Mud City Stout (Sadler's)

Name: Mud City Stout
Label: "Brewed with raw cocoa, vanilla pods, flaked oats, wheat and a complex blend of beautifully dark malts - Incomparable ales"
Brewery: Sadler's
ABV: 6.6%

Rating: "Dark and delicious Stout brewed with raw cocoa, vanilla pods, flaked oats, wheat and a blend of beautifully dark malts. Molasses, treacle and soft liquorice are rounded with a dark coffee bean and honeyed nut character. Sweet vanilla, chocolate and berry fruit shine through to a gentle bitter finish."

Game: I played the Titanfall Beta like everyone else.  For that one person that doesn't know what Titanfall is, it's a run and gun fast-paced FPS with added giant robot. I ranned and gunned and died and respawned lots and lots of times over and over again for about three hours.  That's me done for Titanfall I reckon.  I dislike forming an opinion about a game based on a beta but there you go. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it (a bit) but I just find multi-player so very very repetitive and boring. And next-gen or not, Titanfall has done nothing to change this.  Like I said to Titanfall as I switched it off,  "It's not you, it's me", I'm sure normal people and multi-player fans will really dig it. 7 / 10.

Thin Ice (Sadler's)

Name: Thin Ice
Label: "Extra Pale Ale - An extremely pale beer finished with a hint of citrus orange hops - Brewed in the Black Country"
Brewery: Sadler's
ABV: 4.5%

Rating: "Uplifting aromas of zesty orange, melon and kiwi lead to a refreshing tart citrus sensation. A delicate sweet malt character softens the citrus burst and leads to a distinctive bitter finish.  Brewed with the finest English Maris Otter barley and Green Bullet hops from New Zealand."

Game: I don't understand a lot of the reviews I'm reading about Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.  It's a 2D platformer. No wait, it's a GREAT 2D platformer and yet reviewers are begrudgingly admitting its great but in the same breath bemoaning the lack of 'innovation' and mark it down. Seriously, what do these people want from a Donkey Kong game? Augmented Reality? Snow in your living room for extra immersion? Monkeys lobbing bananas (or worse) out of the telly at you? Multiplayer deathmatches? I don't want any of that. I want an HD Donkey Kong adventure and that's what this game delivers. Splendiferous graphics, exquisite soundtrack and lots of platforming action! If you have a Wii U get Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. If you don't have a Wii U, get a Wii U and then get Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Rating: 9/10

Valentines XB (Batemans)

Name: Valentines XB
Label: "Batemans Valentines Tipple - Limited Edition XB - Roses are red, violets are blue, here's to raising a glass of XB with you"
Brewery: Batemans
ABV: 3.7%

Rating: "English Goldings and Challenger hops fused with crisp Lincolnshire pale and chocolate malts creating a grainy, quaffable Valentine's tipple."  My amazing and long-suffering wife bought me this, so in true Valentine's Day fashion I drank the beer and played The Walking Dead. Then I treated her to The Wolverine in 3D. Romantic is my middle name (Bickle 'Romantic' 77).

Game: The first episode of The Walking Dead is free. I played it and too be honest I couldn't really work out what all the fuss was about. But then I gave episode 2 a go for the princely sum of £3.39. Blown away! I'm rubbish at decision  making, so I'm using this as training software. Some of the decisions are really difficult to make you see, but you have to make them, like, really quick! Lot's of OMG moments too. 8/10

Cool Beer for a Hot Curry (Staffordshire Brewery)

Name: Cool Beer for a Hot Curry
Label: "Curry Night Special - Made in England. Where else?"
Brewery: Staffordshire Brewery
ABV: 4.5%

Rating: "A light hoppy beer." Got this beer for Christmas in a curry set with tandoori paste and a jar of mango chutney. What a pressie!

Game: Talking of Christmas, already scouting out what to get loved ones for Christmas 2014?  It's only around the corner after all (and if weeks equal corners then that's only 45 corners to go).  Why not give them the gift of Gaming Ales in e-book form?  Stop LOL-ing!  It's just the beers and gaming reviews without all the accompanying drivel!  I'll just leave this link here: The Alternative Good Beer and Gaming Guide: 101 real ales rated - now with added Xbox One fizz.

Original Oak Aged Beer (Innis & Gunn)

Name: Original Oak Aged Beer
Label: "Brewed in small batches - Smooth Scottish Beer with hints of toffee, vanilla and oak."
Brewery: Innis & Gunn
ABV: 6.6%

Rating: "This honey-hued beer is matured over the finest American Oak heartwood to unlock natural flavours from deep within the oak grain. These luscious flavours of toffee, vanilla and oak perfectly balance the beer's malt backbone and light hop fruitiness. Its mellowness and depth of flavour makes it a great accompaniment to food like grilled seafood, juicy steaks and mature cheese."

Had this ages ago but it deserved another post due to this epic 750ml bottle! Check out the size! 2 for £5 in Sainsburys if you're interested.

Game: Gaming Ales review of Flappy Bird: it was awright.  Probably one of the better story-lines for a mobile game. And it was free but didn't constantly mither (beg) for money via micro-transactions. For that it gets 6/10, and coincidentally that's the most amount of pipes I got past.