July 2008: Sainsbury's to sell more premium beers
Talking Retail have a story on their website that Sainsbury'si have looked at 100 different premium beers and will choose 15 to go into their stores in August 2008. This can only be good news for good beer drinkers and the people who brew it. People are changing there habits to drinking less but of higher quality beers and this is obviously reflecting that.
The beers are;
Robinsons Old Tom with Ginger - I have reservations about ginger beers & Old Tom is really a winter beer, but will try to see.
Red Rat Crazy Day Stout - sounds great.
Greene King Sundance - nothing GK do is terrible, but also nothing they do is very exciting either.
Williams Brothers Brewery’s Harvest Sun and Good Times - A brewery that hardly put a foot wrong.
Sharp’s Honey Spice Wheat Beer - another good brewery on the rise & more wheat beer is a good thing.
Bath Ales Barnstormer - like Greene King, doesn't make terrible beers but doesn't make exciting ones either. Maybe this darker ale will change that.
High & Mighty Brewery’s Beer of the Gods - A fantastic beer that deserves promoting. Made under license in Oxfordshire by Ridgeway.
Doctor O’Kell IPAi - can't get enough IPAs.
Arundel Brewery Prize Fighter - another good brewery that could do with more national recognition.
Copper Dragon 1816 - another good brewery that could do with more national recognition and a maker of proper Northern bitter too.
Holden’s Golden Glow - a Black Country traditional brewery that definitely hides its light under a bushel.
St Peter’s Amarillo Ale - Wow! Sounds like just my kind of thing if its made with American Amarillo hops!
Highgate Old Ale - another brewery hiding its light. A stonking ale too, with bags of malt flavours for those who want a rest from all those IPas.
Hampshirei Brewery Arthur Pendragon - this brewery can make three bottled ales very well indeed - this one, Ironside and their very best Pride of Romsey IPA.
Bring on August!
Tags
Comments
Sainsbury's new beers - two months on
Not all Sainsbury'si stores stocked all of these beers. No suprise really as 30 extra beers takes up alot of shelf space - almost as much as a 10th of the olive oil or the bottled water shelf space.
I didn't manage to find the one I was looking forward to the most: St Peter's Amarillo Alei, but I did get to try;
Greene King Sundance - exactly as predicted. Not a bad beer but nothing to write home about.
Williams Brothers Brewery’s Harvest Sun - a decent blonde ale, citrussy hoppy, light & fresh, some earthiness to the hops. At 3.9% alcohol its also a beer to enjoy without having to have an early night.
Williams Brothers Brewery’s Good Times - unfortunately both bottles I brought has an overpowering TCP-metabisulphite taste which meant I couldn't have more than a sip before throwing it all away.
High & Mighty Brewery’s Beer of the Gods - well I'd had it before & now I've had it several times. An extremely pale ale, with lots of noble hop character, pepperiness & grapefruit.
Copper Dragon 1816 - a good example of a traditional English bitter.
Holden’s Golden Glow - a very mellow beer with a malty sweetness. Just a hint of honey.
Highgate Old Ale - Like a strong mild rather than old ale, very malty & chocolatey. Very good stuff.
Hampshirei Brewery Arthur Pendragon - A reasonable pale ale with good hop aroma. Not a patch on their Pride of Romsey IPAi though.
Overall, a good effort by Sainsbury's. I'd loved to have found the Amarillo Ale though.