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: Wells and Young’s
Origin: Bedford, England
ABV: 4.8%
Version: 500ml bottle
Source: Sainsburys

Young’s Kew Gold is (so it says on the neck label) “inspired by hops grown at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew” and a donation from the sale of each bottle goes towards rare species conservation.

The beer itself is a bottle-conditioned, amber ale with a warm, sweet aroma backed up with a satisfyingly fresh, hoppy and flavoursome taste, with hints of citrus in both. It pours fairly flat but a slight effervescence keeps the flavour alive and I’m sure on draught it would make for a very satisfying pint indeed, particularly on a warm summer afternoon in a beer garden somewhere. I don’t think it’s one I would stay on for a full session, but I’m definitely glad I tried it.

In a review in the July edition of CAMRA’s Beer magazine, Des de Moor suggests it would be “a good entry level Real Ale in a Bottle for the lager drinker.” Can’t argue with that.