544: Wychwood - Ripsaw

The brewery: “..tucked away behind the main street of the market town of Witney, in the heart of the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Witney is historically famous for it’s three b’s; it’s bread, it’s blankets and it’s beer. Brewing has taken place in Witney for centuries.”

The beer: “Rich red beer using rye malt. The spicy hop aroma from Cascade and Topaz hops entice you in, while the distinctive caramelised flavours from the rye malt enhance the beer. “

Not on the Wychwood website so presumably a special  - probably for Aldi as that’s where I bought it. Not sure about the maple syrup twist but it was very refreshing for a red ale. 4.2% A.B.V. June 2018

543: Elgoods – Warrior

The Brewery: “The North Brink Brewery was built in 1795 and the brewhouse is a classic English Ale brewery and Elgood’s proudly carry on the brewing of their own beers for local and wider distribution across the UK. The process is carried out using equipment dating from 1910 to the present day, as a program of refurbishment of the brewery has been sympathetically carried out over the last few years.”

The Beer: “Warrior is a truly traditional style English Bitter Ale…..A blend of finest Pale Ale, Amber and Crystal malt is used for the fruity malty flavour and generous portions of English Hop varieties (Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles) give a well developed hop character.

Full bodied but without tasting ‘syrupy’ this deserves to be sipped rather than sloshed back to make the most of the flavour. I liked it. 5.5% A.B.V. June 2018

542: Hattie Brown’s – Kirrin Island

The Brewery: “Home of the most marvellous beers from the first brewery located in Swanage, Dorset in over 100 years.”

Hattie had nothing to say about this beer – on the website anyway, but this was much more to my taste than the Moonlite – darker and more of a traditional bitter. 4.5% A.B.V. June 2018.

541: Hattie Brown’s – Moonlite

The Brewery: “Home of the most marvellous beers from the first brewery located in Swanage, Dorset in over 100 years.”

The Beer: “The marvellous Moonlite….shining brightly throughout the night…”

Hattie is clearly a woman of few words it seems. Anyway, another ale from Dorset thanks to friends Sam & Andy. A very pale ale, quite hoppy that didn’t really hit the spot for me. Quite refreshing though if served colder I would think. 4.0% A.B.V. June 2018

540: Bournemouth Brewing Co - Sandbanks Bitter

The Brewery: “Our recipes have been dated back to 1927! It was only in early 2012 when a family member acquired a modest 1 barrel brewplant did things really start getting exciting!….A fury of experimentation, tweaking of old recipes and some good-old fashioned “taste trials” were found to all go down very positively with friends and family that we decided to take the plunge and do it for real!……..After a few hardships with leasing premises, planning permissions and rugby-related injuires, the brewery eventually found its way to its new home on the Nuffield industrial estate (Poole) in 2013. – not quite in Bournemouth; but beggars can’t be choosers!

The Beer: “…a rich chestnut colour. This exceptionally smooth tasting beer has a slightly caramel flavour that produces a strong bitter sweet finish.”

Just 3.9% A.B.V but very flavoursome although it was just a tad too sweet for me. Wouldn’t say no to another though. Thank again go to friends Sam & Andy for their contribution to my ‘research’ project. June 2018.

539: Joseph Holt - Humdinger

The Brewery: “We are lucky that we have been brewing at the same Brewery since 1860, so everyday we are reminded of the values and beliefs that drove a man to set up a Brewery in central Manchester. This experience, passion and drive, influences everything we do. We like to think that if Joseph was about today, he would be pleased with the progress and proud that his stamp is still very much on the Brewery. We are incredibly proud of our rich history as an independent family brewer based in Manchester.”

The Beer: “Refreshing multi-award winning ale with subtle undertones of honey. Brewed with a blend of the finest English malt, Mexican aroma honey and citrus whole hops.”

One of a number procured during the latest Aldi beer festival and my favourite. Everything my taste buds like was here it seemed - I wish I’d bought more than one. It accompanied an England win in the football World Cup too which maybe helped!

4.1% A.B.V June 2018.

538: Cerne Abbas - Watercress Warrior

The Brewery: “In 2016 after over 130 years brewing returned to Cerne Abbas. The brewery is now nestled into the Cerne Valley, our barley is grown by Dorset’s longest standing organic farmer Will Best at his Manor Farm in Godmanstone.  Once spent, the barley returns to Manor Farm and Pound Farm in Nether Cerne to feed the dairy herds minimising waste and food miles. We use exceptional ingredients to recreate the beer Cerne Abbas was once so famous for and exported to New York and London.  The green sand geology of the area makes the water supremely ideal for beer making.”

The Beer: “This brew is that rare and special thing formed when the finest ingredients of UK watercress, mineral-rich spring water and Flyer hops combine to provide a “sharp slap around the chops” followed by a “floral cuddle” to make up.”

The first of a gift from a caravanning friend all from his home county of Dorset - thank you Andy. The first mouthful was a little sharp and not didn’t particularly endear itself to my fussy palate but it did improve with subsequent slurps. 4.5% A.B.V. June 2018