THE VIEW FROM BEHIND MY TANKARD... An Ale Review III

Welcome back to my Real Ale Review. Firstly I'd like to apologise for leading you up the garden path. I said I'd be reviewing TONGHAMS T.E.A. Unfortunately I drank that without reviewing it (Sorry!) so I'll review it at a later date. So, ladies and gentlemen I give you... Badger breweries POACHERS CHOICE!!!

I have drunk Badger beers before and can honestly say I've never had a bad one. So as usual here's what the label says:
BADGER since 1777. 5.7% ABV
The wily poacher knows the temptations the lush Dorset countryside has to offer. Just like Badger, the poacher craftily seeks out its treasures and makes the most of sumptuous local ingredients. This rich, smooth brew has a softly spiced sweetness with dark liquorice notes and a fruity damson aroma. A gutsy ruby ale that is well matched with hearty game pie or a tangy mature cheese.

Okay, now my words... Pours nicely and has a rich dark colour, good frothy head and nice smell. Very similar to Wychwoods Hobgoblin but it's a lot stronger at 5.7%.
The thing that struck me and the wife (yup, she's tasting the ales too) is how accurate the breweries description is, every ingredient you can pick out through taste and smell. For a strong ale this is unbelievably smooth and a little  moreish. One thing these breweries won't do is put calorific values on the bottle which is just as well because I'd guess it's close to about 300-350 calories but what the hey.
This ale kept it's head pretty much til the end and the Dorset  brewery has done themselves proud.

Price: 3 for £5 0r £1.79        Score 9/10
Labelling and bottle presentation:        Score8/10
Colour and translucency:      Score   10/10
Initial taste:                          Score  9/10
After taste:                          Score  8/10
Total Score                             44/50!!!

So, a stonking result for the Badger brewery and a well deserved score. It's one of those ales I would never recommend if you're driving as one bottle is 2.9 units which will undoubtedly put you over the drink drive limit and lose you your licence quicker than you can say 'One more for the road'.
Be safe and drink at home OR find a good driver to cab you around and thanks once again for reading my review.                          

THE VIEW FROM BEHIND MY TANKARD... An Ale Review II

So, to anyone who has read my first review, thanks for coming back. Anyone new to my blog welcome. I intend to review one beer each week and would be glad to see some comments regardless of their context.
Without further ado here is the next Ale to review...

I like to start the reviews with the description of the beer on the label so you guys and girls know what the breweries are trying to achieve and also gives you some additional information...

St Peter's Organic Ale
Near Bungay, Suffolk.
St Peter's brewery is located in a medieval hall in a remote and beautiful corner of Suffolk. There our beers began their lives deep below the brewery with water drawn from a pure source - as it has been for over 700 years, essential for the full flavour and pure character of all of St Peter's beers.
Our beautiful flask shaped oval bottle is a copy of one produced c. 1770 for Thomas Gerrard of Gibbstown, just across the Delaware river from Philadelphia.
The original is now kept at St Peter's hall and is a rare example of an oval 18th century beer bottle.

St Peter's Brewery says: Organically grown light malted barley and hops create a refreshingly wholesome flavoured ale with a delicate character. Brewed with skill and patience in one of Britain's finest small breweries.

So after that long historical Introduction I was looking forward to pouring this fine crafted ale into my tankard and relaxing.
At 4.5% it's not a weak brew, at first pour the head was very light and thin so giving it the benefit of the doubt I poured it into a glass to see if the head improved, it didn't.
The beer settles  very quickly and leaves you with little more than a thin film of white froth rather than a proper head and a pale ale colour.
The initial taste screams LAGER!!! at me and with the amount of gas in it had me belching in minutes.
A light crisp taste that tastes of little in the mouth and even less in the after taste department. It looks like a lager, it behaves like a lager and tastes like a lager and I won't be buying it again.
A shame as the history and look of the bottle made it unique alongside the other bottles on the shelf. Unfortunately it reminds me of a cheap duty free stubby from France.

* Price £1.79/ 3 for £5 @ Asda. 4/10
* Labelling and bottle presentation 9/10
* Colour and translucency 9/10
* Initial taste 3/10
* After taste 2/10
Total 27/50

To close this review I would like to remind you all that this is my opinion and I believe that people should try these beers for themselves as I appreciate the fact that peoples taste buds are different.
Thanks for your time and next week we'll be drinking beer from the Hogs Back Brewery at Tongham.

A few of my troops.