Cheap and Cheerful.. or not

Having spent an abominable amount on beer over the last couple of months... the old bank balance is looking somewhat peaky. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed every minute, but we are running low on tea bags, toilet roll and washing powder. If we run out, I don't think myself or Mr Ticker will be very popular.

Hence a trip to bargain basement in Morrisons. Morrisons near us has a bargain basement corner. A few shelves where it sells beers that have somehow been waylaid from multipacks, or beers that are close to the sell-by date. So there I was, at bargain basement, and I managed to get a whole 7 different beers to try for under a fiver. I was so very proud of myself... in recent weeks we have been known to spend a fiver on one beer, let alone 7!!

As you might expect, the outcome was not an entire success...
I want to like all the beers. I want have eclectic tastes and want to avoid beer snobbery.

108: Coors Light, Coors Brewing Company, 4.2%
Smells very familiar. Sharp smell. Unpleasant smell. Tastes, slight bitterness, but next to no flavour. Very watery. Its redeeming feature it is is cold. Think I'd prefer a glass of water though.


109: Fosters Gold, Fosters Group Ltd, 4.8%
Doesn't smell unpleasant, quite faint though. Flavour is a bit malty, no bitterness. Definitely refreshing. A big improvement. Would drink this again.

110: Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Brewing Company, 4.66%
Non-descript aroma. Tastes a slight slight bit malty. Very similar to Coors Light but with a little more body. Bottle says it is made with choicest hops... I can't taste any really.

111: Budweiser Brew '66', Anheuser-Busch, 4%
First of the bunch to have a slight malt aroma. Carbonation overpowers the flavours.

112: Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch, 5%
One percent stronger, but I can't distinguish anything different between the two Budweisers. Not offensive... refreshing, yes...

113: Gold Label, InBev UK, 8.5%
My first ever barleywine. To be honest, wasn't expecting great things... Sweet smell. Sweet, sharp, pungent taste. Boozey to the point of being oppressive. Unpleasant. This had nothing redeeming about it. I'm sorry to say it went down the sink. The first ever time I've poured a drink away.

114: Snakebite, Wychwood Brewery, 4.2%
Having had beers from Wychwood before, I was expecting this to be the best of the bunch. Described as an apple fruit beer. Cider aroma. To me, tastes like gone off concentrated apple juice and not even vaguely like beer. A pretty unpleasant taste, can't drink it all. Disappointed.

So... feeling a little less smug. A pretty non-descript bunch followed by the binning of two beers, which means my bargain was less of a bargain. I dislike negativity. To be honest, I was struggling to decide whether to post this or not. But I bought the beers as an experiment in penny saving, to add to my experience, and I learnt an awful lot. So I ought to share the experience. I'm sure that some people will love these beers, they are just not for me.
Am I a beer snob?

Part 1: Changing Tastes?

Have been feeling concerned that I am losing focus, that my blog has evolved more into descriptions of beers, rather than the adventure and the learning process. One thing in particular, that concerns me is that I might becoming a bit of a beer snob.

Earlier this week I blogged about Saltaire Brewery, after trying a few beers including their Raspberry Blonde. Before beginning the ticking challenge, for many years fruit beers have been high on my drinking agenda. One, that I'd have fairly regularly for a bit of a treat was Bacchus Frambozenbier, usually from Morrisons.

Before even buying it, I was filled with doubts about liking it. I'm wondering if it will be too sweet, too artificial. I want to like it. I want to like all the beers I try, appreciate them all for their individuality. Liking it is important too, to validate my pre-ticking self's drink of choice. The pressure is on.

68: Bacchus Frambozenbier, Van Honsebrouk, 5%
Dark in colour, but not opaque and with a pinkish tint. Raspberry smell and flavour. There is very little bitterness, but there is a sour flavour. It is sweet. Initially it seems only a little, but with another mouthful, the sweetness builds. However, the further down the glass, the more moreish it becomes. It's not particularly beery, in my opinion. That may be due to the style of beer, rather than overpowering raspberry flavours, but I think this will be a good one for me to test out on my non-beer drinking sibling, and get their take on it!

My pondering about this beer is about how naturally was it produced. The label says the beer is made with 12.5% raspberries, but also has added sugar and sweeter. I hold more esteem for beers that are produced using only water, malt, hops and yeast, as the alchemy behind making special beers just using these four ingredients must be incredibly sophisticated. Having said that, my final verdict, is that I am pleased to say I enjoyed the bottle very much, and I would choose it again. My pre-ticking self breathes a sigh of relief.

Saltaire Brewery

So, this is the first time since started the ticking challenge that I'm tasting beers on my own. Movie on, snacks on hand, and some beers in the fridge. Watching Body of Lies, just incase anyone was wondering!

The beers of choice for the evening come from Saltaire Brewery. And, unlike my usual deferring to Mr. Ticker to choose, I picked these and I have a list of reasons why.
1. Saltaire is a local brewery, and I like supporting local produce. And Saltaire is pretty (not a really good reason, but that's a small insight into the way my mind works).
2. Whilst I like supporting independent retailers, Saltaire's bottles are available at smaller specialist shops as well as supermarket chains locally. That means they are easy to get hold of, and I'm not so weary of saving for a special occasions (i.e. I won't get into too much trouble with Mr. T. because I can always sneakily replace them without his knowledge... in which case blogging about it probably isn't a good idea.... ).
3. Saltaire beers have always been enjoyable.
4. Saltaire Brewery is the reception venue for our wedding. Which, if that wasn't special enough on it's own, it will also mark the venue for the last day of the challenge.

65: Cascade Pale Ale, Saltaire Brewery, 4.8%

Light bitterness, but still there. Biscuit, says the label, and I have to agree. Lightly carbonated. Subtle/slight Citrus aroma and flavours. A really nice, easy to drink, American style pale ale. Could drink this all night and will certainly be buying this again. Not overtly hoppy, but good nonetheless.

66: Raspberry Blonde, Saltaire Brewery, 4.0%
I've long been a big fan of fruity beer offerings from Liefmans and Lindemans, although haven't had any for a few months. Raspberry blonde is the first fruity one since starting the ticking challenge. It certainly smells raspberry, and sweet. This gave me some initial concerns that now I might find it too sweet or overpowering. I had concerns that now I've become a fan of a greater variety of beers that I would find the ftuirty ones too sweet, or too overpowering. However, whilst it smells sweet, it's doesn't taste overly so. There is still a bitterness there, and malt flavours, and the raspberry is unavoidable, but not too intense. Was very pleased to say I enjoyed it. Must go back and try some of my old favourites and see if my tastebuds have changed...

67: Triple Chocoholic, Saltaire Brewery, 4.8%
Smells mellow, slight sweetness and, of course chocolate. Really warm deep colour. Opaque. Tastes of chocolate, as you would expect, not overpoweringly so. Bitter initially and then disappears. A yum post dinner tipple.

So, ticking alone... a relaxing evening spent with Mr Leonardo DiCaprio and some tasty beers, what more could a girl want?!