Premium Dark

Brewery: Bohemia Regent

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Bohemia Regent is a Czech family owned brewery set up in 1379. This is there tmavý ležák 12 (Dark Lager 12° - where 12° refers to the density of the beer before fermentation). This came second in its category in the  "Ceska pivni pecet Tabor" (Czech Beer Seal Camp). This uses only Saaz hops and water from their own artisan wells. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Quite dark but lets light through when held to it. A thin off-white head that dissipates quickly. 

Aroma: A mix of Marmite and liquorice, weird but strangely intriguing. Some fruity notes.

Flavour: Creamy on the front with some roasted notes, leading into a salty
liquorice taste. These develop into a constant vanilla creamy note with a hint of toast.

Body: Very smooth and perfectly carbonated. 

Aftertaste: A Marmite taste which turns into a more roasted and creamy note.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, nice malty notes with no hops, decent to drink but nothing special.

Price Range: £2.49 for a 500ml bottle, an OK price for what it is, worth it.

Food Pairings: I think it would go well with a Charcuterie platter, or with a spicy stew with chorizo.

Hadouken

Brewery: Tiny Rebel Brewing Co

Supplier: Beers of Europe

Named after a finishing move from Street Fighter, this is the IPA from the small Welsh brewery using massive amounts of three American hops. I served this straight out of the fridge.

Appearance: Golden with a hint of amber. The head is thin and has an off-white colour.

Aroma: Lots of hop resin with some slight toasted malt notes in the back.

Flavour: Lots of refreshing hop notes with some grainy notes at the back.

Body: Quite syrupy but actually quite refreshing

Aftertaste: The taste becomes sickly sweet with hops, too much in my opinion.

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 6, but just as it is nice but too much in a lot of cases.

Price Range: £2.78 for a 330ml bottle, an OK price for what it is.

Food Pairings: Quite a strong beer with sweet taste so I would say this would go best with some heavily marinated pork, in something like a BBQ sauce or a Jamaican Jerk sauce.

Meduz Blanche

Brewery: Brasserie Artisanale Meduz

Supplier: Beer52

Another from the box, this one is from a French brewery in Uzès of Southern France. This is their lighter range beer that is listed as a Bière de Garde in Untappd but is described as more of a wheat beer, using wheat malt and orange peel, although I don't know if those terms are mutually exclusive.

Appearance: Very clear golden colour with a thin but sustaining pure white head

Aroma: Smells like bread dough with a very slight hint of citrus right at the back

Flavour: Classic wheat fruitiness on the front coupled with some more typical beer notes.

Body: Quite light but way too fizzy.

Aftertaste: A clean finish with just some bitterness that builds at the back

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 4, nice enough but has some rough edges.

Price Range: Part of the box of 8 I got for £12 (usually £24), so it works out at £1.50 for a 330ml bottle; probably about right if not a little too much. I wouldn't get it again though.

Food Pairings: Such a clean flavour that nearly anything would overpower it, I would suggest something fresh with a bit of sweetness such as a fruit salad.

Hoppeditz

Brewery: Freigeist Bierkultur (an offshoot of Braustelle)

Supplier: Beer52

A third from the Beer52 box, from an experimental offshoot of the the Braustelle brewery based in Cologne. This is their Doppelsticke Alt (the Altbier version of the Doppelbock), and is an attempt to update this historical beer style. I served this at room temperature.

Appearance: Brown ale with a maroon tint. There is a beige head that dissipates almost instantly. 

Aroma: Malty with a hint of saltiness like Marmite. Some fruity notes, a bit like cassis. 

Flavour: Just like it smells, very salty with some maltiness. 

Body: Reasonably viscous with not too much carbonation. 

Aftertaste: A slight bitterness with a hint of soap. 

Overall: Therefore this gets a rating of 3, It has some nice flavours but is too salty and has some other not too nice flavours.

Price Range: Part of the box of 8 I got for £12 (usually £24), so it works out at £1.50 for a 330ml bottle; too much for not a great beer.

Food Pairings: The saltiness would go quite well with some white fish such as in a  fish and chip meal.