Mainbrace IPA (Shepherd Neame)

Name: Mainbrace IPA
Label: "Complex & Refreshing with a Light Citrus Tang & Lingering Hoppy Aftertaste"
Brewery: Shepherd Neame
ABV: 4.5%

Rating: "This exquisitely smooth ale boasts a light malty flavour and is brewed with locally grown hops and chalk filtered mineral water drawn from the well of Britain's oldest brewer."  From Asda's Extra Special range selected by Leiths School of Food and Wine no less!

Game: Forza 5 is great. The graphics are great. And yes, ace graphics make an ace game.  This is indisputable fact. Maybe... There are only a few tracks which is fine because it means feeble brained people like me don't have so many to learn. My only quibble is the sound when you crash into another car. It's like someone's held up a foil covered baking tray and hit it with a rolling pin.  I'm hearing it a lot too... especially on the Australian Mount Panorama Bathurst track. 9/10.

Santa's Beard (Brains)

Name: Santa's Beard
Label: "The Perfect Christmas Ale"
Brewery: Brains
ABV: 4.5%

Rating: "Santa's Beard blends five malts - Pale Ale, Munich, Crystal, Brown and Chocolate malts - with roasted barley to create a dark beer with a rich depth of malty wonderment. With flavours of caramel, burnt toffee and roast coffee balanced by a sweetness from lactose sugars, this is a luxuriously sumptuous sweet milk stout, perfect for Christmas. A great accompaniment to aged cheese or rich, chocolate puddings."  The last of the Christmas themed ales for this year, the decs are down, work is looming. Big fat sad face! On a positive note... er... beer! Yay beer and games!

Game: I thought I was getting good at Forza 5 so I decided to turn off all the assists. Then the track suddenly turned into an ice rink so I quickly put them back on again. Well in reality I've just got the traction control thingy switched on. I mean seriously, who the heck has breaking assists turned on? I don't see the point. Although I do have automatic transmission on which I guess is the same but opposite? I don't know. I don't even know what I'm talking about. It must be because the hols are coming to an end. I'm just seeing that as an excuse to drink more ale anyway. That's my New Years resolution. Drink more beer! Forget abstinence! Happy New Year folks!

Yule Love It! (Thwaites)

Name: Yule Love It!
Label: "Thoroughly Festive - A Magically Festive Brew"
Brewery: Thwaites
ABV: 4.0%

Rating: "An amber beer with a balanced hop and biscuit malt flavour and lingering bitter finish".  Yes! Christmas beer! And I'll did love it! And yule will too!

Game: Two days after Christmas day and my stomach has finally shrunk back down to normal size so I can now see the telly again - bring on the games! Forza 5 is as amazing as I've been led to believe. One of the things that was putting me off about it was the Top Gear affiliation and Jeremy Clarkson's involvement. From what I hear from various sources Jeremy Clarkson is "a bit of a knob" and I'm not really into Top Gear. It just seems to be three blokes way too far up their own arses surrounded by a bunch of sycophantic wankers for an audience. That's what I've gauged from the 20 second or so snippets I've seen of the show, so I'm more than likely wrong about everything and the show is great. Aaanyway, the game, as already stated is amazing. And Jeremy Clarkson's voice over bits are genuinely informative, engaging and oft-times humorous.

Cornish Knocker (Skinner's)

Name: Cornish Knocker
Label: "Cornish Knockers were known as the Tin Mine Fairies. They lived down the mines and used to guide the miners to the rich veins of tin with their knocking. It is said that the miners would throw the left over crusts from their Cornish pasties into the mine to keep on the right side of the Knockers - Cornish Folklore"
Brewery: Skinner's
ABV: 4.5%

Rating: "One of the original trail blazing golden ales - often copied but never equalled. Refreshing, full of life with hops all the way through. Flowery and fruity in the mouth with a clean and lasting malty, bittersweet finish."

Game: It's been an historic week!  Xbox One pre-ordered along with two games, Ryse: Son of Rome and Forza 5. The games were £54.99 each... A lot. But then I remember paying at least £50 for Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 when it first came out.  I'm still not 100% sure if I'm insane or not.  I guess we'll find out on the 27th November when the new console arrives. Current gaming time taken up with Remember Me, Lego Indiana Jones and Gears of War: Judgment.