Saturday 31 October 2015

Atlantic White (Brains Craft Brewery)

Atlantic White (Brains Craft Brewery)
Name: Atlantic White
Label: "A US hopped Belgian style witbier"
Brewery: Brains Craft Brewery
ABV: 6.0%

Tasting notes: "Atlantic White blends the tradition of Belgian 'Wit' beers and the hop-character of American IPAs to produce a 'White IPA'. Brewed with wheat malt and Belgian wit yeast the addition of freshly crushed coriander seeds, Curacao orange and US hops gives a light refreshing beer with a zesty and spicy finish."

Game: So I was wondering what new enemies we'd get to fight in the Hearts of Stone Witcher DLC and I was hoping it wouldn't be spiders but then after playing it for a few hours I was like, "spiders... why did it have to be giant spiders"?  It's spiders you see, One of the new enemies is spiders. #SadCobwebbyFace  Also, they turned the difficulty up to eleven. Actually the enemies are levelled up to the mid-thirtys. Amazing DLC. Have at it!

Tuesday 27 October 2015

Wizard (Robinsons)

Wizard (Robinsons)
Name: Wizard
Label: "Mythical Amber Beer - made using 5 British hops, Bramling Cross, EKG, 1st Gold, Challenger & Admiral - Drink of this and take thy fill, for the water falls by the Wizard's will."
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 3.7%

Tasting notes: "Inspired by a local Cheshire legend 'The Wizard of Alderley Edge', we have combined 5 English hops, pale, wheat & crystal malts to produce Wizard, a moreish, sessionable 3.7% ABV mythical amber ale. Packed full of flavour, Wizard has a spell-binding fruity & zesty hop palate complemented by a magical full malt character."  Definitely a great session ale, unfortunately my session was very short as I only had one bottle.

Game: I'm expanding my Witcher 3 experience with the Hearts of Stone expansion which looks to be quite expansive.  So far I've learned how to; survive a ship wreck, raise spirits (ghosts, not more alcohol) and how to talk to women, e.g. "This way, my strawberry".  Probably the best DLC ever, although I don't think I'll ever try the strawberry line in real life lest I be slapped.  8/10

Sunday 25 October 2015

Black Wych (Wychwood)

Black Wych (Wychwood)
Name: Black Wych
Label: "A dark mysterious spellbinding porter"
Brewery: Wychwood
ABV: 5.0%

Tasting notes: "The Black Wych has cast her spell. Start with a measure of alluringly rich dark malt and allow the bitterness to creep in. Watch out for the caramel sweetness lurking behind. This silkily smooth porter is no taboo, she's a spellbinding force to be reckoned with."

Game: Assassin's Creed: Syndicate has some collectibles right up our alcohol drenched street. Bottles dotted around London can be picked up to unlock Beer Tasting Notes in the database. Apparently the beer wasn't too great in 1868 judging by just one of the examples:

Amber Ale - Robert, Barnaby & Co.
With its strong flavour and heady aroma, this beer would pair wonderfully with halibut. I'm sorry, did I say "pair with?" I meant "tastes of," it tastes like halibut. The body has an unctuous pond-scum quality, but manages to be gritty at the same time. Overall I'd rate this beer somewhere between "poison oak" and "a live and furious piranha" on the "things I'd willingly put in my body" scale.

Buy Black Wych (Seasonal - limited stock)

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Saturday 24 October 2015

Dunkel Fester (Wychwood)

Dunkel Fester (Wychwood)
Name: Dunkel Fester
Label: "T'is the season of mischief - A disturbingly dark beer"
Brewery: Wychwood
ABV: 4.4%

Tasting notes: "An exceptionally dark malty beer with an eerie red tinge brewed for those with a fetish for rich flavours. Hints of coffee & roasted nuts are haunted by an underlying fruity finish creating the perfect Halloween treat." Yay, it's nearly scary Halloween. Celebrate with this scarily great beer!

Game: Cor blimey, guv'nor! It's a new Assassin's Creed! AC: Syndicate is set in London and there's lots of  assassinating going on and apples & pears or something.  So it's like previous Assassin's Creeds's's but totally better and with a cockney accent.  This time out the multiplayer element has been stealth assassinated! Thankfully there's lots and lots and lots and lots to do. Best bit so far is thieving a horse and cart like it's GTA, 1868 style!

Buy this beer (very limited stock)!

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Monday 19 October 2015

Firecatcher (Wychwood)

Firecatcher (Wychwood)Name: Firecatcher
Label: "Dazzling Golden Beer"
Brewery: Wychwood
ABV: 3.5%

Tasting notes: "The warming hints of honeyed nectar will spark the intense and sharp gooseberry flames. A refreshingly crisp catch smoldering in citrus aromas that will leave you glowing inside."

Game: Pre-ordered Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition. We liked the beta a lot judging by the stats. Walker Assault on Hoth was great but the level of immersion was dented somewhat by the hero powerups which see Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader join the fray. I can understand Vader messing about on Hoth, jumping around like a knob and lightsabering rebels, I guess that's why he was late getting to the Millenium Falcon. What I don't get is how Luke managed to change out of his orange flight-suit and don his Return of the Jedi clothes.  Presumably when the rebel base was overrun he then got changed back into his orange flight-suit in order to get in his X-Wing to go to Dagobah. Lucky Hoth had heated changing rooms!

Thursday 8 October 2015

Withens Pale Ale (Little Valley Brewery)

Name: Withens Pale Ale
Label: "Organic Bottle Conditioned - Brewed in Yorkshire - Light and Hoppy"
Brewery: Little Valley Brewery
ABV: 3.9%

Rating: "Light and bright, Withens Pale Ale uses refreshing floral Cascade hops with hints of spice, orange and citrus, giving a delicious dry bitter finish. Withens Pale Ale is a bottle conditioned beer. Connoisseurs prize such beer as it continues to mature in the bottle and carbonates naturally."  I prized it, not because I'm a connoisseurs but because it's awesome!

Game: Initial thought regarding Star Wars Battlefront: OH MY GOD IT LOOKS AMAZING!!  Playing the Beta, and I suck at the multiplayer, Drop Zone on Sullust, but did OK against the 6 waves of baddies on Tattooine in single player.  Now to try the Hoth Walker Assault. It warns me to level up before trying the Walker Assault. Yeah right! Did Dak level up before he went to Hoth? Did he balls. And he did alright... oh no hang on...

Friday 2 October 2015

High Maltage (Bottle Cap Brewery)

High Maltage (Bottle Cap Brewery)
Name: High Maltage
Brewery: Bottle Cap Brewery
ABV: 6.9%

Tasting notes: "The Scottish Ale/Wee Heavy is a strong, malty beast that's deceptively easy drinking for a 6.9% brew."

Game: I've pretty much done all I want to do in the Witcher 3 and Batman Arkham Knight so it's back to a game I played back in May but never got around to finishing: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. The prequel released after Wolfenstein: The New Order. So it's been five months since I last played an FPS. And wow did the motion sickness kick in. It's a great game but the dangers of playing RPGs and open world stuff for months means that going back to first person makes me want to puke big time. Seriously, I felt so vomitous that I had to turn off the Xbox and go back to building my Halo Mega Bloks set! More ale is in order to help settle the stomach. Game rating: 8/10. Sickness inducement score: 10/10