The Abbot Habit

This is another one I had some familiarity with, courtesy of the draughtflow can. Again, I wanted to see if it was any different (better) in the UK. It's the same hearty, bitter ale I remember. Good, but too bitter for a session beer (a term my friend Jeff Dillinger introduced me to, as in, a beer you can sit down and have a few of). Something tells me my take on these beers may be a bit different if I were to have them on tap in a pub, which I shall attempt to do as soon as possible.

Brews of a feather . . .

I've had this one four times at home (in draughtflow cans or on tap -- it's actually on tap at Rush Street), and I wanted to see if it was any different in the UK. Answer: no, no extra bells or whistles, but still a pretty good ale. A very deep, rich taste, with a bitter caramel finish. To the SONY folks: walk down the street and have one for lunch.

Wherever you go, take Pride

This is one I've had a few times before, but I wanted to touch base with something familiar and recalibrate my tastebuds. This one is a consistent winner, and it did not let me down. It's a very tasty ale. I just like the name, too.

Feisty

Whenever I go to the market, I am faced with literally dozens of beers with clever names and colorful labels. It will take a full three months to go through them all. This little bottle jumped out at me on my third day in England, and it was probably the best thing I've had so far. It's considered Kentish Ale -- not sure what makes it that (brewed in Kent perhaps? but what makes their style distinct?), but it was a good ale. There's actually a legend on the back of the label which describes exactly what the drinker should see, smell, and taste when enjoying Spitfire (honey, nuts, oak -- seems more like a wine, really). I will probably have to revisit this gem as well, as I'm still in no place to accurately report my observations . . . just . . . too . . . tired.

I've seen Budweiser on the shelves, and I've also seen ads for Coors light. My hope is that these breweries actually make great beer, but they save it all for export, and they sell the pisswater to us at home. I'm sure I'll have to try these to see exactly what kind of an impression we're trying to make in Britain, but not until I've had everything else.

Meet the Ruddles

So I'm not sure what to say about this. I had this about a week ago (yes, I'm behind on my blogging, especially because our internet connection at the flat is the equivalent of dial-up, and everything is painfully slow), and I was very jetlagged the first week as I blew through a lot of new beers. I chose Ruddles because they used to have very colorful cans back in the 1970s & 80s (I have a beer can collection that is roughly 1300 strong, which includes a few Ruddles cans that are very beautiful), and I was anxious to see if the contents were as good as the label. I know this beer wasn't awful, but I don't recall it knocking my socks off, either. I guess that it didn't make much of an impression is the most accurate thing I can say about it. A lot better than most American beers, I'm sure -- although I am starting to miss some of those California micro-brews. I promise I will try this one again later and offer a better review.

A note to the observant: yes, we brought J.D.'s hot sauce with us.

Rough Draught

I went to a pub for lunch with some of my coworkers on my first day at Aardman, and I had a pint of Guinness, much like the one shown here (although it is not a photo of the pint I had, as I was groggy from the jetlag and forgot to take a picture). There appeared to be 2 types of Guinnes on tap: regular and "extra cold". Well, my good friend Dennis Bredow and I opted for the regular Guinness (don't worry, I have "extra cold" in my cross-hairs, and I will be trying it soon). I had heard many tales of how the Guinness is much better in England (and even better in Ireland), but I have to say that to me, this tasted about the same as Guinness at home -- from the tap or even from the draughtflow can. It was good, but just not noticeably different. It was a lot better than the bangers and mash we had to go with it, however.

The first sip

This is the first beer I tried. Bought it in a small [slightly less than super] market called Tesco. The name seemed very British, and so I thought it was a good place to start. Also, it had the draughtflow widget clanking around inside, so I figured I couldn't go wrong. The verdict: decent, but nothing to write home about (even though that's exactly what I'm doing). I wouldn't get this one again unless there was nothing else new to try. Simply average. As you can see from the instructions on the can, not all British beers are served warm. Sweet!

Let the sampling begin!

I arrived in Bristol on Tuesday, September 22, and I wasted no time sampling the indigenous suds. I will keep a record of every beer I try while here in Europe (to the extent possible), along with any impressions/insights that are relevant or amusing.