Bottled ales. What are your favourites or what do you have in your home ?

[WildRosie]

Firstly, I admit I don't usually buy bottled (or canned) beer as I prefer to do my beer drinking in pubs. But it's nice to have one or two in for an aperitif or after work. Generally I go for dark, full-bodied stuff like Double Maxim and Mann's Brown Ale but some of the 'golden' ales are quite palatable, for example, Wainwright and Exmoor Gold. I steer clear of anything that is described as 'citrussy'. Obviously this is all a matter of personal taste and we all have our own likes and dislikes. This question might become more pertinent in the coming days if our pubs are forced to close again!

You need to look at Siren brewery, they have some amazing ones and at Christmas they do some great chocolate beer.

Thankyou marzipan.

I don't do citrusy or IPAs either. So annoying going to a "craft beer" place and asking for a best bitter with the answer being no. What?!? This is standard stuff. All about the malt. I like Exmoor Gold, Bath Ales Gem and I buy a lot of Otter, they deliver.

Do they not tend to be quite localised?

We tend to go for Williams Brothers stuff and they have a good range of dark ales available - March of the Penguins is a good one.

I say that as when I buy ales in our local supermarket it is typically ones which are locally brewed that I can get. Maybe that isn’t the case elsewhere

I am unsure as to classifications.

I drink Timothy Taylor's Landlord as I used to live near their brewery!

Morrison's is my nearest supermarket (apart from Aldi which I don't normally visit) and I find that the beer from the local breweries such as Copper Dragon and Ilkley tends to be more expensive than that from more distant places. I suspect this is a national policy with Morrison's to support the brewing industry local to their stores. I'm not bothered too much about Ilkley Brewery as I don't care for most of their products. Mary Jane is consummate witchpiss. Theakston and Black Sheep are reasonably priced and more my thing.

I do like a Black Sheep. I’m in memory lane at the moment drinking Newc’y Brown (sp?). I used to like Hobgoblin but it seems to have gone downhill since Marston’s sold its brewing arm.

Have you heard of Flavourly? They do great one-off deals such as 24 bottles for £24 (mixed crate) and 48 cans for £48 etc. Money Saving Expert posts their deals, great value and a nice way to try a variety of ales.

I'll look at Flavourly, Josvie. Thankyou.

DHs standard shopping list...

• Proper Job (it's Cornish, St Austells I think. Doesn't mind Tribute either)
• Holy Grail

-Trooper

• same brewery as Trooper, for Help for Heroes that I can't remember the name of)
• Ghost Ship (but this is citrus)
• Hobgoblin Gold

We generally buy a box every couple of weeks from a local brewery who started delivering at the start of lockdown. They do a few lovely stouts which I love and a range of pale ales which by partner prefers.

My favourites are:
Purity's UBU (this brewery is quite local to me)
Abbott Ale
Fursty Ferret
Rev James (very pleased that Lidl sells this)

Speckled Hen, London Pride, Dark Side of the Moose plus my current favourite Batemans XB. Not had that one since early March though.

I remember when bottled beer was something that came strictly in brown pint or half-pint bottles from the corner shop or off-licence. A bit like these:

I'd be surprised if any if the beer we're talking about was invented when these bottles were around. My Dad used to buy Theakston's Best, Tetley Special Pale, Webster's Green Label and Guinness in these bottles and return the empties for pennies. The Guinness was brewed in their now closed brewery in London and bottled at Musgrave and Sagar's bottling plant in Leeds. Hey and Humphries was another local bottling specialist.

I used to buy Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Strong Pale Ale when I first saw it on Inspector Morse in the late 1980s. The Nut Brown Ale was even better. I haven't bought either for years as they became stupidly expensive and I suspect the recipes changed as well.

Shepherd’s Neame 1698. Strong one but what a taste 😋

Some good ones on here. I agree that Hobgoblin isn't as good as it used to was. Jubilee and Mackeson are another two that I'd buy in pint bottles occasionally but I think my palate would find them both a little sweet now.

Tribute and Doombar could be to your taste OP.

Timothy taylors landlord is my fave followed by blacksheep

Innis & Gunn Blood Red Sky, seriously strong and packed with flavour.

Wowfudge. I used to like Doombar until it either became mass-produced or the recipe changed. Either way I've gone off it now - it tastes like Golden Delicious apples! I've not had Tribute before - is it a St. Austell brew ?

Landlord is okay but Taylor's make far nicer beer such as Ram Tam and Best Bitter. Landlord seems to get all the publicity and I don't think BB is available in bottles. RT is. Riggwelter is the best of the Black Sheep beers - their regular bitter is a bit bland but the Special is better.

I've never had Innis and Gunn but I've seen it lots. Is it brewed in Edinburgh?

Orkney Dark Island is good.

re Landlord : All beer tastes better on tap, surely.

The Kernel

Innis & Gunn is brewed in Perth (Scotland, not Oz!) WildRosie.

Thankyou xan. Today I've bought two Fuller's beers (only £1.50 each) - London Porter and ESB. I may end up buying some more next week if the pubs close again. Hope this doesn't happen.