If my previous beer posts don’t point to some level of expertise in the subject, my Dad belly posts are testament to a high degree of ale ingestion.
Looking for the Postman is no stranger to beer delivery / subscription companies. Best of British Beer are another company who will package together a hand-picked selection of quality beers and send them to your door. The name, however, gives away their unique angle. All the beers they send out are sourced from within Britain.
They are clearly very passionate about their field and I was excited to receive the “Award Winners Case”. It contains twelve bottles which, between them, have “won at least 60 awards including Best Speciality Beer, International Beer Challenge, Champion Beer of Britain and numerous CAMRA, Taste and SIBA gold medals”. It costs £37.50 for 12 x 500ml bottles and a rather snazzy Best of British Beer pint glass.
The box is sturdy and delivery is quick. While this selection is all from England & Wales, Best of British Beer does provide an excellent selection of Scottish beer too.
I was, however, delighted to see a couple of beers from the Titanic Brewery. When I first got into ales, Titanic were a favourite of mine, particularly their Iceberg APA. (They used to make the chestnut and green hop ales for Morrissons which were sublime).
Many of the other beers & breweries were new to me, which is really what boxes like this are all about. It’s a tasty education and a wonderful way to expand your beer palate. So, how did this selection go down?
Review
This is a great advert for British Beer. Breweries here are embracing new world hops, which is great news for citrus-heads like me. The aforementioned Iceberg is an absolute delight. Slightly chilled, this is a beer I could enjoy by the crateload. Refreshing and delicious.
Manor Ale’s Hobsons is lovely for hop-lovers too, who I believe would also be partial to the Wold Top Blonde Beer. There are a fine selection of golden, premium and bitter ales in the mix. The Titanic Plum Porter also added depth to the selection. (I must admit to not being a fan of darker ales. Usually, the Award Winners Case has a couple more porters / stouts than this box.)
It’s to be expected, I guess, that you can’t love 12 beers out of 12 when there’s such a varied collection. The inverse, though, is that you are going to meet something wonderful that you’ve not met before.
In this case that beer is Pennine Pale from the Allendale Brewery. Wow! This was love at first taste. Colombus, Cascade and Citra hops have never been better mixed.
And this is why this box is a winner. Pennine Pale would not ordinarily have crossed my path but, thanks to Best of British Beer, I have a new favourite beer!
Overall, I’d recommend Best of British Beer. It would make a great gift idea for a beer lover or a nice treat for anyone looking to discover some new British ales.
Giveaway
One lucky beer-lover is going to get the chance to win an Award Winners Case of 12 x 500ml bottles from Best of British Beer! Simply enter using the widget below before 31 July 2016 at midnight to be in with a chance (and return for extra daily entries too). Good luck!
Competition has now closed.
Real ale of course
Arran Blond
Robinson’s trooper a!e!
cider
wine
Champagne
Husband is a real ale man. He’s a big fan of Wylam Brewery
Dandelion & Burdock
Elderflower cordial % Gin
This “free sharing” of inftomarion seems too good to be true. Like communism.
Abbots Ale.
Anything from the Hogsback Brewery.
Boddington’s Bitter
David Williams recently posted…Best of British Beer : Review & Giveaway
A jug of Pimms
Cider
Proper cider like Stowford
whisky or cider
Elderflower pressé (hubby is the dedicated beer drinker of the family!)
Abbot’s Ale
I like a good Perry Cider.
Any fruity my cider
Rosey Nosey by Batemans
Abbot’s Ale
Bishop’s Finger
boddingtons. lovely jubbly
Strawberry Pimms
Bishop’s Finger is delicious
White wine
Cider for me.
Probably Pimm’s 😉
Summer Lightning from Hop Back Brewery
Difficult to choose (especially with so many amazing new breweries popping up), but Tyne Banks Cherry Stout or Titanics Plum Porter are huge favourites of mine.
I love a drop of Theakston’s Old Peculier!
Theakston Old Peculiar
Old fashioned lemoade.
Sam Smiths Taddy lager
Theakstons Old Peculiar
Bishop’s finger x
Ginger beer, alcoholic where possible !
Sarah Hughes ruby,, I love a good real ale
Sidecar cocktail cognac orange liquor ????
Yorkshire tea!
spitfire by shepherd neame
julie.feathers@googlemail.com
Call me wind because I am ablueotlsy blown away.
I’m partial to a nice cold Speckled Hen Ale by Morland 🙂
wainwrights beer
Brew Dog’s Punk IPA
Dandelion & Burdock
Real ale for my hubby and strawberry pimms for me
Newcastle Brown Ale
Light ale for the husbter and wine for me
A refreshing glass of Pimms.
London Pride
Good old English cider
I love a good varied selection of British Beers! I’m on Caffrey’s at the moment!
Has to be Pimms.
Lovely to try new beers
St. Austell Tribute Premium Pale Ale.
Non alcoholic would be tea, alcoholic – pimms
Irn Bru.
Pimms
Pimms
Spitfire Ale
Elderflower champagne – home made of course – a real taste of summer!
Yorkshire Tea
Carlsberg
yorkshire tea
Bishop’s Finger
Newcastle Brown Ale 🙂 X x
Gin and tonic
Pimms
Pimms
A strong dark ruby ale
Wine xx
Newcastle Brown Ale 🙂
Yo, that’s what’s up trthlfuuly.
Pimms
Isle of Jura single malt
Local beers are really tasty, but I don’t really have a fave, just like to sample them all when I can xx
Cider. And Irn Bru, although azo dyes give me blotches, so I can only have cheap supermarket versions with vegetable dye.
wine
Love ales speckled hen is my favourite at the moment
I like a nice glass of Newcastle Brown.
West Country Cider!
Proper Job IPA by St. Austell Brewery
Dandelion and Burdock
Revisionist Wheat beer, thanks for the chance 🙂
Love a Deuchars IPA
Stowford Press cider.
Shandy made wuth Real Ale and Ginger Beer
english cider
Old English or Woodpecker cider
Devonshire tea
I loved the recent Camden Brewery’s smoked lager – it was brilliant
Ale is my favourite 😀
Rose Wine for me, Beer for hubby
Pimms with all the trimmings
pimms x
Ginger beer ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ????
A good old cup of tea
Ice cold Somerset cider straight from the brewers cask.
i love the fruity flavored ciders
Pimms with lots of ice
A nice cup of tea 🙂
bucks fizz
A nice proper cider!
Pimms & lemonade, has to be!
A cup of tea
Armagh cider
I like Pimms! My hubbie loves his English real ale tho
Port !
would be fab if I was lucky enough to win please thanks for a great giveaway
Farr Brew Our Best Bitter
13 Guns by Crafty Dan – excellent craft beer made in Blackburn
Sweetheart Stout
cider
Holt’s bitter
stout
I love Pimms!!
cider
Ginger Wine
People nolralmy pay me for this and you are giving it away!
Elderflower wine
somerset cider
Cider for me
Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Ale :o)
sadly for me i love a cuppa tea but my hubby loves a great ale or a nice beer
Cider
Whiskey
Scrumpy
Prosecco for me and ale for hubby
I love Lakeland Gold!
Pimms with lots of fruit & mint
Water of the god,Newcastle Brown Ale
Black Sheep Ale
Old Moat Cider in Kiwi and Lime flavour
Gordon’s Gin for me????????
Dandelion and burdock, that’s a real British drink
Charmer cider
Thatcher’s Katy cider
Black Cat beer
Newcastle Brown
Gordons Gin but my husband loves beer and lots of it
Newcastle Brown Ale – my favourite.
Bishop’s Finger
Cider
Newcastle Brown Ale 😀
Real ALE
Abbot’s Ale 🙂
Thatcher’s Cider
A love a cider on a sunny summers day
Carlsberg
I love a nice drop of Pimms 🙂 x
My husband likes London Meantime lager
a cup of English tea!
Cider
I love strawberry and lime cider
Pimms is my favourite British drink xxx
Cider!
Timothy Taylor’s Landlord
apricot brandy for a special treat
My favourite British drink is Pimms; nothing like it on a hot summer’s day
Has to be a good Scottish whisky. Talisker perhaps!
Whilst my husband would reel off a list of British Beer and Ales, my favourite British drink, has to be a gorgeous glass of refreshing Pimms!
Real ale
I love Guardsman but haven’t tried all of them yet.
The best ales around
Crabbies ginger beer
I love a good Gin and Cider too! 🙂
The gin which is made in Sunderland.
Yorkshire tea of course 🙂
Elderflower cordial – the taste of summer
Real ale ????
Thatchers Cider x
West Milton Cider!
porters
Butty Bach, Wye Valley Brewery
Strawberry Pimms – yummytastic. Thanks for the chance.
Newcastle Brown
Ruddles County
Hobgoblin
I do love a Cider.
Paolozzi Lager from the Edinburgh Beer Factory
Brewdog Punk IPA, locally brewed and just delightful
Classic JD + lemonade!
Newcastle Brown Ale from my home town
I love coffee but my husband loves all ales!
Love Magners Berry Cider
Tea
Abbots Ale.