Been getting back into my real ales lately, though I’ve been out of the game for many years (turned into a bit of a wine ponce).

I like Deuchars, Landlord, Leffe Brun, Sierra Nevada, Jennings beers, most IPAs… to give you an idea.

Helps if they’re likely to sell it in a small Tesco, as I don’t have a decent offy local.

Eagerly anticipating your tips.

Black Sheep, St Peter’s Golden Ale, Charles Well’s Bombardier, Thwaites Bomber, Bishop’s Finger…

should get you started (i prefer my ales more of the Porter persuasion so dont tend to drink IPAs so cant help there) Most are quite popular ales so should be found in Tescos

TEA – Hogsback brewery
49er – Ringwood

Spitfire sell it at Tesco

Oh Christ, where do I start?
Black Sheep Rigwelter, Bombardier, Hobgoblin, Bath Ales Dark Hare and Festival, Waggledance, Golden Glory,
Broadside…
In fact any ale sold in a bottle in a good supermarket or offy is worth trying once; that way you get to find out easily what whets your pallet. I’ve yet to find a bottled quality ale that I didn’t like, and I’ve tried a couple of dozen at least.
…and I’ve just realised I’ve drunk all mine. Damn. :0(

Do you guys get any Black Isle Brewery stuff down south? It’s from the highlands, just near the Learnie trails. I’ve got a real hankering for one of their Red Kite Ales. Any of theirs is worth a try IMHO.

Now, can I be bothered heading to the shops to try and get one?

Tanglefoot is one I always look out for.

I’m a bit of a beer snob and tend to seek out bottle conditioned stuff, as the pasturising process ruins the taste IMHO. Filtered is close behind. Im partial to a pint of Landlord, but its pretty poor out of a bottle

Anyway, excellent bottle conditioned and avaliable local to me are:

Youngs Kew Gold, Youngs Bitter, HopBack Crop Cicle, Hopback Summerlighning, Siare Nevada pale Ale, Anchor Steam Beer, meantime pale ale, Youngs Special London Ale, M&S cornish IPA, M&S norfolk bitter (I think this is woodefords wherry, rebranded but can’t be sure), TEA

Filtered

Anything by St peters brewery.

Any German beer from Aldi/Lidl brewed in accordance with the purity laws.

🙂

This…is superb, and a quid a bottle in tesco’s at the minute …

I was going to suggest Innis and Gunn, brilliant beer. Seek it out!

Whitstable bay organic ale
http://www.shepherdneame.co.uk/beers/index.php?whitstable_bay

Innis and Gunn is indeed nice. I like – Old Speckled Hen, Abbott, and 3 Sisters ale from up near Glencoe, amongst others.

Theakstons XB – like rockin hoss plop these days but oh-so nice when you manage to track some down ;o)

Cheers for all those guys. Have tried quite a few of those, but there’s evern more that I haven’t.

Wasn’t a fan of Innis and Gunn, might have been a bit sweet for me.

Djglover – Interesting, hadn’t really cottoned on to the bottle conditioned thing, explains why some beers (and I know I like some of the ones you mentioned) taste fresher and more complex.

I can highly recommend Little Valley Brewey ales, they are small place in Hebden Bridge, also the brewer is a mad keen cyclist.

MussEd speaks the truth. Great beer that one. Infact – i’m just gonig to go and have a bottle.

Another vote for I & G

i heard somewhere that I&G did a ‘rum barrel’ special. Sounds delightfully random. Anyone tried it?

If you can get any Brains beers in your Tescos then go for it, SA and SA Gold are my favourites.
Also Tomos Watkins Crw Haf is top quality. Dunno if Tescos do them outside Wales though…

Yeah, seen SA Gold in London

innis & Gunn…its nectar
jules i had some I&G blue ;abel the other day with vanilla in it..twas nice, jim had some rum stuff i think…

can highly recommend the double stout hook norton

Theakston’s XB

Duvel. (Only to be drunk 1 year after bottling. I don’t know why, but the resident CAMRA boffin at our local says that’s what you do). 4 bottles of that, who gives a crap how old it is.

##(Comes back from kitchen with bottle of Deuchars in one hand & pint glass in’t other)##

Gary – Yep, this thread has made me thirsty too. Just fetched a Leffe Brun in from the garage.

Cheers!

"Any German beer from Aldi/Lidl brewed in accordance with the purity laws."

Apsolutly – the only lagers i’ll drink. 🙂

Quite like golden glory, duechars IPA, sneck lifter, cocker hoop!

Strangely, the bottle conditioned beers still have a best before date on, and yet they actually improve with age, like red wine etc. crazy government red tape I expect 🙄

Any German beer from Aldi/Lidl brewed in accordance with the purity laws."

Apsolutly – the only lagers i’ll drink. [:)]

Wernersgrüner is brewed just up the road from where I live and Aldi don’t sell it in Germany as it’s too up market!

Any German beer from Aldi/Lidl brewed in accordance with the purity laws.

I’ll say! I was amazed at how good that stuff, is for the price! People pay 3 times as much, for lesser beer.

On the subject of German beer, I’m a bit of a wheat beer fan. Weihenstephaner (the Kristalweissbier is amazing; hint of pear-drops about it), Franziskaner, Erdinger, Schneiderweisse, and Paulaner are brands you might find in a supermarket, and Waitrose in London often stock Meantime beers; they do a Weisse bier, and one of my absolute favourites; Raspberry wheat beer. Much nicer than it sounds, it is actually quite sharp, not too sweet, like that Fruili muck. Waitrose also do their own-branded (German brewed) wheat beer, in light and ‘Dunkel’ versions. One or two other brands, including a Corsican wheat beer, Colomba, as well as the ubiquitous Hoegaarden (the Stella of the wheat beer world), and Kronenbourg White, which is ok in small amounts. Can’t drink too many pints of that one, as I find it a bit sickly, after 2 or 3.

Mmm…. beeer…….

Gambrinus.

First tasted the soft delights of this blonde lovely on a CSA flight to Prague in ’93, from cans !!!

Even from a can with a capacity the size of a pixies tit, it was luvvvvvly.

The finish is s-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o soft.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Sorry what was the question ?

Tescos own brand finest beers are very nice. The IPA for £1.51 which tastes very similar to Deuchars IPA and Golden Ale for £1.49 which reminds me of Fullers Chiswick bitter. If you like a bottle conditioned ale the Bottle Conditioned Ale for £1.81 is well worth a try.

If you’re up in bonny jockland the Orkney brewery do some lovelly beers – dark island, northern lights, skull splitter (!!!). Bridge of Allan brewery do an organic beauty called Lomond Gold which is available by mail order or from local stores.

Outside my locality Badger brewery stuff is a personal favourite although you don’t seem to be able to get Blandford Fly round here any more (the one with added ginger to keep the bugs away). But Golden Glory and Tanglefoot are rather nice.

Black sheep beers are all good (especially the rig welter)- even better straight from the brewery & you can nip next door to Theakstons to try out the Old Peculiar.

Theakstons Old Peculiar
Bombardier
Fursty Ferret (can’t remember brewer)
Most Badger stuff is pretty good – Goldon Glory on a hot summers day – mmmmm
Hobgoblin
Marstons Pedigree
London Pride

I’m also with the Weissbier boys here: Erdinger and Weissbier Etalon are good ones from Tescos.

I am with the guys who rate bottle conditioned ales – one of the best i’ve found is the Coop own label – Freeminer/Goldminer – its really nice and good priced too.
Also like White beers from Germany – but they have to be very cold.

Did someone mention Black Isle Brewery, did they also say Red Kite, great beer from them. You can order by phone/online and have a mixed case delivered, carful with the Hibenator (bottle conditioned this).

FIRSTY FERRET – Badger Brewery

HOP – Green King

TIMOTHY TAYLORS – landlords

Buying English Ales these days – fed up of all this European stuff on the shelves of the supermarket…

Oh, almost forgot! Can’t leave without an honorable mention to Itchen Valley brewery, down near Sarfhampton. Our very own ATGNI off here, is the master brewer! Plus, he’s an incredibly handsome chap, and a Freeriding God… 🙂

Seriously, though, he is a top bloke, as several off here will testify (none less than WCA; and that’s got to be a guarantee of quality!).

Their Pure Gold is just that- Pure **** Gold. What a lovely beer that is. I was amazed.

And that’s not just cos he’s a mate. That beer is fantastic.

HTH

dick hallorann

Just found these guys just befor xmas – very nice beer

first time trying to link on the nwe side so buckle up & good luck everbody