The Best of British Beer Christmas Pub At Home Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.

Reviewed by Dottie Rood

What a lovely surprise The Best of Christmas Beer Pub was to receive, it looks just like an old-fashioned pub or house with The Three Wise Men on the front and the traditional four windows and a door all adorned with garlands and a tree in each window.  The side had a hanging pub sign saying, ‘Best of British Beer’ PUB and another Christmas tree and on the back there is a very cute black dog on a lead waiting for its owner, it was very sturdy and I couldn’t wait to open it and see what was inside.

Inside are 4 bottles of beer and 2 cans and I decided to share the experience with my three sons and husband so we could get a mixed review on them all.  (There was also an information leaflet, ‘Reasons to be Beerful…’ with nine good reasons to drink beer!  Oh and a quiz of 20 general knowledge questions that I am saving for Christmas day).

First we had Shoreditch Blonde: brewed in Redchurch brewery, Harlow, “Our Belgian inspired blonde beer, Saison yeast is the star of the show and pairs with European hops to give a fruit and banana aroma”.  My youngest son tasted this one (oh by the way they are all of legal drinking age!), he described it as.  “Hoppy with not a very strong flavour, it’s alright but very gassy”, sadly he didn’t finish it and when his Dad and I tried it we had the same opinion.  Perhaps not the start we had hoped for!?

Next came Fraoch, Heather ale: This is brewed in Scotland, “Scotland’s original craft ale, brewed here for over 4,000 years.  Leann Fraoch (Heather ale) is the oldest style of ale still in production today.  Brewed to a 16th Century recipe, Fraoch is a light amber ale with a floral, peaty aroma, full malty body and spicy herbal finish. ” My husband tasted this one first and really liked it!, “nice, not too gassy, its nice and easy to drink and has a really nice flavour.  Would be lovely really, really cold, nice and fresh” (sorry he used ‘nice’ a lot!), my youngest tried this one and agreed, they both thought it was easy to drink.

We then sampled ‘Toast-here’s to change’. Pale ale: Golden-Zesty. Planet- Saving. Brewed in London. “Brewed with surplus fresh bread, malted barley and British hops.  A smooth well-balanced pale ale”. www.toastale.com say, “Food production is the biggest contributor to climate change, but one third of all food is wasted.  We’re here to change that. We brew our planet-saving beer with surplus fresh bread.  All our profits go to charities fixing the food system”.  My eldest son reviewed this one and said, “I drank this pale ale before I read the bottle.  It has a lovely amber colour and is relatively clear with a slight haze.  Has a nice head on it when poured with a nice fruity smell.  It is very smooth to drink, almost creamy with a nice bit of bitterness which lingers in the mouth.  This makes it very drinkable.  I could easily drink this either at home or while out and it would pair well with a variety of different foods such as cheese/dark rich meats or a nice burger.  After I drank it I read the bottle and was very surprised it is made from surplus bread which didn’t put me off at all and I think this is an amazing idea.  My only slight criticism would be that it went flat quite quickly but being as nice as it is it won’t stay in your glass long enough to go flat”.  I think he might be looking for a job as a professional beer connoisseur!

Next, Taste Freedom NZ pale: Brewed in Staffordshire, New Zealand pale ale, since 1995-sessionable-tropical- “Beer Brewed Better”.  This is a vegan beer and we all agreed had a very nice bottle which was eye catching.  My middle son reviewed this one, “This was a really nice drinkable beer, I find lots of pale ales and IPA’s have a similar taste to each other and this one did as well, perhaps a little stronger than some.  I had it with my tea, curry, and it went really nice”. www.freedombrewery.com

We them tried the two cans, Barry Island, an American style IPA (Indian Pale Ale), a craft beer from Brains that is brewed in Cardiff.  www.sabrain.com ‘Inspired by the American IPA revolution but firmly rooted on the sun-kissed beaches of South Wales.  Brains Barry Island IPA is brewed with atrio of hops from the US to deliver a beer bursting with citrus aromas.  A unique, smooth malt taste is followed with a vigorous bitter finish and a ‘tidy’ clout of citrus and berry hop flavours.’  I reviewed this one as I liked the description, I am not a big beer drinker but sometimes will have one with a meal.  This one had an enjoyable citrusy flavour that made it easy to drink (I think because it came in a can it felt more like a soft drink?) and went nice with my lunch, especially the crisps, I couldn’t finish it all so my husband finished it and said it was lovely! I think it would be nice really cold on a hot summers’ day.

And finally, the other can, Longhorn IPA, pure Eco: Brewed in Warwickshire, ‘Crafted with a conscience in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside, this little can embodies our love of great beer, with real character-sustainably brewed to leave an even better taste in your mouth.  Making a positive difference since 2005’ This can gave us lots of information:
*Sustainable Approach to Brewing since day one.
*We endeavour to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle where best we can.
*Our unique Wetland, Saves Water and Promotes Wildlife Diversity.
Longhorn cattle are the inspiration, they won International Beer Challenge Gold Medal.  www.puritybrewing.com
Middle and youngest son reviewed this, “It’s good that it’s 5% and it’s not to harsh, it doesn’t leave a horrible taste in your mouth like some can, the problem is most IPA’s taste the same (as mentioned!) but this one is really nice, very drinkable and tastes like you could drink a few, which is good I could definitely see myself drinking a few of these.  I like the colour as well.” They were both in agreement and my husband and I had a taste and agreed!

This would be a lovely gift for not only the ardent beer drinker but those who like to sample something a little different.  As mentioned, the packaging is really nice and I will be recycling it this Christmas by re-filling it with the ones we liked most. I would highly recommend this gift.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £25.99 Personalised: £27.99

This product can be purchased from Best of British here