Badger Ales

I would like to share with you what I haver found to be a particularly flavoursome brand of ales...the Badger range by Hall and Woodhouse Brewery. I first came across this brand in 2003 and many major supermarkets and local village stores and off licences sell their products.

I have tried most of their beers and all have been most drinkable brews indeed, however, my particular favourites are as follows:

Golden Champion:

This is a light and fruity ale with elderflower tones. It is redolent of long, mellow Summer evenings. On tasting it you can almost taste the golden light of the sun as it sets at the end of an August day. This beer even smells divine. I particular enjoy drinking it with a nice medium strength cheese sandwich on thick cut farmhouse white bread with piccalilli. An excellent beer.

Golden Glory:

Another fruity one, this time with a Spring like ambience. This beer has a scent and taste of peach blossom all of which provides this beer with an extremely quaffable floral aspect. On drinking this you can almost see the young lambs and rabbits gamboling through the meadows...this distinctive call of the first cuckoo... and the golden glow of daffodils. This one I find works well with a supper time plate of fruit and cheese on crackers...and maybe a nice cherry scone with cherry curd.

Blandford Fly:

A nice ginger enhanced ale. It derives its name from an insect local to the brewery, the bite/sting of which can apparently be eased with ginger, hence the ginger aspect to the beer and its name. This one has a spicy and fiery character which goes well with a rich beef casserole and other traditional Autumn and Winter fayre.

Those are my personal three favourites...though I have thoroughly enjoyed every single one of their ales and shall post more reviews in due course.

For more information see their website:

http://www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/index.asp

Until next time...cheers!

Herne the Hunter