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England
 scrapes in  decent  good  excellent  sublime
Adnams, SSB Suffolk Strong Bitter 
At 4.5%, SSB its not that strong. It has a very nice medium ruby colour with a white head. Though the nose is immediately hoppy and clean, some malty, dark-roasted espresso emerges, as
well as some spicy fruit-compote notes. On the palate it is quite crisp, and has a tangy dry hop character along with some clean red fruits. Like the nose, the malt fills in later, adding a richly toasty note to the nicely bitter finish.
I thought this was a lovely beer, and it deserves to sneak 4 stars. 50cl. 4.5%ABV. �1.79 Waitrose.
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Badger Brewery, Blandford Fly Premium Ale
This dark gold/bronze ale has a white, thin head. The nose is distinctly spicy, with ginger and cinammon notes dominant, and a sweet hint of flowers. On the palate there is a noticeable sweetness, that softens all the hop and
malt edges. Some bitterness does creep through to engage the palate on the finish, but this is a distinctively sweet and spicy beer that will split the jury into lovers and haters I suspect. 50cl.
5.2%ABV. �1.82 Waitrose.
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Badger Brewery, Tanglefoot Summer Ale
Pours a lovely burnished gold colour, with a medium-density off-white head. The nose is somehow summery, with a distant echo of nettle beer, as well as lots of tangy citrus and a little note of toffee. On the palate
it is medium-bodied but creamy smooth, with a seamless, delicious palate that balances a hint of sweetness against grassy herbal and resinous hop flavours. This beer is elegant and beautifully balanced, and
though not flashy, really grows on you with every sip. Quite subtle, but terrific stuff. 50cl. 5.0%ABV. �1.72 Waitrose, widely available.
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Batemans, Combined Harvest Multigrain
For me this is one of the stars of the range I've tasted from Bateman's. As well as barley, this beer is brewed from wheat, rye and oats, and perhaps that adds to its fine complexity. The colour is a deep, glowing
bronze/gold, with a tight, white head. There's a lot of toast and a spectrum of malted, puffed wheat grainy aromas on the nose. On the palate it is smooth and full with an immediate sensation of
extreme sweetness, that is quickly overtaken by a dry, hoppy acidity and slightly bitter, burnt flavour that adds lots of contrast. It is quite a dense, chewy mouthful of beer, with a crisp fruity acidity in the long finish.
I thought this was lovely, and almost worth that extra half star. 50cl. 4.7%ABV. �1.19 Aldi. 
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Batemans, Summer Swallow
Nice, deep golden/amber colour. Head quite short-lived. Quite soft, hoppy nose with a touch of burnt toast. Really very nice as it strikes the palate; quite broad and creamy, with a dry, nettle and hop bitterness
and undertow of hedgerow fruit. Stays quite fat in the mouth through to a long finish, with hints of caramel sweetness. Light enough to be a good session beer, but some good personality too at a very fair price. 50cl.
4.2%ABV. �1.19 Aldi.
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Batemans, XXXB Classic Bitter
This beer from Batemans has won numerous awards for its cask version, and I have to say I really enjoyed it from bottle too. It has quite a deep bronze colour and tight, off-white head. On the nose it is quite malty and toasty, with a
honeyed sense of limpid richness, and soft, elegant fruit. On the palate it is smooth and full, with a nice interplay between grassy hops and a lemony crispness, and plenty of malty, smooth and svelte character kicking in. It is long
and flavourful, with a dry finish. A really nice beer, and worth four stars at Aldi's low price. 50cl. 4.8%ABV. �1.19 Aldi.
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Black Sheep Brewery, Black Sheep Ale
This quite dark golden brown beer has a creamy white head and is brewed in restored antique brewing vessels in Yorkshire. There's a suggestion of sweetness on the nose, and then a ground spice and toasty aroma with good hoppiness.
On the palate the main focus is bitter, resinous hops, with a creamy texture and a softening pillow of smooth malt flavours beneath. This beer has good length and stays quite lively and crisp. 50cl. 4.4%ABV. �1.59 Waitrose
and widely available.
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Darwin Brewery, Rolling Hitch
(RP) Darwin's interpretation of a 19th-century India Pale Ale is brewed with pale malt only and uses Amarillo hops from the United State. The beer, named after a traditional shipping knot, has a superb aroma of hop resins,
tart fruit and biscuity malt, with tangy citrus fruit and bitter hops in the mouth, and a long, dry, bitter and fruity finish. It's one of the finest interpretations of an IPA I have tasted for some time.
50cl. 5.2%ABV. �1.68 Asda.
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Duchy Originals, Organic Ale
Made for the Price of Wales' Duchy Originals brand by Wychwood brewery, this has a deep amber-coloured ale with a thick, creamy off-white head. On the nose it is very tangy with grassy hops and nettly qualities, and a nice
suggestion of background toasted oats and malt. On the palate it is a thick-textured, luxuriously creamy beer, with very forward bittersweet hop flavours and a certain biscuity richness. This beer has lots of bitterness and
toast into the long, well-balanced finish, and is a very tasty beer indeed. 50cl. 4.5%ABV. �1.79, Waitrose and widely available.
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Fuller's, 1845 Bottle-Conditioned Ale
Beautifully dark ruby-tinged colour, with a deep, thick, cream-coloured head. Quite aromatic, with very fresh, almost iodine nuances and hoppy notes. Otherwise the nose is rich, with baked dough and fruit-cakey notes. On the palate
it is initially sweet, with a lot of grassy hoppiness. There are malty notes, and some chocolate and caramel, but then a biting, almost aggressive endive/chicory-like bitterness takes a grip of the finish. This multi-award-winning beer is
very complex and arresting, and though I find that finish a little troublesome personally, it is a world-class beer. 50cl. 6.3%ABV. �1.99 Waitrose and widely available. 
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Fuller's, ESB Champion Ale
This recently re-packaged beer pours a deep bronze colour with a definite ruby at the core, and a thick, creamy head. The nose is all bitter hops, chicory and burnt, toasty malt with a lovely smokiness and
hints of sourdough bread. On the palate it is full and smooth, with a wonderfully rich concentration of malty flavours, where a fleeting impression of sweetness is soon overtaken by oily, roasted,
hoppy bitterness and a streak of grapefruity, pithy acidity. A wonderful bottled beer. 50cl. 5.9%ABV. �1.85 Waitrose, widely available.
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Fuller's, Honey Dew Organic
Traget hops and organic honey are in the recipe of this pale- to medium-golden beer, with a white, gentle persistent head. On the palate there are notes of oatmeal and brown bread, with, yes, a hint of honey and some nettly hops.
On the palate it has a rich, roasted malty flavour at first, with a fresh, juicy fruit palate and good hop bite. The caramel of the malt and freshness of the beer show strongly into the finish, and the honey is very
much a bit-part player in a nice beer. 50cl. 5.0%ABV. �1.82 Waitrose and widely available.
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Fuller's, London Pride Premium Ale
This ale pours with a glorious barley-sugar colour and thick cream-coloured head. The nose is fairly muted at first, with soft summer fruit notes emerging and a nice herbal, nettly hop character. On the palate this has a nice mouth-filling texture and
a great tension between sweet-edged fruit and malt and quite crisp and punchy hops. The finish is dry with plenty of spice and a hint of chocolate, in an eminently drinkable beer. 50cl. 4.7%ABV. �1.75 Waitrose, widely available.
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Green King Brewery, Abbot Ale
This ale pours a rich, nutty, burnished gold colour with a tight, off-white head. The nose displays a nice balance of grassy hops and hints of spices and chocolaty malt. On the palate it is very smooth and quite clean, with a lovely fresh edge
of fruitiness and crisp hops over toasty, deep, walnutty malt. There's a really nice bite of hoppy acidity that livens the finish and gives this very good length. 50cl. 5.0%ABV. �180 Waitrose, Majestic.
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Hook Norton, Old Hooky Premium Ale
This beer pours a lovely medium ruby colour with a rather short-lived head. It has a very distinctive, spicy nose with hints of clove and cinnamon and a lovely cherry fruit character. On the palate this creamy-textured beer
has an immediate sweetness that is rounded and fruity, with a nicely-judged crystal malt character and a fine twist of hoppy bitterness. It stays quite sweet in the mouth, making it easy to drink, but a very
nicely balanced beer. 50cl. 4.6%ABV. �1.75 Sainsbury's, Tesco, quite widely available.
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Hop Back Brewery, Summer Lightning
This bottle-conditioned beer has a light gold colour with a hint of amber, and a white head that leaves a pronounced lacing on the glass. The nose is very fresh and floral, with a nice grassy herbal quality. On the palate
it is dense and creamy, with a raft of bitter hoppy flavours that are resinous and waxy sweeping over the tongue. There is lemon and a grapefruit pith element, and just a background hint of sweet malt adding a layer to
these very grown-up flavours. Lovely stuff. 50cl. 5.0%ABV. �1.59 Waitrose.
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Jennings, Sneck Lifter Strong Bitter
Sneck is a dialect word for a door latch, and the sneck in question in this beer's name is that on the door to the pub. This bitter pours a very deep amber/brown colour, with a capuccino-coloured head that is thick and persistent.
The nose strikes a really nice balance between warming malt notes and crisp, apple fruit, with just a gentle hoppy influence. On the palate this beer really comes into its own, with a great depth of chocolaty malt and a sweet caramel edge to
citrus fruit. There's a nice bitter, leafy hop finish, playing against the sweet malt in a lovely beer that may lack a little complexity, but is utterly delicious. 50cl. 5.1%ABV. �1.83 Safeway/Morrisons.
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Manns, Brown Ale
This beer is brewed by Ushers brewing, not the original Manns of Whitechapel, London. The small bottle has a nicely old fashioned feel to it, and the beer pours a deep, dark garnet to nut brown colour with a white head.
On the nose it is creamy and biscuity, with a suggestion of malty sweetness but quite a bright, fruity character. On the palate it is medium-bodied and quite fresh. There's a crispness about this beer, that despite
a sweet-edge to the flavour, adds a clean, tangy finish with only moderate malt notes. A bit light, but very easy to drink with surprisingly complex character, and enjoyable.
27.5cl. 2.8%ABV. £0.99 Asda, Booths, Co-op, Tesco, Sainsbury's.
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Marston's, Double Drop
From a pack of 4 assorted beers described as "Head Brewer's Choice", this beer is made by "dropping" the beer from one vessel into another after around 24-hours
of the fermentation, which allows only the most vigorous yeasts to survive. It has a deep golden colour with a hint of red, and a thick, persistent head. On the nose there's a distinctly smoky, burnt-toast malty note,
and quite a lot of grassy hops. Served not too cold, it has quite a soft palate, with low-key fruit and more emphasis on bitter hops and a buttery, doughy character. The finish is very clean in this enjoyable, toasty beer. 50cl. 5.0%ABV.
�13.44 for 12 Majestic.
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Marston's, Late-hopped
Late-hopping involves adding bunches of hops late in the brewing process, which is meant to increase the hoppy aromatics, and bitter hop oiliness of the beer as these components are not "boiled out". This
medium gold, amber-tinged beer has a persistent head,
and a quite subdued nose, with creamy notes and a floral-edged hoppiness. On the palate it is very dry, with quite a full body and smooth texture, and a raft of bitter flavours. The finish is a little short, and a touch metallic.
50cl. 5.0%ABV. �13.44 for 12 Majestic.
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Marston's, Pedigree
This is quite a dark, golden/amber beer with a cream coloured head that is quite thick. Pedigree is brewed in wood, spending time in oak casks. There's nothing obviously oaky about the nose, which has some soft malty notes,
just a hint of marzipan and a touch of rice pudding. On the palate it is creamy and quite full-textured, with a luxurious mouthfeel and very silky flavour profile with no real hop bitterness or particularly distinguishing fruit character. There's a malty,
buttered brown bread sweetness, in an unremarkable but very pleasant beer. 50cl. 4.5%ABV. �13.44 for 12 Majestic.
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Marston's, Single Malt
Another from the "Head Brewer's Choice" mixed pack from Majestic, this beer has a very attractive glowing gold colour and a full, but quickly dissipating head. Made from 100% Golden Promise barley, apparently a popular grain for Scotch whisky,
the nose is very nettly and summery, with quite a soft, malted brown bread and toast character. On the palate it is quite smooth and creamy-textured, with a soft, easy-drinking style. No great complexity, but decent quaffing.
50cl. 4.2%ABV. �13.44 for 12 Majestic.
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Morland, Old Speckled Hen
This is immediately attractive as it is poured with its dark, amber-tinged hue and thick, cream-coloured head.
There's a distintive biscuity quality on the nose, and quite complex set of spice, fruit and hop aromas. On the palate the beer is surprisingly light in some respects, though there is plenty of flavour, with more of that shortbread and malty richness and
a nice bitter finish. 50cl. 5.2%ABV. �1.82 Waitrose.
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Museum Brewery, Thorntons Chocolate Beer (England)
This beer is brewed for Thorntons in the Museum Brewery of Coors in Burton-on-Trent, home of White Shield IPA. It is very interesting stuff and very grown up, with 8.0% Alcohol and a very dark and bitter flavour profile.
The colour is a very dark, opaque ruby/black with a cappuccino-coloured head. The nose is unmistakably chocolaty, with deep vanilla pod aromas and a hint of sourness. On the palate it is thick, dense and chewy, and a
fleeting glimpse of sweet, milky chocolate is quickly overtaken by fantastically bitter, cocoa powder and licquoricy depths, with a tang of hops and a malty richness. The flavour really lingers in the uncompromisingly dry finish.
8.0% ABV, 27.5cl, �3.00 Thorntons Online
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Museum Brewery, Worthington White Shield IPA
Now brewed in the marvelous Museum Brewery on the original Bass plant in Burton on Trent, which is now owned by Coors. This beer has "come home", as Brewer Steve Wellington, who made this beer for Bass in the 1960s,
has come out of retirement to make it again. It has a dark gold colour with a hint of amber and just off-white head. The nose is filled with honeyed notes, with hints of caramelly crystal malt and a grassy quality along with a hint of citrus. On the palate this delicious beer has a slightly iodine,
salty note and a dry palate of sour and bitter hop flavours dominating a background of toasty, quite chewy toffee character. there's a really nice hoppy bite in the finish of this beautifully balanced beer, which has very good
length too. 50cl. 5.6%ABV. �1.85 Livingbeer.com, Booths, Unwins, Safeway, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Co-Op.
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RCH Brewery, Double Header (England)
This bottle-conditioned ale has a bright gold colour with a foamy, cream-coloured head. Bright, resinous clove and spicy hop nose. There are green, herbal undertones too. On the palate there is plenty of zing and grip, with a smooth, full texture, but a cutting edge of hoppy bitter flavours. A refined, background maltiness emerges and this has very good fruit too. All in all, a very nice beer indeed. 5.3% ABV, 50cl, �1.37, Asda.  |  |
Ruddles, County
County is a deep, amber-coloured ale from Ruddles Brewing (actually part of the Greene-King group) with a creamy-coloured head. It has a very pleasant, hoppy nose, with quite an estery character backed up by a nutty, malty weight. On the palate
it has a broad, grainy nettle and herbal quality, with quite a full-bodied richness. There's a real bitter-edge to this beer, said by Ruddles to come from the Bramling Cross hops. This is a really good for a big production
ale. 50cl. 4.7%ABV. �1.25 Majestic, Sainsbury.
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Shepherd Neame, Bishop's Finger
Kent Brewery Shepherd Neame has a history they have traced for over 300 years. Bishop's finger (named after a Kenntish signpost) has a lovely nut-brown colour
and cream-coloured head that is quite persistent. It has a huge, fruit-compote nose of stewed figs, prune and a really peppery, spicy note. On the palate it has an immensley rich mocha-coffee flavour; a big raft of chocolate and espresso
with dark, toasty malt and a firm core of hoppy bitterness that punches through finish. Quite delcious and distinctive stuff. 50cl. 5.4%ABV. �1.75 Waitrose.
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Shipstone's, Traditional Bitter
Shipstone's is a traditional brewing name, but this is an Aldi brand, with no declaration of who makes it, or where it is produced. It pours a nice nutty brown/ruby colour with a thick, but qucikly disappating white head. The nose has a little
vegetal aroma, with some hoppy character and a dry, malted note. On the palate it is quite creamy, with a slightly metallic flavour (or is that just my prejudice against cans?) and a palatable if unexciting hoppy base with really
quite good oily hop bitterness in the finish. This is actually a decent session beer, though it doesn't set the heather on fire. 44cl. 4.0%ABV. �1. Aldi. 
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Tetley's, Imperial Premium Bottled Ale
A famous Yorkshire brewing name, now made by Carlsberg. This pours a deep amber colour, with a tight, cream-coloured head. On the nose it has a pleasantly hoppy,
sweet malt-edged aroma. On the palate the malt is the dominant character, and the beer is smooth and easy to drink, if a touch underpowered. There is a nice hoppy bitterness and a touch of smoky grain in the
finish. A very decent drink without setting the heather on fire. 50cl. 4.3%ABV.
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Theakston, Old Peculier
Old Peculier is one of the best known traditonal-style ales available in the UK. It has a very dark, ruby-tinged colour and cream-coloured head. On the nose it is dramatically dark and chocolaty,
with notes of raisins and dark figgy pudding. On the palate it is quite full and creamy, and it has a nice sharpness of hoppy, bitter edges, to otherwise mellow, gently spicy flavours of Dundee-cake and dark fruits. Lovely stuff,
with good complexity and a nicely tangy finish. 50cl. 5.7%ABV. �1.62, Tesco, Waitrose.
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Timothy Taylor, Landlord Strong Pale Ale
Beer-loving friends had told me this was not a patch on the much loved cask version, but when I saw it in Sainsbury's I thought it must be worth a try. It pours a deep golden colour with a bright ruby sheen and thick, creamy,
pillowy head. Aromas are very fresh and hoppy, with plenty of crisp herbal notes and citrus fruit. There's a hint of something sweet, but no discernable malt character. On the palate it has a rich, mouth-coating texture
and an immediately bitter spectrum of flavours with a suggestion of spinach and leafy greens, minerals, and dry, hoppy flavours. There's a little biscuity note of malt in the finish, but this is uncompromisingly dry.
Very good indeed, if a touch too unwavering in the finish for me. 50cl. 4.1%ABV. �1.72, Sainsbury's, Waitrose.
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Titanic Brewery, Titanic Stout
RP: The stout is jet black in colour but with the ruby edge that is typical of the style: hold the beer up to a sharp light and there is a transluscent hint of ruby down the side of the glass. The beer throws a dense, barley-white
head of foam. The aroma is big and deep, with an espresso coffee and bitter chocolate note, underscored by biscuity malt and tart hops. Liquorice comes through on the palate, while the biscuity malt builds on the tongue. The finish is long, with intense notes of coffee, chocolate and burnt cake from the malts and a lingering hop bitterness.
The beer is bottle conditioned with yeast and will improve with age. 50cl. 4.5%ABV. �1.62, selected Sainsbury's.
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Waitrose UK, The Green Man Organic Ale (England)
This brewed for Waitrose from organic hops and malt, though the brewer is unknown. Bartram's makes an organic Ale called "Green Man", so could this be made by them? It pours a hazy pale gold, with a thinnish white head. The nose is buscuity and only moderately hoppy, with a faint sulphury note that seems to blow off, and a bit of grassy character. On the palate it is medium-bodied and a little bit gassy, with decent malt and bitter hops. 4.6% ABV, 50cl, �1.55, Waitrose.  |  |
Wells Brewery, Bombardier English Premium Bitter
The odd bottle size is because this is a pint, or "Full English Pint" as it rather bombastically claims on the neck collar. Charles Wells has brewed a fine auburn/chestnut-coloured beer with an off-white head.
On the nose there is a melange of toasty malt and crisp red fruit, that is quite plummy. On the palate there's an initial hint of sweetness and a thick, cushioning texture, that is
soon overtaken by a raft of bitter, oily hop flavours. The toastiness builds again into the finish, but that tension against grippy hopiness remains. 56.8cl. 5.2%ABV. �1.69 Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Asda, Safeway.
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William Worthington, White Shield IPA
Now brewed in the marvelous Museum Brewery on the original Bass plant in Burton on Trent, which is now owned by Coors. This beer has "come home", as Brewer Steve Wellington, who made this beer for Bass in the 1960s,
has come out of retirement to make it again. It has a dark gold colour with a hint of amber and just off-white head. The nose is filled with honeyed notes, with hints of caramelly crystal malt and a grassy quality along with a hint of citrus. On the palate this delicious beer has a slightly iodine,
salty note and a dry palate of sour and bitter hop flavours dominating a background of toasty, quite chewy toffee character. there's a really nice hoppy bite in the finish of this beautifully balanced beer, which has very good
length too. 50cl. 5.6%ABV. �1.85 Livingbeer.com, Booths, Unwins, Safeway, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Co-Op.
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Wychwood Brewery, Circle Master Organic Ale
Wychwood make the organic ale for the Duchy Originals label, and there are similarities in the two beers. This has a lighter, medium yellow-gold colour and a nose that is
pungently hoppy with a distinctive burnt edge: like summer grass that has been on fire. Beneath the herbal aromas are a raft of dark, toasty malt notes. On the palate this
creamy-textured beer is crisp and lively, with masses of bitter hops and a fruity, tangy character before the softening malt gains a foothold. The finish is very sweet however, and though this is quite complex, I'd have prefered
that initial hoppiness to really stay the course. 50cl. 4.7%ABV. �1.69 Waitrose.
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Wychwood Brewery, Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale
This is a dark, amber-tinged dark beer with a creamy-coloured head that is quite persistent. There's an immediate hoppy aromas of cut grass, nettles and leafy hedgerow, with just a hint of something darker beneath. On the palate this is quite full and
creamy, with a dark chocolate edge to mollasses and dark, bittersweet, plummy fruit. That sweetness persists, but there are hints of hazelnut and bitters in this quite
complex beer that finishes dry and long. 50cl. 5.2%ABV. �1.69 Waitrose.
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Young & Co, Champion Live Golden Bitter
This beer has a pale golden colour and moderately creamy white head. The nose is quite dry and quite fruity, with a nice sour hoppiness and a touch of nettle. On the palate it is really creamy and full-textured, with a rolling, very dry
sweep of bitter hop and citrus flavour. A lovely, smooth and refreshing style of beer with a long finish, though I didn't find it particularly complex. Tesco. 50cl. 5.0%ABV.
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Young's, St. George's
This beer is sold around St George's day on draught, but is available in bottle year-round. It has a deep bronze colour and quickly-dissipating off-white head. On the nose it is malty and toasty, with some caramel and an underlying fruitiness. On the palate there's a nice leafy, hop bitterness that gives an edge to sweet, dark, toasty malt. Good balance leaves this lovely beer quite crisp and easy to drink. 5.0% ABV, 50cl, �1.65, Sainsbury's.
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