Shropshire Lad (Wood's)

Wood's is a fine brewery located amongst the scenic hills of Shropshire.

"Lad' is their top seller, and it's a quintessential example of an English bitter, brewed with English Malts, laced with Fuggles and Goldings hops.

It pours a deep bronze with a whiff of flowers, pear and berries on the air and a thin but persistent head loiters around like a crow on a telegraph pole.

It's 5%ABV, and comes across as a textbook stiffer session brown. A rich toffee start to the sup is cajoled by the classical hop mix, swaying and rolling in perfect balance towards the gently bittered finish.

The carbonation is superbly pitched, and the aroma through the taste is a sort of twin hop cuddle which welcomes you to the glass each time.

8/10 - One can easily see why this is their best seller. Enduring quality English bitter.

- The Broadside

Guardsman (Windsor & Eton) 4.2%Abv

Cracks open with perfect carbonation, a beautiful foamy head. A wondrous aroma of oak mingled with toffee sweetness.

The initial malt is beautifully distinctive, fresh and creamy, Maris Otter at it's best. Blended with this is the lovely oaky flavours, perfectly matched to the malt, avoiding some of the Inns and Gunn bold desert sweetness. The finish is rather tangy, pronounced bittering but rather unique, dodging the fruit and zest cliches.

8/10 A delicious oaky and unique best bitter. The best oaked beer I've had to date.

Ducks Folly (Goddard's)

Smells of toffee and fruity notes, instantly capturing the imagination as something a bit different.

Initial malt is followed by a wealth of flavours, all of which i struggle to pin down! Sweet but bitter malt, fruity notes, dates and raisins just some of those that made it to the note pad. The ABV is less well hidden with an alcoholic edge going toe to toe with the limited final bitterness.

6/10 An enigma of a beer, the hallmarks of a best bitter, but strong and full of fruity notes.

You can buy beer from the Isle of Wight here

Best Bitter Organic (St Peter)

Smells sweet and grassy, almost hints of honey. For a Best Bitter it pours amazingly golden.

Light malt is followed by gentle caramel. The finish is a light bittering with a lovely lingering taste.

7/10 A surprising little beer, light, but well balanced, very drinkable!

The Bitter (Adnams) Alc 4.5%

Pours with a beautiful toffee colour head, smells of hops and grassy aromas.

First taste is one of gentle dry bitter hops, quickly followed by a smooth sweet malt, finishing with a dry bitter finish.

A cracking session bitter.

7/10 A fine example of an English Bitter, malty and dry. Very drinkable.

Kindly provided by Adnams, buy a selection of their beers here.

New Belgium Beer Selection - USA

Picked up this New Belgium selection box at the local Mini Mart in Austin Texas, here's what i thought

Fat Tire - The lead brew, a lovely malty beer with limited sweetness and a gentle dose of hops to finish, quite a distinctive middle biscuit bite. 6/10

Mothership Wit - A delicious wheat beer, light zesty, gentle sweetness, spicy cardamon notes. 7/10

Skinny Dip - Their Spring seasonal, dry bitter maltiness initially, with a fresh lingering lime aftertaste. Similar to the Fat Tire but with the noticeable lime finish. 5/10

1554 - Brewed to an old Belgium recipe taken from records dating back this far. Bitter chocolate flavours with zero sweetness and a dry finish. Not one for me sadly. 1/10

The Mothership wins it, a great wheat beer.

Best Bitter (Ringwood)

Pours a lovely deep bronze, with a light creamy head. A very gentle grassy aroma with peppery hints.

The start is a warming malty taste, that develops it to a smooth toffee flavour. Hints of berried fruit in the middle followed by a tangy but not sharp finish. The hops at finish are gentle, with no heavy dry bitter linger.

5/10 A very good traditional style best bitter

You can buy Ringwood beers here

Bitter (Young’s)

I think that title speaks volumes. I don’t want to use the phrase “No nonsense” as that conjures up a screaming of the taste buds at the once great (so I’m told) Jon Smith’s, which has since been destroyed by the big commercial giants, but this beer as a beautiful simplicity about it.

If it was a product it would be an Iron, its design and use unchanged in two hundred years, so perfectly created was its initial design that it hasn't needed to be altered since.

This beer as a lovely bitterness that hits the palette immediately, what follows that is a tidal wave of malty flavours that fill the mouth in the manner you would normally expect from a strong matured ale. The hopping that follows is one of balance, not fierce bitterness as punctuation just gentle flavouring with a finish of fruitiness.

When best enjoyed : When you feel like you have earned a beer, this has a beautiful feel of reward for hard work about.

7/10 A classic Traditional English Ale, if there is a better example I would love to taste it.