For this week’s blog, I thought I would take a break from sitting sipping a beer and waxing lyrical about why I like it, or not.

Instead, I want to talk about how easy it is to try great new ales these days. After all, this blog is here to try to help people enter the ale market.

You don’t have to go out and seek a real ale pub to find a cracking bottle of beer, though I would recommend trying something new any time you’re in a pub and hunting out those great places to drink.

​I have to hand it to British supermarkets for the choice they give, and brewers and distributors for making the beer aisles so exciting.

From Tesco to Lidl and Aldi, you can find beer of all styles. I made a rare visit to Morrisons today and found a particularly good range, picking up bottles from great regional brewers, including Jennings, Mordue and Maxim.

Thanks to competition, the value to be found in supermarkets is also customer-friendly, with multi-buys available in most.

In pubs, there is a great range to be found, too, and I would urge people to pick a pint or bottle that they’ve never had before. On an annual Cup Final Day out with my friends last Saturday, I managed to find a beer I’ve never had before in every pub we visited, including BrewDog, which had a particularly interesting new brew, the grapefruit-infused Elvis Juice, on offer.

We are at the start of a Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK, so my challenge to you is this: take advantage of this availability and, whether you’re out and about, or having a barbeque at home, try something different and challenge your tastebuds.

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Name of beer
Ladeout at the Lade Inn
 
Brewer
The Lade Inn
 
Location
Kilmahog, Perthshire
 
ABV
5.1%
 
What the brewer says
“A robust and satisfying dark ale with a complex flavour of liquorice and dark chocolate, that is rewarding on the palate.”
 
PDP says:
We’re staying in Scotland for tonight's beer. Those of you who read the blog regularly might recall that on my travels in the Highlands recently I stumbled upon a craft beer shop. The shop was attached to a pub, The Lade Inn, which had its own brewery.

Unsurprisingly, the shop sells that brewery’s beer, among others, so this is my first taste of the Lade range. The name, Ladeout, initially made me wonder if it was to be a particularly strong ale, one of those with a clever name, like Black Sheep’s Riggwelter or Jennings’ Snecklifter, but at 5.1%, it’s fairly standard fayre if not a sessionable ABV.

It’s certainly strong in taste, as you’d expect from a dark ale. It’s a nice taste, too.

The notes on the bottle don’t talk of it, but I like the roasted taste – I don’t pick up the liquorice or chocolate flavours the brewer suggests. What the bottle gets right is “dark and robust”.

It’s full of flavour and probably a great jump up for people easing themselves onto ale with golden beers. You’re not leaping all the way to a stout or porter, but making a big step change into more challenging flavours.

​I look forward to my next trip to Scotland and the opportunity to try more of their beer.
 
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Name of beer
Old Engine Oil
 
Brewer
Harviestoun Brewery
 
Location
Alva, Scotland
 
ABV
6%
 
What the brewer says
“Legend has it that Old Engine Oil was dedicated to our Head Brewer’s love of classic cars. But it’s the thick, dark, chocolaty viscosity that reveals the real inspiration behind the name.

“We use loads of roasted malt to give it a rich black colour and plenty of oats to give it a wonderful, velvety mouthfeel.

“It’s just the job for anyone who appreciates beautifully engineered stuff that used to be made properly. So undo the top button of your pressed pit overalls, ease into the wingback and roll out a rare taste of a truly great British beer.

​“Welcome to the Owners’ Club.”
 
PDP says:
The name alone gave me an idea of what to expect, or at least that’s what I thought, but actually, despite being called a “black ale”, I suspect “porter” is closer to the mark (actually, that’s how it’s also listed in Untappd).

I’d half expected it to be one of those oddly-named, but often rather lovely, “dark” or “black” IPAs, but it’s not. Far from it, but equally tasty.

The aroma is understated, especially in contrast to the taste. It’s full-bodied, packed with roast malt flavour, but with an unexpected fizz off the front of the tongue and a general feel that makes me think a little of treacle.

To say I like this would be an understatement. The more I work my way through the bottle, the more I start to wonder if it isn’t actually better than Guinness’ bottled porter offerings, such as Original XX and West Indies Porter.

Yes, it’s quite strong, at 6%, but it goes down extremely well, leaving a nice, lingering, aftertaste.

This is a beer for someone who is used to darker ales, or a great leap into the unknown for someone starting out on their beer journey.

It’s also a great flag-flyer for Scottish beer. Purely because of the ubiquity of Guinness, I associate porters with Ireland, and I think many casual drinker would be the same.

However, I’m starting to think this might be equal, or superior to Arthur’s black stuff.
 
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Name of beer
Lagunitas IPA
 
Brewer
Lagunitas Brewing Company
 
Location
Petaluma, California & Chicago, Illinois
 
ABV
6.2%
 
What the brewer says
“…special homicidally hoppy ale. Savor the moment as the raging hop character engages the Imperial Qualities of the Malt Foundation in mortal combat on the battlefield of your palate!”.”
 
PDP says:
Thankfully, this beer is more straightforward and less full of b****cks than the text strewn around the label.
I’m coming to the conclusion that, on days when all I want is a nice beer and there is nothing I know on the bar or in the fridge, the best option is “go for the IPA”.
I’ve not been let down tonight. After a busy day, I owed it to you, dear readers, to have a beer. Honest, it’s all for you.
Lagunitas IPA claims a “raging hop character” and delivers.
The first thing that hits you is the sweet aroma. VERY sweet.
I was a touch worried that the beer itself might taste sickly, but it doesn’t. Instead, you get a lovely strong flavour that lasts long after you swallow the ale.
The other thing of note is the unusual bottle size. At 355ml, it’s bigger than the regular craft bottle, but still well short of a 500ml ale.
To say much more on this would be to waffle, suffice to say that it’s a classic IPA, full of hoppy flavour and a bit of a treat at 6.2% (not to be knocked back on a session).
 
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