MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !!!!

Hey Everyone, I wanted to thank you all for viewing the blog over the first couple of months that we have been here, your support is really appreciated.
I hope that you will all continue to come back to the Genuine Beer Blog in the new year and watch the blog grow from strength to strength with all of your input. Thank You again everyone, but most of all

A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!

I would love to hear from you all in the days following Christmas, about your Christmas Day's and maybe we could tell each other about them, this would then give us a great view of how different people have celebrated Christmas but most of all the great Beer that you have all had over the festive period.

Look forward to hearing from you all real soon, Bring on the New Year,

Shane

Continue Reading...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Beer 2011 !!!

Hey Everyone, Sorry there hasn't been a blog post for the last couple of days, have been mad busy on the run up to Christmas, tonight we are back with the 12 Beers of Christmas, Hope you enjoy !!!! 

Beer Name:
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2011

Brewery:

Anchor Brewery

Brewed and Bottled:
Anchor Brewing Company
San Francisco
California,
USA






Alcoholic Percentage:

5.5% Vol

Measure:

355ml

Taste:

Full Flavoured, Mulled Spices, Refreshing, Fragrant, Smooth

Colour:

Dark Brown / Black, Red tint

Odour:

Spices, Raisins, Fruity, Fruit / Christmas Cake, Prunes

General Thoughts:

Merry Christmas beer is a very interesting, deep, full flavoured beer. This beer is heavily spiced with Christmas spicing. This beer has a real fruity flavour to it, brings out all the characteristics of Christmas. To me this beer really catches the essence of a Christmas Pudding in flavour, those deep, all spice qualities, with the fruit notes. This beer is heavy on aroma, with the fruitiness being at the forefront, however the taste of the beer is more subtle. There is a real fragrance to the taste of this beer also. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year beer changes its recipe every year, so these characteristics may be different in the 2012 variety. This is a very seasonal beer and would be enjoyed by anyone that enjoys the deep, rich flavours associated with Christmas. This is definitely not a beer for the faint hearted. Merry Christmas beer is a smooth, full flavoured beer, with dried fruit and Christmas tasting qualities to it. A nice beer, however it was a little sickly after a while, probably enjoyed in small doses. On the whole a nice beer, to enjoy on occasion throughout the Christmas period.  

Price:

€2.50 - €3.00 (Average Price)

Shane

Continue Reading...

Seriously Bad Elf !!!

Hey Everyone, Today we have the next beer in line in the 12 beers of Christmas countdown. This Beer is an absolute cracker so I hope you enjoy !!!

Beer Name:
Seriously Bad Elf

Brewery:

Ridgeway Brewing

Brewed and Bottled:
6 Chapel Close
South Stoke,
RG8 0JW
United Kingdom





Alcoholic Percentage:

9.0% Vol

Measure:

500ml

Taste:

Hops, Spiced, Full Flavour, Refreshing, Smooth

Colour:

Golden, Amber

Odour:

Slight Hops, Malt

General Thoughts:

Seriously Bad Elf is a seriously interesting beer. This beer has really deep, full bodied flavours, one of which is a spiced note, that gives this beer the winter, Christmas beer characteristics. This is a smooth beer with little carbonation and an all round nice feel on the tongue. This beer is a real surprise as it is remarkably well balanced for such a high ABV% beer. Seriously Bad Elf is not over spiced or overwhelming in spicing and is also not overpowering in alcohol taste in anyway. This is surprising for a beer that is 9% ABV as you would expect this will mean that the beer tastes really boozy, but this one doesn't. This is also a rich, moreish beer that will leave you wanting to go back for more and more with every sip. Seriously Bad Elf is an extremely palatable beer, that is extremely festive in feel and taste. This is an outstanding Christmas beer and one that I would seriously recommend to anyone out there that would like to taste what a real Christmas beer can taste like. I very rarely give a beer 5/5 unless it shows me something outstanding, something that makes it stand out from the crowd, this beer seriously does that for me and that is why I awarded it the score. I would really recommend giving this beer a try I promise you won't be disappointed, Congratulations to Ridgeway Brewing for creating this amazing beer.  

Price:

€2.50 - €3.00 (Average Price)

Shane

Continue Reading...

London Porter

Hey Everyone, Today we are back to the 12 beers of Christmas, If you didnt manage to check out last nights post check it out here this post offers a great Christmas gift suggestion. The beer in question today isn't technically a Christmas / Seasonal beer, however it fits perfectly into the criteria for me. Hope you all enjoy !!!

Beer Name:
London Porter

Brewery:

Fullers

Brewed and Bottled:
Fuller, Smith & Turner PLC
Chiswick Lane South,
London,
W4 2QB
United Kingdom

Alcoholic Percentage:

5.4% Vol

Measure:

500ml

Taste:

Very Chocolaty, Bitter, Smooth, Refreshing, Deep 

Colour:

Dark Brown

Odour:

Slight Chocolate, Coffee

General Thoughts:

London Porter is a great, really deep, full flavoured beer. This packs a huge amount of flavour, the main one being of chocolate. There is a very prominent chocolate taste, with also a slight taste of coffee. This deep, dark flavour comes from the roasted malt used in the beer. This is a very smooth beer, with little carbonation, giving this the perfect quality in a refreshing beer. London Porter also has a real warming quality to it, something that would be perfect for the cold winter months and nights that we are currently in. This beer doesn't taste overly alcoholic considering it is a slightly stronger beer than the average porter, going back to how the original porters once were. London Porter isn't strictly a Winter / Seasonal beer, however I have chosen it as one of my Christmas beers as it has all the characteristics that I would look for in a Christmas beer, deep, full flavoured with a warming quality. On the whole this beer is a great, smooth drinking beer, which is packed full of rich, dark malted flavours, bringing a warming quality. This beer is a real treat, smooth in texture and taste, a beer that is well worth the money. Overall a really great Christmas Beer selection. 

Price:

€2.99 (Average Price)

Shane

Continue Reading...

The Christmas Countdown: Yorkshire Ale - Gift Idea #2 !!!

Hey Everyone, So today its back to the Christmas Countdown, Christmas is nearly upon us and you may still have a few little gifts that you want to get for a Beer Lover out there. I want to introduce you all to a great site and great company, Yorkshire Ales. If you are looking for a company that puts huge amounts of passion into their craft and produce then this is the site for you. Yorkshire Ales specialise in locality, all of the produce and beer that they sell on their site comes from the local area. 

Image Source

This post is to introduce you to a few of the products that Yorkshire Ales have on offer for Christmas that would act as perfect gifts.








The Beer
So to kick off this post I thought I would introduce some of the beers that Yorkshire Ales have on offer. They offer a huge variety of beer, so I thought I would focus on just a few that are perfect for Christmas. These Beers are seasonal and all come from the surrounding area to the brewery. This is the key philosophy of Yorkshire Ales. They keep all of their beer and produce local, which for me makes this company so much more appealing. I am a huge fan of making the most of your surroundings and the fact that all of the produce and beer is local is a huge plus for me.

Here is a list of some of the seasonal Ales / Beers that Yorkshire Ales have on offer to buy.

Image Source

1. Bridestones: Winter Warmer. This beer comes from the Bridestone Brewery, located in Hebden Bridge. This  beer comes in a 500ml Bottle and is priced at £3.00. 
2. Great Newsome: Winter Warmth. This beer comes from the Great Newsome Brewery, located in Hull. This  beer comes in a 500ml Bottle and is priced at £2.50. 
3. Yorkshire Dales: Jingle Pot. This beer comes from the Yorkshire Dales Brewery, located in Askrigg. This  beer comes in a 500ml Bottle and is priced at £2.60. 
4. Yorkshire Dales: Silent Night.  This beer comes from the Yorkshire Dales Brewery, located in Askrigg. This  beer comes in a 500ml Bottle and is priced at £2.60. 

Image Source

You can click on the links above and it will take you to the Beer Shop where you can buy the beer you've clicked on.

Other Gift Ideas

Yorkshire Ales also offer a large variety of other produce which is also all local and from the surrounding area, making it have that personal feel.

Here are a few of these other gifts ideas:

Image Source

1. Cherry Brandy: Cost: £16.95
2. Chocolate Snowman: White Chocolate, Cost: £6.50
3. Festive Plum Chutney: Cost £2.25
4. Sloe Gin: Cost: £16.95
5. Tankards: Cost: Half Pint £10.00, Pint: £15.00

Image Source

For more information on the above products just click on the link that you wish to view. All of these products are handmade and have the personal touch to them, which makes them perfect for a Christmas Present.

Image Source

Yorkshire Ale is a fantastic site and company that offers a wide variety of beer and other produce, that will cater for a wide selection of customers. The best thing about Yorkshire Ales for me is the personal touch. You really get the sense that a lot of time and passion goes into this business and in making sure that the customer gets the best products available to them. The other great thing about Yorkshire Ale is the use of their surroundings, they make great use of all of the options that are available to them in all areas of Yorkshire. I also have to say just how friendly and helpful the staff are at Yorkshire Ale. From my dealings with them, they have been nothing but helpful and gone above and beyond to provide a great service. On the whole Yorkshire Ale is a fantastic company and site that is not to be missed.

Looking for that perfect stocking filler or present for the beer lover then look no further, Yorkshire Ale is the place to go !!! 

Yorkshire Ale
http://www.yorkshireales.co.uk/

Shane

Continue Reading...

Christmas Countdown - Gift Ideas !!!

Hey Everyone, so were back to the Christmas Countdown, instead of a beer review, today's post is looking at gift ideas. Today's post is focusing on one gift in particular, a Christmas Beer Hamper. This one comes from the Magpie Brewery : ) !!!

The Hamper

These great hampers are filled to the brim with a whole variety of goodies from the Magpie Brewery.

The Magpie hampers make for a great Christmas present to anyone out there that is a lover of beer. Not only do you get some great beer but also other beer related products that will just complete the package.


Everything that you get in the hamper is hand crafted by the Magpie brewery themselves, which just puts that personal touch to the hamper. I also think this helps make the gift so much more special as you know a lot of love and care has gone into this product. The Magpie Brewery where possible like to use all local ingredients, which are close by the brewery itself. A lot of the stuff is home grown in their own back garden as well as using their own free range eggs where possible in their range of cake, from their own chickens. This again to me just makes the gift the more worthwhile as so much love, care and attention goes into these hampers.

So whats included in the hamper, the hamper is filled with the following:
2 x Bottles of Magpie Ale, (One Pale and One Traditional)
1 x A Printed Magpie Brewery Pint Glass,
1 x Homemade Beer Chutney
1 x Homemade Beer Cake,
Homemade Beer Truffles
A Hand Crafted Magpie Decoration

All of this comes in at a great price of only £20.00

In my eyes your getting an awful lot of stuff in this hamper which is great, as well it being a great use of their great beer. The next main thing is where can you get them from. The beer hampers are available at Local Christmas Markets, but your best bet it to check out their website (detailed below). The website will give details of where to find them next etc.

I have suggested this as a Christmas Countdown beer gift as I feel you are getting to try a great breweries beer as well as other great products that they are producing. But the main thing is that you are getting that personal touch and getting a gift for someone that has had a lot of time and love put into it, which will make the giving of it the more sweeter. This for me is a perfect gift for all of those beer lovers out there and I would highly recommend getting onto the website and getting your hands on one of these. I would absolutely love to get my hands on one they are a great gift to receive.

The Magpie Brewery
http://www.magpiebrewery.com/

Shane

Continue Reading...

London Gold

Hey Everyone, so its nearly Friday which is great news, Tonight's review is all the way from London and the Young's Brewery. Hope you enjoy !!!

Beer Name:
London Gold

Brewery:

Young's

Brewed and Bottled:
Young's Brewing Company
Bedford
MK40 4LU
United Kingdom






Alcoholic Percentage:

4.8% Vol

Measure:

500ml

Taste:

Slight Sweetness, Slight Citrus, Slight Yeast, Hops, Slight Bitter After Taste

Colour:

Light Golden, Amber

Odour:

Slight Citrus, Slight Hops

General Thoughts:

London Gold is a great, really refreshing beer. This beer has a great citrus note to it, taste of lemons or grapefruit. There is a slight bitterness to this beer, but its not overly bitter and it goes from being bitter to a slight sweet note. There is medium carbonation on this beer, which makes it an easy to drink beer. This is also a very smooth beer, which will leave you refreshed and thirst quenched. London Gold is a beer that you could drink a good few of. You wouldn't get overly bloated and it leaves your mouth feeling refreshed. This is a really well balanced beer which is a great thing to get in a beer. This is a bottle conditioned beer which means there is slight sediment in the bottom of the bottle so be sure to leave that in the bottle. I was very impressed with this beer and would highly recommend this beer to all my readers. If your looking for a great, refreshing beer that you could drink at any time of the day or year this is the beer for you : ) !!! 

Price:

€2.69 (Based on Average Price)

Shane

Continue Reading...

Ruddles County

Hey Everyone, so today's beer review is from the Ruddles Brewery in the United Kingdom, I hope you enjoy : ) !!!

Beer Name:
Ruddles County

Brewery:

Ruddles Brewery

Brewed and Bottled:
Ruddles Brewing
Bury St. Edmunds
Suffolk, 
England,
United Kingdom




Alcoholic Percentage:

4.7% Vol

Measure:

500ml

Taste:

Bitter, Strong Hops, Slight Citrus

Colour:

Brown, Slight Red Tint

Odour:

Hops, Slight Sweetness

General Thoughts:

Ruddles County is a really nice, full flavoured beer. This is a very refreshing beer that has the deep full hops flavour that you want from a good beer. This beer also leaves you with a bitter after taste making you want to just go back for more and more. This beer starts off with the bitter hops note and then moves on to a slight sweetness. This is a very well balanced beer due to the bitterness and slight sweetness. Ruddles County also has a fundamental citrus flavour, provided again from the hops used, but this is a flavour that really makes this beer stand out. This is a nice smooth beer with very little carbonation. I was very impressed with this beer as it ticks a lot of the boxes for characteristics and attributes that I look for in a great beer. I would highly recommend this beer to anyone who enjoys a good, deep, full flavoured beer with a strong hops flavour.   

Price:

€2.79 (Based on Average Price)

Shane

Continue Reading...

A Winters Ale

Hey Everyone, so here is the first Christmas Countdown Post.
I thought I would start off with a nice Christmas Beer Review. Winter is one of my favourite times for beer as breweries get creative and produce some amazing deep, full flavoured beers. It is also a time when the breweries add extra spices and interesting flavours to the beers. 

The first beer in the Twelve Beers of Christmas is from the Eight Degrees Brewery. I hope you enjoy : ) !!!

Beer Name:
A Winters Ale

Brewery:

Eight Degrees

Brewed and Bottled:
Eight Degrees Brewing
Company LTD,
Dublin Road,
Mitchelstown,
Ireland

Alcoholic Percentage:

7.0% Vol

Measure:

330ml

Taste:

Cinnamon, Smooth, Slight Bitterness, Sweet, Mulled Spices, Refreshing

Colour:

Reddy, Light Brown

Odour:

Cinnamon, Mixed Spices

General Thoughts:

A Winters Ale is a very interesting beer, smooth and full flavoured. The first thing that you get with this beer is a taste of cinnamon. If you are not a fan of Cinnamon, then this is not a beer for you as it is quite a prominent flavour of the beer. Once you get passed the cinnamon it moves on to a more rounded mulled spice flavour. It has a kind of mulled wine flavour to it, something that is iconic with Christmas. This is also a very refreshing beer, which surprisingly doesn't taste overly alcoholic considering its 7% ABV strength. A Winters Ale is a very nice beer that is very seasonal and fits perfectly in the Winter beer theme. This beer is very different to what I was expecting. I was expecting a much heavier beer and an overpowering alcoholic taste due to its strength, but it really is the opposite, light and refreshing. This beer is also well balanced and not over spiced. I felt this was a perfect beer to start the 12 beers of Christmas off with as it to me, sums up all the flavours of Christmas and I would highly recommend this beer to all.   

Price:

€2 - €4 (Average Price, Probus Wines & Spirits 23/11/12)

Shane

Continue Reading...