Christmas Ale

I am not normally into tacky seasonal beers and this beer is really no exception, but I was a sucker and bought M&S Christmas Ale (6.2% abv) none the less. Brewed by the Cropton Brewery in Yorkshire for Marks & Spencer, this is like Christmas in a glass. It's a strong, warming ale that is supposedly Christmasy as it has added Christmas spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves and a citrus tang. Surely if these flavours where supposed to be in beer we would have them all year round and not just in novelty Christmas beers.

The beer was extremely flat and uninspiring and basically, not my cup of tea.... I ended up giving half of the bottle to my young brother in-law!

India Pale Ale

Another IPA (5.5% abv) I picked up in M&S. This one is apparently brewed with Burton-on-Trent water.

It was ok, but not as good as the Cornish IPA.

I have just dug a little deeper on the web and I have decided I do not like this beer. I have copied an excerpt from Roger Protz below. See if you can guess why I am not a fan!

"Marstons, (for Marks & Spencer) India Pale Ale (England) Brewed for M&S by marstons of Burton-on-Trent using Optic pale malt and Fuggles, Goldings and Cascade hops. It pours a rich toffee colour with a thick, creamy and persistent head. On the nose it is very appealing, with caramel and nutty notes, but plenty of zesty grapefruit, orange and leafy, hoppy notes. On the palate it is rich and smooth, with a full-bodied, creamy and warming cappuccino texture, and nice balance between quite bitter, punchy hop flavours and racy, citrussy fruit. The malt is subtle and just fills out the finish, in a lovely, quite complex beer. Almost worth four stars. 5.5% ABV, 50cl, £1.99, Marks & Spencer. "

Arghhhhhhhhhhh!

Cornish IPA

Changing the supermarket tone a little bit, I was poshing it up in M&S and came across Cornish IPA (5% abv) which is brewed by teh lovely folks at the St Austell brewery.

I was very impressed with this Real Ale in a Bottle and I now wish I had picked up another bottle. The beer is very clear (even after being carried a couple of miles in a plastic bag) and is towards the American end of the IPA spectrum. Nice citrus taste and an aftertaste of bitter marmalade. A tidy beer!