Hogshead Bitter (Theakston)

Name: Hogshead Bitter
Label: "Estd 1827 - Legendary Ales"
Brewery: Theakston
ABV: 4.1%

Rating: "This robust ale exhibits a maltiness with underlying tones of luscious cane sugars, whilst the use of Bramling Cross dry hops contribute to the striking aroma and palate. Brewed using the finest quality natural ingredients and over 185 years of brewing wisdom."

Game: Thanks to The Elderly Gamer who advised of a handy round-up of Assassin's Creed 3 editions and versions (see last post comments), I have indeed opted for the standard edition Tesco £39.91 + T-Shirt + 350 clubcard points deal. As impressive as the other editions were, I just want the game. I don't need extra mud or George Washington's notebook. Surely that notebook holds some historical significance for the Americans too, they won't want me hoarding it and scribbling "remember to stab bad guy" notes in it will they?

Black Gold (Castle Rock)

Name: Black Gold
Label: "Championship Winner - Nottingham's dark secret"
Brewery: Castle Rock
ABV: 3.8%

Rating: "Discover Black Gold for yourself and enjoy this rich, complex brew." Go on then, discover it for yourself! If you have taste buds I guarantee you'll not be disappointed.

Game: This week I'm on the hunt for an Assassin's Creed 3 pre-order deal. Seems that for the game and some 'exclusive' DLC which seems to be a character skin or gun (I can barely contain my excitement), we're looking at a £42.99 price tag or a whopping £55.99 for the Join or Die edition. This edition probably contains extra downloadable mud for the battlefields or something. Best price so far seems to be Tesco at £39.91 with a T-Shirt, of which a photo is conspicuous by its absence. The search continues...

Ginger Tosser (Skinner's)

Name: Ginger Tosser
Label: "CAMRA champion beer of Cornwall winner - made with Cornish honey"
Brewery: Skinner's
ABV: 3.6%

Rating: "A lovely hoppy golden ale fused with Cornish honey, gives this session beer a superb round finish with a hint of ginger. First brewed for red headed pancake tossers!" I'm not sure how true the brewing origins of the beer is but it's definitely lovely.

Game: A strange thing seems to happen with Darksiders 2 that I've not encountered for a long while. I play the game for a few minutes, then when I look at the clock four hours have passed! It seems to create some kind a time based reality shift, it's like a Death shaped flux capacitor. I've not even found the grapple-hook yet!

Tavern Porter (Thwaites)

Name: Tavern Porter
Label: "Thoroughly rejuvenating ale - full-flavoured and smooth with a warm roasted character"
Brewery: Thwaites
ABV: 4.7%

Rating: "A taste of the past, inspired by a time when the elite would gather in Elizabethan taverns, to sample the finest ales, porters and wines. Introducing Thwaites Tavern Porter, surprisingly refreshing for a full-flavoured, dark porter with subtle notes of smokiness and liquorice." I'm not part of the elite but I do enjoy a good taste of the past. I can report that on this evidence the past tastes/tasted ace!

Game: The start of the hectic gaming season begins now with Darksiders 2. So far so brilliant. It's like Darksiders 1 but massively bigger. And that's all I'll say on the matter at the moment because I'm too busy playing Darksiders 2!

Southwold Winter IPA (Adnams)

Name: Southwold Winter IPA
Label: "A wonderful fruity aroma & bitterness balanced by sweet barley - Seasonal guest"
Brewery: Adnams
ABV: 6.7%

Rating: "A blend of Boadicea, Columbus and Styrian Goldings hops creates the wonderful grapefruit and tropical fruit aroma and bitterness in this beer, balanced by the sweet, spicy, biscuity undertones of the wheat malt and Pale Ale malted barley." Not sure why this seasonal guest ale is so blatantly out of season. The cynics would say it's Marks & Spencer trying to get rid of stock that's close to its sell by date and still charge full price. I don't believe that though, *checks label* 'best before November 2012'...

Game: I've been after Silent Hill: Downpour for quite some time and it's only recently hit the magic sub-£20 price tag (£37.99 preowned from Game was a definite tempter obviously).  So in Silent Hill it's scary, all the NPCs are annoyingly aloof and now it's raining. The monsters mostly come out when it rains... mostly. 7.5/10.

Southwold Blonde Beer (Adnams)

Name: Southwold Blonde Beer
Label: "A full flavoured beer with a subtle, refreshing citrus flvaour - Seasonal guest - Brewed exclusively for Marks and Spencer"
Brewery: Adnams
ABV: 5.0%

Rating: "Created by Adnams' Master Brewer, this pale yet full flavoured beer is made using a blend of East Anglian malted barley and wheat. Boadicea and First Gold hops from England and Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand combine to create the subtle citrus notes and refreshing flavour." Apparently 'works well with chicken, seafood, salads, lightly spiced dishes...' or in my opinion, great with anything!

Game: There seems to be a bit of a gaming lull at the moment until next week when Darksiders 2 comes out. Looks like its going to be great. In the meantime I've been busying myself going 3DS XL mad! Got a lot of Mario related games and also Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. I thought this game was amazing on the Nintendo 64 'back in the day'. Not sure exactly which day, but it was back there and there were probably loads of them. With revamped 3D graphics and being played by someone who doesn't quite remember the story that well, Ocarina is still amazing!

Wiltshire Rum Beer (Wadworth)

Name: Wiltshire Rum Beer
Label: "A unique blend of full-bodied malty ale with soft, rich Caribbean rum"
Brewery: Wadworth
ABV: 5.0%

Rating: "Navy rum rations, introduced in 1740, used to be mixed with beer to stop the crew getting too drunk! Here, Wadworth brewery have created their own 'grog' by blending Wadworth 6X with smooth Caribbean rum." I drank Caribbean rum that was 99% proof once. It was horrid. This beer is the polar opposite.

Game: Crikey, so Binary Domain is a totally brilliant game. It's got robots in it, you shoot them in the legs and they crawl after you like Arnie inspired Terminators. Great storyline too that touches on race, genocide and delves deep into the human condition.  Like Vanquish, a hideously underrated game. 8/10.

Citra (Oakham Ales)

Name: Citra
Label: "Oakham Ales brew this single variety beer using only 'CITRA' hops"
Brewery: Oakham Ales
ABV: 4.6%

Rating: "A light refreshing beer with pungent grapefruit, lychee and gooseberry aromas leading to a dry, bitter finish." The first UK brewery to commercially brew with CITRA since 2009 apparently. I don't pretend to know what's so great about Citra hops but they make for ace beer.

Game: Hm, I haven't played anything with zombies in it for like, ooh, a week? But look! Another game with zombies in it! I must admit though, I really really like Deadlight. It's brill. It's had a mixed reception it's fair to say, beautifully encapsulated here: xboxmeagain.blogspot.com. I'm all for this game though. It looks absolutely stunning, shooting zombies in the head is a joy, and it's a great runny, jumpy, climby action-fest! 8/10.