Dizzy's Dark Side (Robinsons)

Name: Dizzy's Dark Side
Label: "Dark oak coloured ale with a clean crisp aroma"
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 3.8%

Tasting notes: "A dark side. We all have one, isn't that what makes us exciting? Keeps us on our toes? This dominating dark oak coloured beer boasts a full bodied roast malt flavour with hints of chocolate, balanced by a clean crisp hop character. It's the darker, more seductive older sister of our best selling Dizzy Blonde. An alluring taste that draws you in and keeps you coming back for more... After all, who said that blondes have all the fun."

Game: There's going to be a new Lego game! Who'd have thought! To be fair though, I like a Lego game as much as the next person but with the announcement of Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens I can't help but think why can't we have a proper Force Awakens game? A proper Jurassic Park game? A proper Lord of the Rings game? And not just any old shit either. I mean to the standard of the Batman Arkham series. Make it so, game makery people!

Unicorn Black (Robinsons)

Name: Unicorn Black
Label: "Deliciously rich roasted stout - A modern twist on an aged old recipe, Unicorn Black is a dark, mysterious, ebony coloured stout with a distinct aroma of roasted malt and chocolate."
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.1%

Tasting notes: "Rich, full bodied and deeply satisfying, Unicorn Black delivers a palate of roasted coffee and peppery hops leaving a robust after bitterness. It is perfectly balanced with a hint of sweetness."

Game: Assassin's Creed Syndicate is ace. The attention to detail is amazing. However, there only seems to be about three enemy character models which is weird.  It's like, "Oh, there's that stocky looking bald bloke again and the baddy woman lookout person." This happens every minute or so when traversing London's streets bumping into groups of Blighters. Seems strange given the obvious effort gone in to recreating London and it breaks the immersion. Breaks it worse than getting stuck on a wall mid-climb. A minor quibble so it still gets 9/10.

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

Simon Rimmer Presents A Beer To Go With Chicken (Robinsons)

Name: Simon Rimmer Presents A Beer To Go With Chicken
Label: "Tasting notes: A vibrant zesty little number - absolutely bursting with Amarillo citrus hop ending with a crisp dry sweet lemon finish"
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.0%

Rating: "Simon says... The delights of a golden ale are limitless. Clean, crisp, hint of citrus - all essential. Those qualities make it a perfect drink to have with chicken. Bringing out the delicate flavours and adding an extra dimension to everything from a roast chicken to a Caesar salad. So don't put all your eggs in one basket - save room for a bottle of my beer for chicken."

Game: Xbox One has landed. Looks ace. Plays ace. It's ace, basically. Games list currently consists of Dead Rising 3, Assassin's Creed 4 and freebies FIFA14 and Killer Instinct (who said brand loyalty was a bad thing?) Also expected is the arrival of my Ryse: Son of Rome pre-order at some point *narrows eyes at shopto.net*.

Trooper (Robinsons Brewery)

Name: Trooper
Label: "Onward, Onward Rode the 600... The Charge Of The Light Brigade, which inspired the Iron Maiden song The Trooper, took place at the Battle of Balaclava (1854) during the Crimean War when 600 British cavalry courageously charged the massed Russian artillery. This gallant but foolhardy assault resulted in a massive loss of life and came about due to a misunderstanding of an order given by the commanding officer, Lord Raglan."
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.7%

Rating: "Trooper is a premium British beer inspired by Iron Maiden and handcrafted at Robinsons brewery. Being a real ale enthusiast, Bruce Dickinson has developed a beer which has true depth of character. Malt flavours and citric notes from a unique blend of Bobec, Goldings and Cascade hops dominate this deep golden ale with a subtle hint of lemon." Iron Maiden beer! Probably my most favourite ale to date!

Game: The Wii U is so great I've hardly touched the Xbox for a while. Tonight though I'm back on it with Half Life 2. Big mistake actually! Currently traversing rivers and storm drains on one of those things that floats on water with a fan behind it (you know, like what Gentle Ben used to ride on through the Everglades). It has made me feel incredibly nauseous for some reason. So much so, I've had to turn it off and I'm now typing this instead. I felt fine when I was playing Mario so I'm currently not sure if its the game or whether I'm coming down with something. In fact I'm not going back to gaming at all tonight, it's that bad. I'm off to watch some of my Fringe boxset instead. Plus Iron Maiden beer makes everything better!

Simon Rimmer Presents a Beer to go with Steak (Robinsons)

Name: Simon Rimmer Presents a Beer to go with Steak
Label: "Simon says... I always think a good ale should be meaty. So matching beer with steak or any red meat means you want depth of flavour. Luckily that's exactly what you'll find inside this bottle. Great flying solo - even better with your favourite meaty dish."
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.4%

Rating: "An intense beer handcrafted to heighten the finest flavours of a big juicy steak. This rich ruby red ale is packed with toffee and roasted biscuity malts, adding a depth of flavour that will leave you (and your guests) wanting more." Guests Schmests, give me all the steak and give me all the beer!

Game: FINALLY! Dark Souls finished. Done and done. A mixture of emotions ranging from elation to wow-that-ending-was-rubbish. I'd also like to take this opportunity to pass on my undying gratitude to the following folks of Xbox Live-land, namely gamertag "Oven Chips" for his/her assist during the blisteringly difficult battle against Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough (two bosses against two real players seems fairer to me) and gamertag "I Am A Viking" for his copious amounts of encouragement and links to handy tutorials, guides and walkthroughs *wipes tear away* may you both be stocked full of Humanity and never go Hollow.

Dizzy Blonde (Robinsons)

Name: Dizzy Blonde
Label: "Golden Zesty Ale - Hop variety: Amarillo - Craft beers"
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 3.8%

Rating: "A refreshing golden ale packed full of Amarillo hops from across the pond. Dizzy Blonde started life as a summer seasonal beer but incredible success has allowed us to back it as one permanently available in our pubs and now in bottle. Nicknamed Peggy, she is a vibrant beer with a distinctive wild aromatic hop. Enjoy the spirit of innovation that comes with Robinsons Craft Beers."  Dizzy Blonde, great beer. Is the name a teeny tiny bit sexist nowadays maybe? I'll let you decide. Nothing compared to the game reviewed below though...

Game: Ok, I did it. I got rid of Duke Nukem Forever and I wasn't even halfway through. I couldn't take it anymore. I could no longer stomach the pathetic graphics, the stupid sexist 'jokes' and storyline, the abominable animation, even "The Dukes" voice started to sound like fingernails down a blackboard.  The final straw came soon after the classily named level "Duke Nukem's Titty City". Duke was trapped in a toilet, of which there are many for some reason. He picks up a turd out of the toilet, says something banal like, "Huh, that's disgusting - I'm a f*ckin' idiot, huh huh" and chucks it at the wall.  Oh, the hilarity of it all.  Nah, it wasn't for me, sorry... 2/10

Cheshire Black (Robinsons)

Name: Cheshire Black
Label: "Craft beers - Rich roasted stout"
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.1%

Rating: "This ebony coloured stout was first inspired by an original recipe dating back to 1892 and brought back to life by popular demand. It was originally used for the hourly paid beer allowance most of which had usually been consumed before mid-day! On many occasions the singing coming from the brewery could be heard from miles around. Enjoy the spirit of innovation that comes with Robinsons Craft Beers." Can you imagine being paid an hourly beer allowance? I'd never leave work.

Game: So Inside Xbox has been ditched by Microsoft. Seems a shame as Dan Maher and Andy Farrant did make some really good content accessible from the Xbox dashboard. Pretty much the only thing I watch on Xbox Live was their shows, but the great thing about Inside Xbox was that they genuinely engaged with the community. It may have been a veneer but it definitely gave the impression that Microsoft weren't some faceless capitalist monstrosity out to relieve us of as much money as possible. The lads seemed genuinely enthusiastic and enjoyed being part of the great Xbox community and interacting with us lowly punters (customers). Now it seems they're to be replaced by a "third-party content model". So that's yet more adverts then, right?  I'm all for change and freshening things up but this just seems like a cynical ploy to cut costs with a view to further monetising Xbox Live.

Unicorn (Robinsons)

Name: Unicorn
Label: "First brewed in 1896"
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.3%

Rating: "Bottled beers come and go, but only a few survive six generations. Such is Robinsons legendary UNICORN Extra Premium Ale... a beer for people who know how to appreciate the best of Britain's distinctive beers. Light and refreshing with a full bodied flavour of rich hops and malt, making it ideal to accompany a meal, for a quiet evening, or to help celebrate a special occasion. Look for the legend. Look for the UNICORN." A stunning beer. If I actually saw a real unicorn I would be less stunned than I am when I drink this beer. That doesn't make much sense but I'm too stunned to care.

Game: I was talking to some ghost in The Witcher 2 (like you do), and he happened to mention to me that "the Unicorn returns" in reference to King Henselt and the Dynasty of the Unicorn. This was at the exact same moment that I happened to be supping a splendid pint of Unicorn ale! This coincidence is more than just a coincidence surely. It's like a double coincidence or something. This witchery weirdness further confirms I'm possibly overdoing it on the Witcher front. Time for a bit of Mario Kart 7 instead... talking toadstools, plumbers and lizard things driving go-karts... far less weird.

Build a rocket boys! (Robinsons)

Name: 'build a rocket boys!'
Label: "...a new beer created by elbow and brewed by Robinsons. Named after their album, the band designed the beer after a series of tastings at Robinsons Unicorn Brewery in Stockport."
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.0%

Rating: "A golden ale with a rich balanced body, smooth bitterness, subtle tang of malt and fruity aroma."  I've not listened to Elbow's music much as I've always assumed it may not be my cup of tea, but that doesn't matter as this beer is certainly, er.. my cup of tea... My wife loves the band so I'm off to search for her Elbow CDs for a sneaky listen.

Game: The last post was all about what you couldn't do during Space Marines. Red Faction: Armageddon is all about what you can do. Want to get in that mech and drive it? Sure. Want to drive that Crawler? Sure. Want to fly that flyable thing? Hell yeah, get in there and do it bro!  Red Faction is essentially an over-the-shoulder third person corridor shooter but with great destructible environments. As mentioned there are some surprisingly great mech/vehicle driving sequences which contain some beefy and satisfyingly punchy weaponry at your disposal. A disintegratingly good 7.5 / 10.

Ginger Tom (Robinson's)

Name: Ginger Tom
Label: "A blend of Old Tom and Fentiman's famous Ginger Beer"
Brewery: Robinson's
ABV: 6.0%

Rating: "Old Tom with Ginger, is a mouth watering combination of Robinson's award winning Old Tom Ale and the famously authentic Fentiman's Ginger Beer, which uses a traditional recipe dating back to 1900. It is a superior strong ale with a peppery blast of fresh ginger and spiced herbs."  Happy New drinking Year!

Game: Not had any new beers for a while so there's a lot to catch up on. What recently springs to mind is Space Marines: Warhammer 40000. Quite a competent over-the-shoulder Gears of War clone but without the cover mechanic and some interesting differences (jetpacks!). Overall verdict though is slight disappointment. Oh cool, do I get to drive the massive Titan robot and shoot stuff? No. Do I get to pilot the ship around the planet and shoot stuff? No. Do I get to mash two buttons through another 500 Orks? Yes!  6.5 / 10.

Chocolate Tom (Robinson's)

Name: Chocolate Tom
Label: "A blend of Old Tom and the finest English chocolate - Strong Ale"
Brewery: Robinson's
ABV: 6.0%

Rating: "Developed by Robinson's with the renowned chocolatier, Simon Dunn".  As a migraine sufferer whose trigger is chocolate, this has the potential to be pure doom in a bottle. I've not had chocolate for about eighteen months now so this tasted great with really strong, but not overbearing, aromas of chocolate. The morning after brought no tell-tale signs of migrainicity either, so rather than liquid pain this was liquid awesome.

Game: According to Robin Kaminsky, Activision's former executive vice president of publishing, innovation in video games has stalled. I'd wholly disagree. Admittedly some developers choose to just reskin their games each year like *ahem* Activision's Call of Duty. However a lot of devs are making constant innovations in terms of tech, user interaction and approaches to storytelling e.g. Kinect, LA Noire, Deus Ex Human Revolution to name but three. And personally I don't think encouraging "alternative payment approaches" is going to help innovation. That's just another way of saying they are looking to get more cash out of gamers wallets.

Old Tom (Robinsons)

Name: Old Tom
Label: "Voted World's Best Ale"
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 8.5%

Rating: I realise it's probably the strongest bottled ale I've ever drunk, but why the piddly little 330ml bottle?

Game: At this point in time I have so many games on the go it's getting obscene.  What better way to celebrate than by... buying another game. Battlefield Bad Company 2 has now entered the collective fray as everyone has been banging on about how good it is online, and the one thing I don't do enough of is play online. I pay £40 a year for the privilege so it's time to force myself to like it. Started off with the single player campaign though just to get used to the controls, obviously.

Unicorn (Robinsons)

Name: Unicorn
Label: "Brewing excellence - Robinsons legendary Unicorn has been recognised as the standard for quality beers for over 170 years"
Brewery: Robinsons
ABV: 4.3%

Rating: Thankfully has nothing to do with that sh*t Dungeons & Dragons cartoon from the 80's.

Game: Well into Dante's Inferno now - its one of those games that gets really f*cking annoying after awhile. Trying to make platform jumps in 3D scrolling environments gets tricky at times, resulting in certain segments needing to be replayed over and over and over and over and over again. Still good though but want to play Mass Effect 2 again...  Speaking of Mass Effect 2, here's my review: www.frugalgaming.co.uk/?p=14589