Potholer

This one was also enjoyed at the Lansdown. A potholer is a cave explorer! This one, from Cheddar Ales, did not taste cheesy at all. It was good, but not especially memorable.

Bath Barnstormer

Here is another delicious concoction from our friends at Bath Ales. (And another lame cel phone pic collaged with a grab from the website.) This one was a dark bitter. It was probably a touch too strong for my tastes, but it still had the smooth, juicy consistency of a genuine Real Ale. I had this one at the Lansdown Public House in Clifton. It is a very cozy pub with a nice fireplace. There is more sampling to do at this place! Well Done.

The Best, Literally

My cel phone pic was shitte (apparently, as my phone's pic storage fills up, it takes smaller and smaller pics without giving any kind of warning: here is my marvelous 12k shot), so I've included a grab from the Courage website. This from our friends who also gave us the previously blogged-about Director's Ale. I had this whilst attending my first Sunday roast in England, at a great little place called the Angel Pub. The SONY gang was there: DougIke and Cocoa, Satch, TBrandt, Orecklin, as well Shellaine and the twins and my in-laws. A great time was had by all; the beer and the roast were top-notch. I only had a half pint because I was driving the gang around, but I will definitely revisit this one when I can have a full pint. Very nice.

Summer of My Discontent

Another less than impressive offering from Badger, this Summer Ale invites the drinker to "sip into Summer". It was pretty bland and not very memorable. With so many varieties produced, it seems that quality has definitely slipped away from the Badger folks. I'm pretty sure this is the last Badger I'll try.

Beer With Appeal

I immediately thought of my friend and beer expert Jeff Dillinger when I saw this one. He's always up for any beer drinking challenge, and this one looked like it would indeed be a challenge to get through. It's not a flavor of beer I would feel compelled to try, but in the interests of complete investigating, I gave it a go. For Jeff. Also, this one is made by our friends at Wells who brew the luscious Bombardier, so I had to approach it with some measure of respect. The analysis: the banana bread flavor was not overwhelming, but it definitely had a presence. It was acceptable as a novelty beer (kinda like the honey beers), but there's no way it could ever be a go-to favorite. I just can't see anyone going down to their local and having 3 or 4 of these. Not a session beer.

Another From Greene King

This self-proclaimed "beer to dine for" was probably the best I've had from Greene King so far. I'm finding that English beers in general just aren't as hoppy as American beers. I really miss that skunky pine tree smell/taste that so many IPAs from back home have. This Hop came pretty close, however.

Canned Redemption

This was the best canned beer experience I've had here so far. Although there was no widget involved, this one behaved just like a draughtflow beer (have they found a way to do it now without needing a widget?). It was really tasty with a thick, firm head. This has renewed my interest in the can, as I have seen other canned beers consistently displayed in the same area as Caffrey's, and it has me wondering if they may be similarly creamy. A great beer.