Nothing Special. That. Is. All.
Posted with BlogsyTen down…. #decembeer
The whole #decembeer shananigans has turned me into a creature of habit. After school I head to Tesco to pick up a bottle of beer and also treat myself to a Snickers bar (I'm a sucker for a bar of Snickers). So you can imagine the shock when Tesco, in the space of the last couple of days, changed the way they market their beer. No longer do you have to peruse the shelves, examining bottles, in an attempt to find what sort of beer you are after. They now have handily labeled shelves that help guide the weary #decembeer participant:
- Light & Refreshing – from subtle fruit to lightly hopped, golden or pale, these ales are more delicate in flavour.
- Full Flavoured & Characterful – typically amber in colour.
- Darker & Full Bodied – defined by a more intense flavour.
So I picked a beer, can't actually remember what shelf I got it from, brewed by Skinner's Brewery in Cornwall…..may I present 'Betty Stogs'….
This beer is apparently named after the “wonderfully wicked West Cornwall folklore character” and is described as having a “light hop aroma with underlying malt”. It is quite a light refreshing beer, has a subtle smell of malt, and is an easy beer to drink. But, I think, lacks the flavour of some of the others I've tried. This beer will be easily forgotten.
Bring on #11
Running and beer? #decembeer #janathon
Or maybe that should be beer and running? Either way I think the pair sit well, and complement each other.
So, in no particular order….let's talk beer….
Tonight we welcome another popular beer, from Wychwood Brewery, the world famous Hobgoblin, “a beer full of mischievous character”….
A smooth taste, definitely of the malty variety, very easy to drink, goes down the hatch very well (glad I only bought one bottle considering it is a school night). So 9 days into #decembeer and my plan to become a beer connoisseur is still hitting problems. This beer is brewed from “chocolate and crystal malts with a refreshing bitterness…and a dash of citrus aroma”. Chocolate? Can't taste it. Bitterness? Yes, obviously. Citrus aroma? I can't even smell that in this one (although that could be down to this cold I've had for the past couple of days). So still a bit of work to do before I get the call to appear on 'Saturday Kitchen' as their beer expert. Although one positive from tonight's #decembeer was that it did force me to put off working for that little bit longer.
And now…let's talk running….
With the new year fast approaching, it can mean only one thing….Janathon. This means running, logging and blogging a daily run throughout the month on January. I completed it last January, it was tough but great fun, and I actually managed to run over 130 miles in total. As well as the running it also means you get to read some fabulous blogs of people's experiences of the whole challenge. Well worth a go if you think you're man (or woman) enough!
So with running on the mind I've entered to run the Stamford Santa Fun Run next weekend, as part of the school's 'CBEC Stars' raising money for charity. Not only is it a nice local run around Burghley House, but you get to do it all dressed up as Santa, beard and all!!! Lovely jubbly!
Spitfire #decembeer
The monthly challenge enters its second week, and after yesterday's pretty disastrous #decembeer effort, it's nice to return to a well-known, and apparently well-loved beer. Shepherd Neame's most popular and biggest-selling ale…..Spitfire….
As is normal with this month's challenge, a quick visit to the website for some background information. And the winner of the 'most nonsense about a beer's taste' goes to Spitfire:
“wonderfully generous aromas of tangy malt, soft raisins and sweet oranges,
freshened by the floral, grassy notes of three different hop varieties”
Soft raisins (yes 'soft' raisins), sweet oranges, floral grass? And all this just the aroma! Once they start describing the taste you could be mistaken it's a rollercoaster:
“the finely balanced flavour opens with a blast of rounded malt before the rousing,
almost spicy hops follow through to provide a complex, multi-layered finish”
After reading such descriptions you can imagine I was expecting something very special. Was I impressed? Well actually it was quite nice – very refreshing – more hoppy than some I think.
As you can see, 8 days down and I'm beginning to sound like an expert. But in all seriousness I think I may be able to tell the different between a hoppy beer and a malty beer. As for all these amazing different fruits I should be able to taste – not a chance!!!!
Dedication…. #decembeer
Day 7 of #decembeer
Tonight we have a rather disgusting offering from Ridgeway Brewery, ‘Bad King John’…..
I went for this beer for one reason only, I am feeling slightly poorly and was hoping a ‘knock your head off’ 6% strength beer would help shift it. This beer, on first taste, actually doesn’t taste that bad, that is until the aftertaste develops. This is not a good beer and it hasn’t made me feel any better….
So after week one of #decembeer I have the following to report:
- ‘Bad King John’ is bottom of the list.
- ‘Old Peculier’ is at the top.
- Considering it has been a very busy week at school I’m pleased to have completed week one.
A Beast of a Beer…..Old Thumper #decembeer
Day 6 of #decembeer
Tonight we welcome the first beer from the Ringwood Brewery….a beast of a beer….Old Thumper….
After only 6 days I am beginning to think that some of these breweries are taking the mick out of us. This beer is described as:
“Peppery, spicy aroma with hints of apples”
Peppery, spicy aroma with a hint of apples?! You're having a tin bath! It just smells and tastes like beer. In fact, I'm not amazingly enamoured with this brew, it leaves a bit of a strange aftertaste that is described by the brewery as “a big bold grassy finish”. And I'm not going to mention the “delicate fruit notes” that I should be able to taste.
I'm hoping tomorrow's beer is a bit better….
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