Golden Host (Jennings)

Name: Golden Host
Label: "A deep golden beer with a hint of spice & toffee"
Brewery: Jennings Brewery
ABV: 4.2%

Tasting notes: "A full flavoured golden bitter brewed using the finest English malted barley and carefully selected aromatic hops. A generous handfull of crystal malts has been added to give a delicate flavour & subtle aroma."

Game: New(ish) to Xbox Game Pass, Ruiner.  This Cyberpunky, Blade Runnery top down twin stick shootery game has brilliant aesthetics and design but a punishing difficulty level. Deep weapon and ability skill trees and a great looking city-hub area make for an intriguing experience potential RUINED by an insane difficulty spike after the first mission. We shall try to persevere with this but first, let's knock that difficulty level down a bit...

6.5/10 - score to be revisited possibly

The Governor (JW Lees)

Name: The Governor
Label: "Marco Pierre White - All-malt British Beer"
Brewery: JW Lees Brewery
ABV: 4.1%

Tasting notes: "The Governor is an all-malt British beer created by Marco Pierre White and JW Lees Brewery. Marco is famous for developing delicious flavours in his cooking and for searching the finest ingredients, so when he teamed up with our head brewer, Michael Lees-Jones, it was no surprise that they crafted a deliciously moreish amber ale with a zesty floral aroma and refreshing dry taste. The Governor was made to be drunk on its own and to be enjoyed with food. The recipe was designed to compliment the flavours in what you eat, not to overpower them. We like to say that The Governor is 'brewed for food'."

Game: Another Xbox Game Pass offering, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic for Xbox Original is now backwards compatible on Xbox One X! As massive Star Wars fans we've played this several times, although shamefully, never got round to completing it. Last time we got stuck fighting some baddies and didn't have a suitable Save to go back to. Stupid stupid error. Here we go again... epic RPG time.

Rating: 9/10

Hophead (Dark Star)

Name: Hophead
Label: "Light and hoppy"
Brewery: Dark Star Brewing Co
ABV: 3.8%

Tasting notes: "Perfectly balanced light ale. Straw coloured finest malted barley and delicate fruity cascade hop flavours. Enjoy by the sip or by the gulp"

Interesting fact: "Dark Star is named after the music of the Grateful Dead rock band... and just like the band, what we do is our hobby. They did it for the music, we do it for the beer."

Game: Xbox Game Pass allows you to play stuff you may have missed out on, in our case that's Halo 5: Guardians. Although it appears this is more of a co-op / multiplayer oriented game, we're giving it a go solo. Having not played Halo for ages, this game is a reminder of just how great a shooter Halo is. It also looks absolutely amazing on Xbox One X.

Recommended. 8/10

Session Pale (Hambleton Ales)

Name: Session Pale
Label: "Light & Refreshing Pale Ale"
Brewery: Nick Stafford's Hambleton Ales
ABV: 3.8%

Tasting notes: "SEE: Pale straw. SMELL: Fruity, lemon, apple. TASTE: Zesty, refreshing, light" Who is Nick Stafford??

Game: It's summer. It's really hot. There are no games coming out for a while that are any good. Great time to try the Xbox Game Pass then! We snagged the 3 months of Game Pass for £7.99 offer.  We wanted to play Mad Max (pictured on the Game Pass advert). We searched for Mad Max. Mad Max is no longer available with Game Pass. Not off to a good start.

Mauler (Ringwood)

Name: Mauler
Label: "Thirst quenching craft pale ale"
Brewery: Ringwood
ABV: 3.9%

Tasting notes: "We take two things seriously here at Ringwood Brewery, our ales & our leisure time. Along with creating quality craft ales, we are relaxation enthusiasts. Mauler is a golden craft beer delivering crisp bitterness, combined with a thirst quenching refreshing finish."

Plug: Ever wanted an awesome Predator Jungle Hunter pillow to rest your sleepy head on?  Well now you can with our new sister website www.bickle77collectables.com!

Check this bad boy out:

Predator Jungle Hunter Pillow

All items are limited edition. Just visit the site click the pic you want, and then click the item you want! Then Get To DA CHOPPA!!

Ripsaw (Wychwood)

Name: Ripsaw
Label: "A refreshing Red Beer with a Maple Syrup twist..."
Brewery: Wychwood Brewery
ABV: 4.2%

Tasting notes: "A take on the American Red, with a Maple Syrup twist. Expect rich red colours from crystal malts, roasted barley & caramalts, with a spicy resinous bitterness & an aroma of grapefruits & peaches."

Game: We've been having a break from gaming. But now we're back into gaming.  Today we're playing Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Edition. This includes 12 (twelve) Street Fighter games. Even Street Fighter 1 which totally sucks.  But the rest are great and currently works out at about £2 a game! Oop Oi!

Rating: 9/10

Dead Pony Club (Brewdog)

Name: Dead Pony Club
Label: "Session Pale Ale"
Brewery: Brewdog
ABV: 3.8%

Tasting notes: "Our West Coast Pale Ale kicks like a mule. Hopped to the verge of insanity it delivers a citrus juggernaut. The toasted malt backbone accelerates hard into a huge hop hit, where tropical fruit and floral notes abound, all under-pinned with a little spice. Dead Pony Club - California dreaming for those of us who are awake and in need of a beer."

Game: What's this?  A triple AAA indie game that's a digital download only title? It can only be Ninja Theory's Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice! Previously a PlayStation 4 for the players only exclusive, it's now on Xbox One X with better graphics and stuff.  It looks amazing, it sounds amazing, the main character walks/runs too slow.

Rating: 8 voices in my head out of 10

Punk IPA (Brewdog)

Name: Punk IPA
Label: "Post Modern Classic"
Brewery: Brewdog
ABV: 5.6%

Tasting notes: "Our flagship IPA is a post-punk apocalyptic ale. This light golden classic has been subverted with new world hops, creating a devastating explosion of flavour. Kalashnikov bursts of caramel, incendiary tropical fruit and an all-out riot of grapefruit, pineapple and lychee, precede a spiky bitter finish. Punk - Quintessential Empire with an anarchic twist."

Game: This week is Trials of the Blood Dragon which is currently free on Xbox Live.  Having not heard anything about this game previously, it's not what we were expecting. We were expecting more Blood Dragon 80's inspired Far Cry gamage but instead it's Trials HD meets Blood Dragon [oh, the clues in the name then? Who'd have thought... - Ed], with strange floaty 2D side-scrolling platforming action. It actually works really well and it's got that addictive "just one more go to see the next level" vibe to it.

7 irritating physics based motorcross bike jumps out of 10.

Jack Hammer (Brewdog)

Name: Jack Hammer
Label: "Ruthless India Pale Ale"
Brewery: Brewdog
ABV: 7.2%

Tasting notes: "Get ready to hammer your taste buds. Start with massive grapefruit aroma. Then accelerate hard into mind bending bitterness. Ride the spike of caramel craziness until the end of the line.And let the bitterest of bitter finishes nail your taste-buds to the floor. Jack Hammer - if bitterness is a place, you have reached your destination."

Game: This week we've mostly been "playing" the new Assassin's Creed Origins DLC, specifically the new Discovery Tour mode. This lets us go around the stunningly realised Egypt and embark on a fully narrated tour of the various wonders it has to offer.  The only inaccuracy with what we've seen so far is that it describes the Great Pyramid of Giza as a tomb built by humans, however, everyone now knows it's actually a disused power plant originally built by aliens. Tomb... pfft.

Rating: 9 wonders of the world out of 10

Cherry Head (Marstons)

Name: Cherry Head
Label: "Cherry Stout"
Brewery: Marston's
ABV: 4.5%

Tasting notes: "The fruits of our labour have never tasted so good. With hints of sweet, sumptuous cherries and rich chocolate roasted malts, this sweet cherry stout is bottled Black Forest decadence at its best. But be warned, it'll drag you into the woods and back out again"

Game: We're branching out. Please check out and follow our Gaming Ales Collectables instagram page!  It's where we will be showcasing our favourite pieces from our collection, such as Falconer Predator below.  We had some MAJOR issues deciding whether it should be called Gaming Ales Collectables or Gaming Ales Collectibles. We didn't know which is grammatically correct because we're thick [speak for yourself! - Ed]