Beer Review – Ruddles County, Traditional English Ale.
Ok – so once again I find myself in beautiful Jamieson, where the air is fresh, and the beers are (usually) cold. I know I blather on about Jamieson, but I like it, so there you go.
I should point out that each of these beer reviews are live, unrehearsed, and a total but very pleasant surprise. I don’t know what is inside each of my birthday beer coldies until I unwrap them with the video camera rolling.
Speaking of cold beer, this one is a ripper…. (that’s Aussie slang for “really good”)….. Birthday Beer # 14 – Ruddles County Ale from England.
Now, whether your political views lean for or against the current Prime Minister of Australia (Kevin Rudd – occasionally known as “Ruddles” to his mates), Ruddles County Ale is a fine one. With a slight taste of hops, it goes down easily, and tastes great. I can imagine having several of these in almost any location around the world – in a noisy English pub, in a cheerful beer garden, or simply while sitting under a tree.
I should also point out that the beer is called “Ruddles COUNTY” and not “Ruddles COUNTRY” as I misread in my beer review video.
According to the label it is “A classic of the English brewing tradition, smooth and rewarding with a distinctive hoppy flavour”.
I thought I’d have a quick look at their website – http://www.ruddles.co.uk - but I found it increadibly difficult to get anything useful from it. Full of broken links, and confusing flash/pretty graphics interaction, the website was unfortunately a bit of a waste of time… I managed to find the website shop/store, but all I found there were some lighters, cuff-links and T-Shirts… I couldn’t find anything about actually buying their beer. The website listed on the Ruddles Country Ale label suggested http://www.greeneking.co.uk which appears to be the parent company, but it too was full of confusing layouts and broken links. Although apparently their beers are exported all over the world, and Ruddles County Ale appears to be big in Finland.
But, I did manage to find some perfectly apt quotes :
“A beer in the hand is worth two in the fridge – especially if it’s a pint of Ruddles County.”
and
“Any time that’s good for you is a good time to drink Ruddles County”.
As far as the beer is concerned, Ruddles County Ale is really, really good. If you find yourself being near one, I recommend you grab it, drink it, enjoy it, and ask for another one.
A very tasty 8 out of 10 on the Forty-Beers-Cheers-O-Meter.
I wonder what the next birthday beer review will bring ?
Thanks,
Matthew
FortyBeers.com DIY Websites Relaxation Music Saxophone Lessons
Tags: Ale, Beer Review, English Beer
Beer Review – Warsteiner Premium Verum
Aaahh, another day, another birthday beer, another beer review. This time around, I find myself at my father-in-laws holiday house in Jamieson (about 3 hours drive north of Melbourne) on a gloriously fine long weekend. I have done a couple of other beer reviews while I’ve been in Jamieson – I guess it’’s a great place to stop, breathe in the fresh air, relax…. and have a beer or two.
So – this beer review is Official Birthday Beer number 13. Lame jokes such as “unlucky for some, but lucky for others” could come into play at this point. But, instead, here is my video beer review on the pleasantly surprising Warsteiner Premium Verum.
Not speaking a word of German, I have copied this directly from the bottle lable:
“Mit wohltuend weichem Brauwasser” – Google Translate suggests this means “With a soft soothing brew water”…..umm…. oookaaayy….
and this:
“Eines der besten Biere unserer Zeit” – again, Google Translate suggests this means “One of the best beers of our time”…. now we’re talking !
I don’t know about THE best, but Warsteiner Premium Verum certainly is very tasty indeed. German beers usually are very strong, big on hops, and can be quite bitter. Not so in this case. Sure, it has a bit of a hoppy taste, but it’s not a smash-you-over-the-head flavour. It’s subtle, it’s very drinkable, and I’m hoping there will be another that comes my way sooner rather than later.
It is a pilsner beer, which tend to be a little more subtle than many other beers. Clean, fresh, and really, really drinkable. I like it.
A little bit of internet research reveals that the Warsteiner Brewery in Warstein, Germany, has been brewing beer since 1753. That, to me, is one old brewery, and I reckon they’ve got it right…. and so they should after 250 years of brewing. Allegedly they have won the title of “most likeable beer brand in Germany”. Their website suggests that the very latest fashion is young people drink from the bottle !! This amused me… perhaps I should say that I only poured it into a glass to show the viewers the colour and the bubbles…. I am “young people” aren’t I ? 40 isn’t that old, surely.. ?
I’d certainly have some more if offered. If you happen to come across a few of these Warsteiner Premium Verum beers, then I say grab a couple and give them a go.
The Forty Beers Cheers O Meter gives them a very upstanding 8 out of 10.
Thanks,
Matthew
FortyBeers.com – Beer Reviews a plenty.
P.S. I’ve set up a new website. Some might know that I am a bit of a musician, and I’m going to be a rock star when I grow up. Until then, I’ve set up a Saxophone Teachers directory, so that those looking for Saxophone Lessons can find someone to help them.
Tags: Beer Review, German Beer, Pilsner
Beer Review – Tsingtao Beer
Another beer and another Special Guest…. while this is not an official Birthday Beer, it does feature my friend Chris.
Regular visitors to FortyBeers.com will know that my three friends – Phoebe, Simon and Chris – contributed to a birthday gift for me a while ago. As a means to share this gift, I started this beer review blog.
Chris is a temporary Queenslander. He came to Melbourne (where I am) for a conference for a few days, and while he was here he came to my place for dinner. This visit seemed to be a good opportunity to open a very tasty Tsingtao Beer.
When Chris came over, and I announced he would be a Special Guest, he didn’t appear to be overly enthused. However, when I opened my ‘fridge and gave him a few choices of bubbly beveridges, he grabbed the Tsingtao, snatched the video camera out of my hand, and ran off yelling, “Hurry up !! Where’s a bottle opener !”
Tsingtao Beer is brewed and exported from China – on the east coast, in a town called Qingdao. In my humble opinion, Tsingtao beer is fantastic.
A very clean and refreshing taste, Tsingtao is one of those beers that can be downed quickly and happily and with alarming regularity. Personally, I like Asian beers possibly a little more than European Beers. Having said that, a quick visit to the Tsingtao Brewery website reveals that it was founded in 1903 by Germans. This would explain its hop/malt flavour to an extent, but it certainly is not as strong as many German beers are. The website goes on to explain that the water has been airlifted from Loashan (an allegedly aqueous and famous mountain region in China), and that they use, surprisingly, Australian and Canadian yeast and barley.
Many years ago I was in China, and I had the pleasure of tasting my first Tsingtao. They drink it there by the barrel full (unlike Fosters here in Australia, which is exported in large quantities, but not many locals drink it), and it is very well known all over the world. If you are at a bottle shop, and see a Tsingtao, I suggest that you buy two of them.
Chris and I enjoyed ours very much – and I thank Chris for both his Forty Beers gift to me, and for turning up and blathering on while drinking beer at my place in front of the camera as a Forty Beers Special Guest.
On the Forty Beers Cheers O Meter – this beer review suggests it gets a very healthy 9 out of 10.
Thanks Chris – and may there be many more.
Matthew
P.S. Yes, Both Chris and I know there is more than one brand of beer in China… but we were having fun at the time at the expense of factual information.
Another Beer Review from FortyBeers.com
Tags: Asian Beer, Beer Review, Lager
Beer Review – Bee Sting Honey Wheat Beer from Barossa Valley Brewing
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Forty Beers, at the time of my birthday beers gift, seemed so many, yet so few. However, fast forward seven months, and I’m only up to Number 12…. (although there have been a few unauthorised Beer Reviews as well)….
I was going to do another video beer review on the long weekend just gone, however I got side tracked with the amazing storms here in Melbourne. Golf Ball and fist sized hail stones – the likes I’ve never seen before made for some great video footage and excitedly nervous children. Many cars and houses were damaged during this storm – but given recent events in Haiti and Chile, a few dings on the car are nothing compared to their problems.
Beer Number 12 is “Bee Sting” from Barossa Valley Brewing. According to the label it is a Honey Wheat Beer, and I might just say up front that it’s an unusual taste, but it’s certainly very nice indeed.
Bee Sting beer has a slight hint of honey, however it is not really sweet like honey is. It’s got a slight after spice / after taste too, which is probably why the Barossa Valley Brewing website suggests their Bee Sting Honey Wheat Beer goes well with Asian and foods with a bit of spice. It still has the hop taste that good beers have and it is very crisp and light.
It is a very light coloured beer, yellow/golden, and very clear.
“It is 100% all natural, using only barley, hops, a little wheat and a touch of honey. We have created a drink with tantalizingly round flavours, free of preservatives, additives or chemicals,” suggests the Bee sting page on the Barossa Valley website. For those who don’t know, the Barossa valley is about an hours drive out of Adelaide, in South Australia. It is well known thought the world for it’s wine making, wineries, grapes, and all things wine. I was unaware of it’s beer making industry until opening this birthday beer.
“A complex but refreshing beer” according to the label – it certainly does beg for another to be had immediately… the 330ml bottle didn’t last very long before it was emptied…. which I suppose has to be a good sign.
I like it. As with several of the beers reviewed here on FortyBeers.com , I don’t think I’ll run out and buy cases and cases of these little fellas, but, having said that I’m really pleased this Bee Sting Ale has made up a part of my birthday beer stash.
In my humble opinion, I suggest that Bee Sting Ale gets very respectable 8 out of 10 on the Forty-Beers-Cheers-O-Meter.
Thanks once again for visitng FortyBeers.com. I’m certainly enjoying these beers, and writing / videoing these reviews is also proving to be more fun than perhaps it should be….
Stay tuned for another exciting episode. I’ll try not to make bad puns like my “float like a butterfly, drink like a bee” quip during the video.
Thanks,
Matthew
Fortybeers.com DIYWebsitesByMatt.com RelaxationMusicAustralia.com SimplyRelaxation.com
Tags: Ale, Australian Beer, Wheat Beer
