Sunday 31 March 2013

Barnsey (Bath Ales)

Barnsey (Bath Ales)
Name: Barnsey
Label: "Our distinctive dark bitter"
Brewery: Bath Ales
ABV: 4.5%

Rating: "Rich in fruit with hints of chocolate, this full-bodied dark ale is a complex but deeply satisfying beer. We brew Barnsey using a mix of Maris Otter, Chocolate and Crystal malts together with Bramling Cross hops. These fine ingredients (plus our brewers' skill and diligence) have made this a truly rewarding and enjoyable beer."  Happy Easter! Forget chocolate eggs, drink beer instead.

Game: Got a craving for gaming at the moment. More so than usual. Bioshock: Infinite (10/11) is amazing, replaying Tomb Raider (9/10) because guess what... it's amazing, even Final Fantasy XIII is amazing (8/10)!  That's my Easter review round-up right there.  Just bought Eurogamer tickets too!

Saturday 30 March 2013

Scottish Craft Brewed Lager (Harviestoun)

Scottish Craft Brewed Lager (Harviestoun)
Name: Scottish Craft Brewed Lager
Label: "Clean and crisp with fresh citrus notes - A dry and refreshing hand-crafted lager"
Brewery: Harviestoun
ABV: 4.1%

Rating: "A unique lager-style beer, deliciously fresh and zesty with aromatic notes and a refreshingly dry finish. Award-winning brewery, Harviestoun has a passion for creating hand-crafted beers and this lager is no exception. They have used the finest quality barley, hops, water and yeast and have bottled this lager with less carbon dioxide to give a fresher taste."

Game: I've played the worst, now I'm currently playing the best FPS game.  Bioshock: Infinite... obviously.  This game is so good that I'm thinking of changing my rating system so that it goes up to eleven. Can't put into words yet exactly why it's so great, (because I'm a bit thick really) but suffice it to say it's amazing. 10/11.

Saturday 16 March 2013

Maple Gold (Joseph Holt)

Maple Gold (Joseph Holt)
Name: Maple Gold
Label: "Golden ale - Pure gold from the heart of the Maple Tree"
Brewery: Joseph Holt
ABV: 4.3%

Rating: "Glorious golden ale with a refreshing hint of Canadian maple. This ale is crafted to be the lighter sister brew of our award winning Maple Moon Ale, using amber malts and cascade aroma hops."  I always knew Maple Moon had a sister, and she's fit!

Game: Finally got round to getting Rocksmith. Guitar Hero was ace but I can't help feeling like a tit when I strap on a plastic guitar with six massive buttons instead of strings. With Rocksmith I can strap on my real guitar! Now, I'm not very musical, a turd could probably play better than me, if turds could pick up guitars. Really impressed with the game though, I'm definitely improving already and I've only played it twice. My guitar is a Squier Strat by the way. I know nothing about guitars (I always thought it was 'Squire strat'), yet I can sense guitar aficionados mocking my Squier. The swines.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Gem (Bath Ales)

Gem (Bath Ales)
Name: Gem
Label: "Our premium amber ale - Brewed for those who know... Gem has a rich aroma of hops and malt, with a long, deep, bitter-sweet finish. An exceptional best bitter."
Brewery: Bath Ales
ABV: 4.8%

Rating: "Here at Bath Ales, we brew Gem using floor malted Maris Otter barley and Goldings hops from East Kent. Those fine ingredients, together with our brewers' skill and passion, have helped to make Gem a quintessential English beer."

Game: Tomb Raider = Best. Reboot. Ever. It's a bit of a stunner in more ways than one. It's extremely violent as well which is always welcome. The animation of Lara trying to un-impale herself from a spike or branch that you've inadvertently careened into is quite disturbing. Incredible set-pieces and visual style make this an absolute gem. See... like the beer!... 9/10

Friday 1 March 2013

Summer Sizzler (Shepherd Neame)

Summer Sizzler (Shepherd Neame)
Name: Summer Sizzler
Label: "Pale Golden Ale - Master Brewer's Choice"
Brewery: Shepherd Neame
ABV: 3.8%

Rating: "Deliciously refreshing, this pale golden ale will quench the driest palate on those long hot summer days. The distinct hoppy, fruity aroma is complimented by a wonderful combination of malt and spicy citrus flavours. A brew with a good bitter bite and hoppy finish." With summer fast approaching (ages off) I thought I'd best get tasting some seasonal beers. This one I'm highly recommending.

Game: Having just started replaying Assassin's Creed III to try and get 100% synchronisation, I hear Assassin's Creed IV is about to be officially revealed on Monday! With Assassin's Creed probably being my favourite franchise for this-gen, this is good news. It also sounds like I'll be playing it on next-gen hardware too. Exciting times! And in the meantime there's The Tyranny of King Washington episodic releases to play. Episode 1 was great by the way... 8/10.