Ease Up IPA (Adnams)

Name: Ease Up I.P.A
Label: "Session Beer - Always best served chilled"
Brewery: Adnams
ABV: 4.6%

Tasting notes: "Big mango aromas, flavours of pine, melon & grapefruit. Clean, dry finish and subtle sweetness. A big hop bill, perfect for any session!"

Game: Starting off the series of game related figurines, specifically those included with special edition Assassin's Creed games, here's Connor from Assassin's Creed 3.

Fantastic detail on this one, from blood on the snow to the quiver of arrows and Brotherhood themed tomahawk.  The figure can be purchased separately but the Freedom Edition boxset with game (in steelbook case) is about £200 new or expect to pay around £80 second hand.

Rating: 8/10

Blonde Ambition (Samuel Adams)

Name: Blonde Ambition
Label: "American Craft Beer"
Brewery: Shepherd Neame
ABV: 4.5%

Tasting notes: I really like American ales, they always seem a lot more interesting and flavoursome than some British beers. Hang on! "'American Craft Beer', brewed by Shepherd Neame in Faversham".  What shenanigans is this?  It's still great though!

Game: This months Xbox Live Games with Gold is Trials Fusion. This is one we've been waiting for for a while and once you get past the god-awful title music it really is as good as it looks. Deceptively simple yet increasingly difficult, especially trying to nab the gold awards and complete all the challenges, I want to ride the unicorn with my rag-doll physics.

Rating: 7.5 broken limbs out of 10

Hobby Horse (Rhymney)

Name: Hobby Horse
Label: "An easy winner"
Brewery: Rhymney Brewery
ABV: 3.8%

Tasting notes: "Originally brewed in 1879, Hobby Horse very quickly became a thoroughbred. We hope this hand crafted ale will awaken and re-kindle your senses. Take time out for a sumptuous injection of nostalgia."

Game: Part 2 of this months Eaglemoss Alien and Predator Figurine Collection delivery is Issue 11: Predalien.  This is from AvP Requiem where a facehugger has done the nasty with a Predator. The resulting chest-burster being the resultant Predator / Alien thingy. The figurine looks the part, well painted and with an epically sized and vicious looking tail. It's not what you do with it that counts, it's just how massive it is.

Rating: 8/10

Issue 11: Predalien

Grubber (Greene King)

Name: Grubber
Label: "Golden Ale, Limited Edition, A style of kick forced to bounce to stop the opponent. Supporting a season of rugby"
Brewery: Greene King
ABV: 4.2%

Tasting notes: "We celebrate the grubber with a fragrant, fresh and fruity golden ale. Brewed with pale malt and classic English hops Challenger, Pilgrim and First Gold to make a refreshing and deliciously fruity ale."

Game: Delivery time! Eaglemoss Alien and Predator Figurine Collection: Issue 10 Deacon. This is neat little dude from the end of Prometheus, the hideously underrated Alien prequel. Horrible looking thing it is too. Paint quality isn't quite as good as previous figurines but overall pretty decent.

Rating 7/10

Issue 10 Deacon

Admiral's Ale (St Austell)

Name: Admiral's Ale
Label: "I see no ships"
Brewery: St Austell
ABV: 5.0%

Tasting notes: "It was at St Austell Brewery's Blue Anchor Inn that the King's messenger, carrying news of victory at Trafalgar, first stopped for refreshment on his long journey from Cornwall to London.200 years later, Admiral's Ale was brewed in Cornwall to celebrate the bicentenary of Nelson's famous triumph"

Game: So we're up to date with the Eaglemoss Alien and Predator Figurine Collection deliveries and this last one is a biggie. Issue 9 Berserker Predator Figurine. He looks badass, sticking his middle finger blade up at you like he just doesn't give a hoot.

Rating: 9/10

Issue 9 Berserker Predator Figurine

Rye Pale Ale (Shipyard)

Name: Rye Pale Ale
Label: "Dry hopped with amarillo & citra for a tropica fruit aroma. The Maine Black Bear has a long, fruitful relationship with the state of Maine as the mascot of the University and this brew is in homage to this fruit loving American native"
Brewery: Shipyard
ABV: 4.3%

Tasting notes: "Brewed with Rye Crystal malt, Shipyard Rye has a spiced, nutty taste balanced with caramel toffee flavours. As with all Shipyard beers, this brew is packed full of American hops and the Amarillo, Citra, Cascade, and Summit combine for an upfront punchy orange aroma and lingering citrus tang."

Game:  Eaglemoss Alien and Predator Figurine Collection brings us probably the best one so far: Issue 7 Alien Xenomorph Warrior Figurine. Great paint, no seams, cool figurine with big swishy tail (yep, swishy is a word).

Rating: 9/10

Issue 7 Alien Xenomorph Warrior Figurine

61 Deep (Marstons)

Name: 61 Deep
Label: "Pale Ale"
Brewery: Marston's
ABV: 4.1%

Tasting notes: "61 metres. That's the depth of the well at the brewery that gives this refreshing pale ale its name. The five American and Australian hops give it its fresh, zesty aroma, whilst the tropical fruit and citrus notes make it extremely drinkable. Dive in."

Game: The latest delivery of Eaglemoss Alien and Predator Figurine Collection Part I is Issue 8 Private William Hudson Figurine. Like with Hicks and Dallas, the human figurines don't look all that like their real life movie counterparts, but still, this is a nice enough figurine with the motion tracker, pulse rifle and decent detailing on the armour. There's also a sneaky alien sneaking up sneakily from behind.

Rating: 7/10

Issue 8 Private William Hudson Figurine

Pure Gold (Purity)

Name: Pure Gold
Label: "A sparkling orb, searing through an azure sky & a glass of' 'Pure Gold' in the hand, worries can wait a while. Life is all the better for moments like this"
Brewery: Purity Brewing Co
ABV: 4.3%

Tasting notes: "Pure Gold is brewed with Maris Otter, Wheat Malt, Caragold & Caramalt, plus Pilgrim, Bobek, Hereford Goldings & Citra hops to create a zesty & crisp ale with a dry finish making for a satisfying & easy drinking beer"

Game: Eaglemoss Alien and Predator Figurine Collection delivery 3 part 2! See here! Issue 6: Captain Arthur Dallas Figurine.  Now the figurines have been great so far and this one is ok but the facial likeness isn't all that great. Plus I don't remember Dallas's spacesuit being pink in Alien...

Rating 6/10

Issue 6: Captain Arthur Dallas Figurine

The Rev James Original (SA Brains)

Name: The Rev James Original
Label: "Rich, warming ale with a clean rewarding finish"
Brewery: SA Brains
ABV: 4.5%

Tasting notes: "The Rev. James Original is rich and well balanced with a mellow malty flavour that unexpectedly gives way to a clean, refreshing finish."

Game: Eaglemoss Alien and Predator Figurine Collection delivery 3 part 1! This is Issue 4 - the Alien 3 Xenomorph Figurine.  Again, as with the other figurines so far, the quality and level of detail is well tasty!  This is the dog alien or the cow alien depending on which version of Alien 3 you watched. Great film by the way, ignore the haters!

Rating: 8/10

Issue 4 Alien 3 Xenomorph Figurine

Sussex (Hepworth)

Name: Sussex
Label: "Traditional Pale Ale - Sussex hops and & barley - Naturally Gluten Free"
Brewery: Hepworth & Co Brewers
ABV: 3.5%

Tasting notes: "Sussex is a well hopped traditional Pale Ale. Thirst quenching and traditionally brewed with the finest Sussex grown ingredients: malted barley, Golding and Admiral Hops. It carries the "Warranty of Origin" to guarantee our commitment to creating excellent beers from the highest quality local ingredients."

Game: So we've been playing Aliens: Colonial Marines and it's actually NOT THAT BAD! There, I've said it [no, you shouted it - Ed].  It's no Alien Isolation but then it wasn't trying to be (because Alien Isolation hadn't been invented then). But if you want a corridor shooter and you want Aliens and you've only got a quid, this game has you covered.

Revised rating: 6 facehugs out of 10

IPA (Belhaven)

Name: IPA
Label: "Original Scottish Craft - Golden, Fresh, Aromatic"
Brewery: Belhaven
ABV: 4.2%

Tasting notes: "India Pale Ales were first brewed in the 19th century, when the refreshing bite of beers brewed with extra hops became very popular in India. In America a century or more later, IPAs evolved into super-strong, super-hoppy beers. Our Scottish take on the style is closer to those original exports - a fine golden pale ale brewed with Fuggles, Willamette and Styrian hops to give a an aromatic nose with spicy, tropical fruit and lemon zest notes and a brisk, refreshing flavour."

Game: Today was random purchase Tuesday. After the excessive expenditure that was Elite Dangerous [yeah you're a bit shit at that game aren't you - Ed] we splashed out a whole English pound (£1) re-buying Aliens Colonial Marines. Was it *really* as bad as everyone said it was when it was first released? We can't remember much about it so the incoming review will be without any baggage or prior knowledge of what it should or should not be [it appears your memory is as bad as your gaming skills - Ed].