A pint of: Black sheep brewery - Black sheep ale

Black sheep brewery must be one of a small number of independent breweries that produce a large amount of product. There are of course a great many micro breweries but slowly everyone seems to be getting bought up, usually by Marston's. 

This is a lovely bitter and unpretentious. There is no story of on the back of the bottle just information telling you to serve the beer at 13c. It's right that beer shouldn't be cold cold nor to hot but putting a temperature on the bottle seems a bit nit picky. Not least because how many people are going to stick a thermometer in it before drinking?

Still this is one of my favourite beers and I enjoy it every time. It's also worth checking out the website. It has some interesting info about the brewery and beers on it. One thing I particularly like that you don't see often enough is a list of  places you can buy the beer, which is just about every major supermarket and wine merchant.

The beer has won a string of awards over the years and is worthy of a 10/10 from me. There really isn't anything I can say against it. My bottle was from Sainsburys and cost £2.05.

A pint of: Marston's Old Empire.

This is old empire an Indian pale ale. This is a pale amber coloured beer. Very bitter, possibly a little to much so for my taste. It's also pretty strong at 5.7% abv but it would be an IPA if it wasn't strong. After all in theory it should be able to survive the merry voyage by sailing ship from England to India. Which according the back of the bottle took 3 months. Marston's are claiming a piece of heritage with this beer. Stating that in the 19th century the Burton brewery where this comes from produced the best beer for export. 

I like an IPA particularly on a hot day I think it's a refreshing beer although I found this one left a dry feeling in my mouth after the pint, which made me feel more thirsty.  My only other criticism is the clear glass bottle. Although it shows off the beer's lovely colour on the supermarket shelf it also makes it more likely that the beer will spoil.

This bottle was from Sainsburys and cost £1.99. I give it 4/10.

A glass of Mondelli Pinot Grigio for the lady

As warned, here follows the second taster of this popular grape.

Mondelli certainly knows its Grigios. This is a lovely bottle; light, refreshing but still a distinct and flavourful glass. While my palette may struggle to distinguish the pear drops and elderflower the label assures me are present, I can confirm that the fruity, citrus-y taste makes for a thoroughly enjoyable drink.

The husband bought this for £4.99 (another of Saibsburys' impressive offers: this was £9.99 originally), and I think it's a bargain. The elegant label design would grace any dinner party, certainly making guests think you'd spent far more than the till price! The delicately balanced flavour compliments any white-wine loving food, though a cream-based dish could, possibly, be a little overpowering.

Beyond that, I have little to say. If you like a good PG, then this is a reliable use of your money. Now, I must return to my own glass...

A pint of: Wood's - Shropshire lad

A nice dark amber colour Shropshire lad is bitter though not overly so. I can't taste it but the bottle suggests flavours of toffee, fruits & pear drops.

The beer isn't very fizzy, naturally flatter than others. Which I prefer, I hate getting that bloated gassy feeling.

The beer was originally brewed to mark the centenary of the publication of A.E. Houseman's collection of poems.

On a point about the bottle it amuses me that it states to be "serve cool, not cold." I also appreciate the label listing the beers look, smell & taste characteristics. I wish more beers had this on I find it helps in selection of a beer. Particularly when it's not one I've drunk before.

I found this in Sainsburys. It comes in a 500ml bottle and is quite strong at 5% abv. I give this beer a 9/10 I'd like another.

A pint of: Fraoch; heather ale

This wonderful beer from Morrisons is probably the only beer that can claim to have been brewed since 2000bc.

To quote the bottle "heather ale has been brewed in Scotland for four thousand years and is the oldest style of ale still made in the world" I think that's pretty cool and reason alone to give it a go.

The recipe for this beer is from the 16th century. Heather flowers are infused with the hot ale before then being fermented.

I find sometimes that beers infused with another ingredient can be overpowered. Fraoch however still hits those beer flavours. The beer is quite bitter, sharp then with the floral taste from the heather. The bottle describes the heather flavour as floral & spicy herbal. I found it tasted a bit banana like. I enjoyed this beer although I don't think I would like more than a couple.

The beer is 5% abv and is in a 500ml bottle. I rate it a 7/10.

A glass of Piccini Chianti Riserva (2008) for the lady

As a special pay-day treat (to go with the regular pay-day steak) I picked up a bottle of Piccini Chianti from Sainsburys. The bottle caught my eye as it's currently on offer at £4.99 down from £11.99.

Headline response? I'd be cheesed off of I'd spent £12 on this bottle. It's rather tannin-heavy, comprehensively staining all it encounters. It went well with the steak and is generally pleasant, but oddly lacking in flavour. The dark red wine hits the back of your throat, but it is much more sensation that taste. On the other hand, possibly it's our fault; the label tells you it's 'best served at 18c'. Being somewhat unwilling to stick a thermometer in my glass I had to take my best guess (finally giving it half an hour in the fridge before setting the table).

However, it's a very drinkable bottle for a shared mid-week indulgence at this price, and was a welcome treat tonight. I would just recommend keeping an eye out for this on offer and save the plus-£10 price tag for a different bottle.

A glass of Barefoot Pinot Grigio for the lady

This is a favourite grape variety of mine, so be prepared for plenty of Pinot Grigios to appear here.

This particular bottle is apparently the recipient of a '2009 hot brand award'. A Californian offering, it is perfectly inoffensive but hardly ground breaking. One cannot help but suspect that this award was gained mostly on the strength of an eminently quaffable but unmemorable taste- a standard example of a highly popular wine. Slight citrus aromas fail to fully materialise on the palette, and a glass is drunk hardly without noticing if distracted by something entertaining on the TV.

Barefoot went very nicely with my risotto, and the Friday night comedy that followed. I'd recommended it if on offer, but the £6 price tag is, I think, a little steep for such an easily forgotten wine.

Final verdict? Maybe 7/10 on a good day; probably good for company as I imagine no-one would raise objections to a glass or two.

A pint of: Ginger Beard

Ginger beard is a ginger beer from the Wychwood Brewery. Clocking in at 4.2% abv if its in the 500ml bottle & slightly weaker at 4 % if you find it on tap. On the Wychwood website this beer is listed as a permanent and seasonal. It is my understanding that it can be found bottled all year around but only in cask through July.

I love its darkish amber colour and the smell of ginger is lovely. In taste I reminds me of ginger bread more than anything else, there is a baked quality to the ginger that other ginger beer alcoholic & otherwise don't have.
One of the things that appeals to me so much about this beer is its beer taste. Other ginger beers I've had I've felt are a bit alcopoppy. They taste like the non alcoholic fizzy stuff only you fall over after a few to many.
Ginger beard on the other hand still has those beer notes, it truly is a beer infused with ginger. Which I prefer.

Taste wise it's gingery followed by a warm ginger after taste and those hoppy beer notes. Its not to fiery and is very sweet. There is a slight fiz to it but it is in no way fizzy.

It can be bought from a range of places online at direct from Wychwood as well as other online retailers. My local Sainsburys doesn't stock it but my nearest Morrisons does. In general I find Morrisons very good for a large range of real ale, wines & spirits no matter what store you wonder into.

I give this beer 9/10 if your looking for an alcoholic ginger beer this is the one to drink.