Directors Bitter (Courage Brewery)
Wesi	Aah. The first British beer after years - and already the first sip makes me feel at home. Lukewarm, sparsely carbonated - but perfect in color and rather friendly in taste.
King & Barnes Harvest Ale (King & Barnes Brewery)
Wesi	Noticeable carbonation and a distinct roasty taste. On second thought, it rather tastes like an out-of- plastic-cup beer you'd expect to get with a hotdog at the corner.
Kluge	Tasting like a lager after having been in the glass out in the open for one day...
Rutland Independence Strong Ale (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Aah. I know that Kluge doesn't like ambers, but this one surely doesn't merit the three "boaks" he wants it to rate. It's strong, it's roasty and kinda reminds me of a good beer I once had in the States. Can't remember which one, though. JD American Ale, maybe ? Anyway... it's quite OK.
Newcastle Brown Ale (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Promising look, a taste that starts like a real ale, but drops like a stone from a cliff. Hardly any aftertaste. Weak.
Young's Bitter (Young's Brewery)
Wesi	Very ordinary bitter. No carbonation at all. In taste not too bad, but, you know, just boring...
Young's Special (Young's Brewery)
Wesi	Hoppier than their normal bitter, but still not really that much taste. Weak.
Fentiman's Ginger Brew (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Wheoaaakh! Just took one sip, and I'm dying... One bottle surely has the potential to kill dozens. Acid-like, trying to rip your throat open and to burn your guts. Hands off, definitely! Reading the label made my suffering even worse: "Flavourings: Ginger, Lemon, Speedwell, Juniper, Citric Acid, and, of all things!!, Cream of Tartar!!!". (I know it's not a beer, but they dare to call it "Ginger BEER", therefore I had to try it... Aaah. The first to really justify the three boaks :-)
Tetley Bitter (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Mh, not ten beers tested and already these know-one-know-everyone bitters start to bore me. Yes it's fruity, yes it's hoppy in its aftertaste. But so are others.
Kluge	Slightly fruity aftertaste, unobtrusive bitterness. Nothing special, but not bad either.
Beamish Irish Stout (Beamish, Cork, Ireland)
Wesi	Good! If I ever get to heaven, I'll drink stouts and have a PC running Linux. If I get to hell, I'll have Heineken and a Mac... (And, yes, sorry to all from Ireland for having a true Irish beer on a UK page... I'm just too busy to set up an Ireland page of its own)
John Smith Extra Smooth Bitter (Brewery missing)
Wesi	A beer tasting like the perfect circle of tastes: No edges, no corners. And nothing to wake up my senses. Boring.
Kluge	Smooth it is, all right. But that's not hard to achieve with no carbonation at all.
Carling Black Label (Bass Brewing, Burton on Trent)
Kluge	Pee. A beer you'll expect to get in a plastic cup at some hamburger shack.
Wesi	Boring and really cheap. Sucks.
Guinness Draught (Guinness, Dublin, Ireland)
Wesi	Don't think I need to describe it. The world is divided into Guinness-lovers, Guinness-haters and ignorants. I'm a worshiper. Creamy, bitter, roasty - one of the best beers on sale and the only brew of worldwide availability that I really like.
Theakston Best Bitter (Brewery missing)
Wesi	The first beer I had after a long day on the walk. Therefore, I liked it of course... Yesterday evening, I would have called it "ordinary" and "boring". But if you're thirsty, even boring british bitter beer turns out to be quite good :-)
Theakston XB (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Hmm. A bit soap, a bit wood, a bit sweaty sneakers. Not really bad, but rather unobtrusive. Nothing very rewarding, but that hint of oakwood fits quite well.
Kluge	Slightly wooden aftertaste. The color is perfect, but the taste rather weak.
Courage Best Bitter (Courage Brewery)
Wesi	Flat. Aftertaste quite ok, but taste: not much. If this is the best, their other brews will surely require the testers' courage...
Gillespies Stout (Scotland)
Wesi	Kluge is wondering if he ever happens to see me try a stout and condemn it. Well, I might - but certainly not Gillespies. Its smooth and creamy, just the way it's supposed to be. Less of that unique bitter-roasty flavor than my beloved Guinness, but still, a good competitor...
Beamish Red (Ireland)
Kluge	Creamy! Slightly bitter aftertaste. Can't say much 'bout the taste since there is none.
Wesi	Acceptable. Nice, solid foam. Not much taste, but leaving a sticky, a bit artificial aftertaste. Some beers later I would use some stronger words. But since I'm still thirsty, it slips. This time.
Websters Yorkshire Bitter (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Weak. A hint of bitterness and hops in the aftertaste makes the lack of taste even more noticeable.
Brackspear's Bitter (Brackspear Brewery, Henley on time)
Wesi	Another bitter. Hoppier than some, but unfortunately not much more than just hoppy. I think I even tasted something that doesn't belong into a beer.
Hancock's HB Original Ale (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Tasting quite like a beer. A bit too sparsely carbonated and (sigh!) a bit too warm. But still, rather smooth, nearly creamy. Not bad.
Kluge	Taste like a rollercoaster ride - ups and downs. Overall, I think it's rather boring. A beer you could drink all night without even noticing that you're drinking.
Tripple Diamond (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Smells and tastes a bit like a panache. Fruity, kinda artificial too. I wouldn't think you can get this taste by only using hops, barley and water. Welcome to the InstantBeer (tm) by Dow Chemicals.
London Pride (Fuller's)
Wesi	Rather bitter aftertaste. Unfortunately, it ain't got much more than that bitter aftertaste. Boring.
Speckled Hen Strong Fine Ale (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Mmh, tasty! Aftertaste a tiny bit too bitter, but the flavor is quite good, really. One of the best ales in the test.
Abbot Ale (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Rather bitter, slightly fruity aftertaste. Nice amber color and solid foam. Not much carbonation, of course, but still quite OK.
Kluge	Only bitterness and nothing else.
Murphy's Irish Stout (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Color and foam promise something the taste can't really catch up with. A bit weak in roast. Still, it's creamy, smooth and cool. Nice hint of licorice in the aftertaste. OK.
Caffrey's Irish Ale (Caffrey's)
Wesi	Kinda like water would taste after it has been used to rinse off a dozen glasses of Guinness: thin. Not very much of a beer - but still, amazingly creamy and smooth.
Flower's Original Strong Ale (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Smooth, not bad. A bit weak in taste and an unpleasant hint of sourness in its aftertaste. OK, but not outstanding.
Tolly's Original Dark Bitter (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Brr. No carbonation, just bitter and nothing else. Leave it now or puke it later.
Theakstone Old Peculiar (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Hearty amber with a fine, smooth taste. Tiny bit too fruity, but with a pleasant aftertaste. OK.
Minsterly Ale (Salopian Brewing Co)
Kluge	Brr. Use it to clean your windows or lavatory. An unique blend of bleacher, soap and beer.
Pedigree Bitter (Brewery missing)
Kluge	Smells like a downtown road on a sunday mornin'. You know, that unique mixture of pee, puke and beer...
Wesi	Smells like horse shit. I'd even say it *tastes* like horse shit, but since I never really tasted horse shit, it's kinda hard to compare. But you get the point.
Calders Creamy Ale (John Calder Brewing, Scotland (now Bass Breweries))
Wesi	Aaah. London's pubs already made me feel like a shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean - surrounded by drink, but nothing really drinkable in sight. This was when we came across Calders Creamy - and stayed for another one. It really *is* creamy, but it's also tasty, generously carbonated, smooth and comes with a solid foamy cap. Really good! Although we were looking for it everywhere after our first encounter, we couldn't find it but in one place. Therefore here is how to get there: The George, D'Arblay St., W1
Bass Finest Ale (Bass Brewing, Burton on Trent)
Kluge	Hoppy and a bit metallic. Kinda flat, not very much like an ale, rather like a poor bitter. If this is their finest, you maybe should make a point of staying away from their other brews.
Ringwood Bitter (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Very sparsely carbonated. A bit fruity and a bit too sweet. Flat, no real taste. Rather disappointing.
Peakstone Bitter (Brewery missing)
Wesi	Unobtrusive, but quite good. Smooth, well carbonated. Perfectly normal beer, the way you can buy it all over the world. Maybe a bit too warm - but you know...
Bishop's Finger (Shepherd Neame, Faversham, Kent)
Wesi	Ruby amber color. Both, rather bitter and quite fruity. They seem to be quite generous with aroma and bitter hops. Still, its not only hoppy, but has a nice hint of roast in its taste which blends perfectly with its fruityness. Quite OK.
Worthington Bitter (Bass Brewing, Burton on Trent)
Wesi	Flat, without carbonation. Water is tasty in comparison. Hands off.
Kluge	Warm and mellow, wooden aftertaste. Better no beer than this beer.
Fuller's India Pale Ale (Fuller's)
Wesi	Ugh. I expected more hoppyness and less weirdness. But alas, I got a beer that must have been a breakfast cereal in an earlier life. Decent lingering aftertaste, not at all bad, but a disappointing taste for my palate.

© 1993-2022 Daniel 'Wesi' Wesemann
Content is mostly unchanged since my college years, which coincided with the early ages of the WWW. These pages are today retained online just for fun. All label pictures shown on this and other pages of my site are © copyright of the respective owners. If your label is shown and you want it removed, send me a short note. Thanks to my friends Berno Marthaler, Daniel G. Kluge, Daniel Frei and Boris Achermann, for sharing most of the listed beers with me.