The Lemon Fool

It is Saturday evening, and my treat after a long hot day's gardening is these three open in front of me:
- Oakham Ales Citra
- Oakham Ales Green Devil (stronger Citra with more body and slight sweeter)
- Purity's Mad Goose
After sipping glass and glass about, I have plumped for Citra, but perhaps this is because it is a good thirst-quencher. On a Winter day I suspect I would go for Mad Goose, but ... a (rare) visit to Sainsburys today also disgorged an Innis & Gunn Original and a Guinness Foreign Extra, either of which look like better Winter drinks.

A very pleasant FourPure Easy Peeler IPA currently.
Waitrose Windsor I think, they have a good range

JMN2 wrote:Lanchester beer festival tomorrow and Sunday but it's raining now and the footpaths might be muddy, I was going to combine some walking and drinking.

On Saturday I concentrated on Two by Two brewery, today on Almasty. Only downside was as a non-CAMRA event you get loud music in the tent where the beers were, luckily it was very nice to sit outside with the neighbour and discuss local history and accent.

On the east side of Loch Lomond, still in brilliant sunshine, with a Proper Job out of the campervan fridge.

Scott.

Ilkley's New World Pale Ale.

Detox weekend

AleisterCrowley wrote:Detox weekend

Detox? What is it, an IPA?
Si

Sadly not.... I did ponder a few bottles of Brewdog Nanny State, but once the smell of beer is in my nostrils there's no stopping me

AleisterCrowley wrote:Sadly not.... I did ponder a few bottles of Brewdog Nanny State, but once the smell of beer is in my nostrils there's no stopping me

So have a system. No beers on Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu, or similar.

I do, strictly Fri/Sat only when working.
But, busy week ahead so skipping a weekend.

I've just spent a week drinking various beers from The Cromarty Brewing Company: https://www.cromartybrewing.com/beer

My two favourites, which reflect my preferred style of beer (and the weather), were Happy Chappy and Kowabunga, but friends who were with me and who drank other brews, were equally impressed.

They offer a mail order service via the website, so a mixed pack may be worth investigating!

For the first time in many years, I had an alcohol-free lager this lunchtime.

Scene: I'm away from home. In a familiar small town, but my favourite lunch spots are packed out. Rather than do wearisome battle with the crowds for a seat on the best terrace in town, I went to Weatherspoons for a bite. Being a pub I thought beer, but lunchtime is really too early - and doubly so when I'll be having a proper pint (elsewhere) this evening. I asked about low-alcohol lagers, and got an alcohol-free Becks.

My distant recollection is that these lagers started out as a sick joke, but a couple of years on from their introduction there were some quite drinkable options. Today's, sadly, fell into the first category. The glass of iced tap water I (also) got had the nicer taste of the two.

Which kind-of begs the question. If there's a Next Time in the relatively near future, what should I look out for?

'Alcohol free beer' appears to be self-defeating to me, like fat-free dessert; hence doomed to fail. I've never had an alcohol free beer that does anything for me, ie not achieved a 'drink like beer, that happens to not intoxicate me'.
If I want to 'trick' my palette in place of beer I find a tonic water with a liberal dash of Angostura bitters works better. Has body, and has a depth of flavour. Though I'd challenge you to drink more than a pint of that as it's very dry.

If I choose to spend say a week on the wagon, or even the rare month, I go with soda or tonic+ angostura.

UncleEbenezer wrote:Which kind-of begs the question. If there's a Next Time in the relatively near future, what should I look out for?

Normal Becks is pish so I couldn't see how the alcohol free version would cut it.

I've had alcohol free Franziskaner recently. It was decent. But you won't get that in pubs. Little or no experience beyond that.

I'm clearly in a minority as I don't mind cold Beck's Blue with food.
But, if i'm not drinking I tend to have orange and lemonade, or elderflower cordial if available (Belvoir is the best by miles)

DiamondEcho wrote:'Alcohol free beer' appears to be self-defeating to me, like fat-free dessert;

Nothing wrong with a fat-free dessert.

Especially now, with so much that's delicious - like strawberries at peak season.

Flipping 'eck!! You know a thread has disappeared into the weeds when it ends up discussing the merits of alcohol free beer and fat free food.

All the best, Si

simoan wrote:Flipping 'eck!! You know a thread has disappeared into the weeds when it ends up discussing the merits of alcohol free beer and fat free food.

Almost as bad, I went to a big festival type gig last week, and they were selling actual beer, not just lager. Maltsmith IPA. It was okay, nothing deeply offensive, I mean, it was served in a plastic cup and it was that or lager. Looking it up on that internet, it appears to be a mass brewed Heineken product. I guess at something with 40,000+ people at it, it was never going to be craft beer extravaganza. Still, nice to sit there in the sunshine with a "beer" and people watch.

simoan wrote:Flipping 'eck!! You know a thread has disappeared into the weeds when it ends up discussing the merits of alcohol free beer and fat free food.

So there's still an element of freedom here. In this instance, the freedom to digress.

Happily it doesn't preclude posting right back on-topic. Sadly I don't recollect the name of the rather pleasant brew I drank last night. 'twas a lager (which seemed right for the heat, in the absence of a wheat beer option), but one from a local brewery, whose good ales I've enjoyed a few times.

(The pub in question is one where my usual would be the very local Jail Ale).

UncleIan wrote:Almost as bad, I went to a big festival type gig last week, and they were selling actual beer, not just lager. Maltsmith IPA. It was okay, nothing deeply offensive, I mean, it was served in a plastic cup and it was that or lager. Looking it up on that internet, it appears to be a mass brewed Heineken product. I guess at something with 40,000+ people at it, it was never going to be craft beer extravaganza. Still, nice to sit there in the sunshine with a "beer" and people watch.

Sounds like the Rugby Premiership final I went to at Twickenham a couple of Saturday's ago. However, you'd think they'd have some kind of decent beer at a rugby match, particularly one at the home of English rugby, but the selection was appalling - IPA (brewery unknown but tasted like Greene King), Guinness or Becks Vier. So bad I had to drink Becks Vier! Of course, the option to not drink does not exist at rugby matches where I come from .

All the best, Si