Our local Sainsbury’s has rotated it’s 2 for £3 real ales offer again; last night I picked up a couple each of Meantime London Stout and Purity Ubu and I spotted Adnams East Green, Holt’s Maple Moon and a few others with the same red shelf-tags (I forgot to take notes, sorry…)

They had the 750ml version of Innis & Gunn Original at 2 for £5 as well.

In a fit of what appears to be sheer optimism (judging by the forecast for the weekend, at least), The Independent ran an article on Monday that featured Roger Protz’s ‘Ten Best Summer Beers’:

• Adnams East Green
• Fuller’s Organic Honey Dew
• Meantime IPA
• Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay
• Budweiser Budvar
• Duvel
• St Austell Clouded Yellow
• Young’s Kew Gold
• Brakspear Oxford Gold
• Goose Island IPA

I posted tasting notes on the Adnams East Green yesterday and the Kew Gold back at the end of June. I’ve got the Fuller’s Organic Honey Dew lined up next. Tried the Whitstable Bay and Oxford Gold a while back, but I’d need to re-visit before I could comment.

As for the others: Budvar is one of the better-flavoured commercial lagers out there, the Meantime IPA is on sale in our local Tesco’s and Duvel is available pretty much anywhere, so shouldn’t be too hard to track down. The Clouded Yellow I can’t drink (it’s a wheat beer and I have an Intolerance, or an allergy, or something – whatever, wheat is evil and makes me feel like crap after consuming it) and Goose Island is apparently only available in cases of 24 from T’Internets. Hmm.

Brewery: Adnams
Location: Southwold, Suffolk, England
ABV: 4.3%
Version: 500ml bottle

Adnams are proudly billing this brew as ‘Carbon Neutral’ and have named it after the green outside their brand new brewery. We’re told that the facility at which this beer is produced uses advanced energy conservation techniques and along with the local hops and barley, plus a “tiny amount of carbon offsetting”, Adnams reckon that this one as as close to their aim of turning out a non planet-harming product as they can manage.

All those good intentions aside, what about the beer itself? It’s a very pale amber colour, and pours with a thin head that disappears quite quickly. The flavour has honey tones and it has a nicely rounded texture, but I’m afraid there’s there’s not much else to report. A faint hint of citrus, not much of an aroma.

All in all a pleasantly light, drinkable brew and whilst I wouldn’t turn my nose up if someone put a pint of the draft version in front of me, it’s not something I’d specifically seek out.