose, 500 ml, £2.09
  
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 19/9-2007

Freeminer Bumble Bee Honey Ale

Bought in Co-op, Stow-on-the-Wold on our Cotswold trip. Nice touch with Braille on the back label.

• Name: Freeminer Bumble Bee Honey Ale, 4.6%, England
  
• Appearance: Light golden, amber. Very little head.
  
• Aroma: Honey and quite sweet, some hops.
  
• Taste: Honey, hoppy and earthy. Honey and malt in aftertaste.
  
• Bought: Co-op, 500 ml, £1.79
  
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 17/9-2007

Vale Grumpling Premium (Old Ale)

Second bottle bought in Thresher Wine Shop in Chipping Norton, Cotswold.

• Name: Vale Grumpling Premium (Old Ale), 4.6%, England
  
• Appearance: Dark redish brown. Shortlived fizzy head, more head when warmer. Some sediments.
  
• Aroma: Nice malt, caramel and fruit.
  
• Taste: Quite malty, but also caramel and dark fruit.
  
• Bought: Thresher, 500 ml, £1.89
  
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 15/9-2007

As Marks & Spencer Buckinghamshire Ale:

• Name: Marks & Spencer Buckinghamshire Ale, 4.6%, England
  
• Appearance: Redish brown. Little bit of head.
  
• Aroma: Nice malt and some hops.
  
• Taste: Malt and quite bitter. Some fruit. Bitter aftertaste.
  
• Bought: Marks & Spencer, 500 ml, £2.00
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 24/1-2008

Battledown Cheltenham SPA

Bought in Thresher Wine Shop in Chipping Norton, Cotswold. SPA is supposed to mean Special Pale Ale, but another S-word comes to mind when drinking it.

• Name: Battledown Cheltenham SPA, 5.2%, England
  
• Appearance: Pale golden, slightly cloudy. Basically no head.
  
• Aroma: Not much. Some hops and lemon?
  
• Taste: Hops and perfume, quite bitter. Unpleasant aftertaste.
  
• Bought: Thresher, 500 ml, £1.89
  
• Overall score: 2/6
  
• Info: 12/9-2007

Sainsbury's Raspberry Wheat Beer (Meantime Red Beer)

The full name of this beer is "Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Raspberry Wheat Beer", which has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? As mentioned before this summer-only beer is the same as "Meantime Red Beer" in the 300-book, according to the Meantime brewmaster, Alastair Hook.

4-pack bought from Sainbury's a few months ago, one is for my compatriot OKO.

• Name: Sainsbury's Raspberry Wheat Beer (Meantime Red Beer), 5.0%, England
  
• Appearance: Hazy orange. Fizzy, shortlived head. Cloudier later.
  
• Aroma: Wheat and raspberry. Lemon, caramel? Mint?
  
• Taste: Again, wheat and raspberry. Some hops. A bit quenching.
  
• Bought: Sainsbury's, 330 ml, £?.??
  
• Overall score: 2/6
  
• Info: 10/9-2007, 170/300

St Peter's Organic Ale

Fifth and final bottle from the mixed case given to GR.

• Name: St Peter's Organic Ale, 4.5%, England
  
• Appearance: Copper orangy brown. Not much head at all.
  
• Aroma: Fruit, malt and hops.
  
• Taste: Malt and hops. Dries out your mouth. Bitter aftertaste.
  
• Bought: Gift, 500 ml, £?.??
  
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 8/9-2007

St Peter's Golden Ale

Lots of free beers lately - not complaining, though :-). Fourth bottle of the mixed case GR was given.

• Name: St Peter's Golden Ale, 4.7%, England
  
• Appearance: Orangy golden brown. Little bit of head, more when warmer.
  
• Aroma: Bit of malt and fruit.
  
• Taste: Quite bitter, some malt and fruit. Bitter aftertaste.
  
• Bought: Gift, 500 ml, £?.??
  
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 6/9-2007

St Peter's Fruit Beer Grapefruit

Third bottle of the mixed case GR was given.

• Name: St Peter's Fruit Beer Grapefruit, 4.7%, England
  
• Appearance: Light orangy brown. Tiny amount of head.
  
• Aroma: Grapefruit and some malt and hops.
  
• Taste: Sweet and malty, some grapefruit. Bitter aftertaste.
  
• Bought: Gift, 500 ml, £?.??
  
• Overall score: 2/6
  
• Info: 4/9-2007

Asahi Black

Saw this one in Waitrose, and thought it was in the 500-book. Confused it with the Asahi Stout; never mind.

• Name: Asahi Black, 5%, Japan
  
• Appearance: Very dark brown, basically black. Nice amount of head.
  
• Aroma: Burnt and roasted malt. Caramel? Metallic?
  
• Taste: Again burnt and roasted malt. Malty aftertaste.
  
• Bought: Waitrose, 334 ml, £1.49
  
• Overall score: 3/6
  
• Info: 2/9-2007

Michael "Beer Hunter" Jackson dies

OKO emailed me earlier tonight to alert me to the news that Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter, died yesterday from a heart attack here in London. CNN's story can be found here. I started this blog in order to try amongst other things all beers from his book "Great Beer Guide - 500 Classic Brews" and was saddened by this news.

I shared two bottles of Hook Norton with MG tonight, Old Hooky and Double Stout, to somehow raise a glass or two to him.