Sunday 27 January 2013

Moondance (Triple FFF)

Moondance (Triple FFF)
Name: Moondance
Label: "Best Bitter - Bottle conditioned beer - contains sediment - pour carefully"
Brewery: Tiple FFF Brewery
ABV: 3.8%

Rating: Great beer but why all the angry sounding instructions on the bottle label?  Examples; "Pour carefully", "DRINK AWARE", "WARNING: contains malted barley", "PLEASE RECYCLE THIS BOTTLE". I've never seen anything like it, the label designer went CAPS LOCK MAD!

Game: Finally finished Game of Thrones. Didn't realise it was going to be such an epic. An achievement for losing the final battle was also a pleasant surprise.  Having to skip through the 'loser' ending got really tiresome though after getting beaten several times (slow learner)... so you can keep your stupid achievement actually, you crazy game!

Admittedly, it's not the greatest game ever made but if you're an RPG fanatic or have even a passing interest in Game of Thrones then this is definitely worth a look. Otherwise there are a lot of similar, technically superior titles out there that should really be your first choice.

Friday 25 January 2013

Light Ale (Young's)

Light Ale (Young's)
Name: Light Ale (Young's)
Label: "Light traditional beer - Here at Young's we've created a family of flavoursome beers with different styles and tastes, united by a common belief that good beer, brewed properly and with passion, can be enjoyed by all."
Brewery: Young's
ABV: 3.2%

Rating: "A light refreshing bitter with a distinctive, crisp taste. Pale amber in colour, Young's Light Ale is a clean satisfying blend of Maris Otter English malted barley and Fuggles and Goldings hops. Britain's favourite light ale."  And now my favourite too!

Game: After my earth-shattering epiphany from the last post about pre-ordering, I've discovered the PreOrderIQ website. Created by the same publishers as the splendid GamerZines (check The Elderly Gamer site for the low-down), PreOrderIQ gives us a ridiculously handy collation of upcoming games and where they can be pre-ordered at the best deals. With high-street shops slowly vanishing and surviving retailers charging in excess of £43 for a new release, it's even more tempting to turn to tax-avoiding online retail alternatives for our next gaming fix. Who needs the high street anyway... (other than pretty much everyone, obviously).

Sunday 20 January 2013

Spitfire (Shepherd Neame)

Spitfire (Shepherd Neame)
Name: Spitfire
Label: "Limited Edition - Movember and Sons - Register or donate at Movember.com"
Brewery: Shepherd Neame
ABV: 4.5%

Rating: I've had this beer a million times before obviously but this is the limited edition bottle for Movember.  Movember is when people (usually males) grow moustaches for charity during the month of November to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health.  It's about time I drank this, it's been ages since Movember!

Game: I've said loads of times that my pre-ordering days are over because the games just don't arrive on time.  But having spent £40 on DmC: Devil May Cry I've come to the conclusion that I need to find cheaper alternatives.  So I've pre-ordered Dead Space 3 from Zavvi for a mere £34. That's a massive... *searches for calculator*... SIX whole pounds of savings!  So what if it takes ages to arrive! Think of the savings, man!

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Red Shield (Worthington's)

Red Shield (Worthington's)
Name: Red Shield
Label: "Our blond ale that celebrates fresh flavours - Closer to cask for a fuller flavour"
Brewery: Worthington's
ABV: 4.2%

Rating: "Red Shield is an English Pale Ale, inspired by lighter tasting versions of more traditional IPA. A light and refreshing beer that, in typical Burton fashion, has a distinct and unrivalled bitter-sweet balance."  Mmm beer, tried a bit of a beer break after Christmas then thought, why? Just... WHY??

Game: It's been a bit quiet for games recently but finished Far Cry 3 and slowly but surely progressing through Game of Thrones *stifles yawn* but then BOOM!! DmC: Devil May Cry suddenly appeared in my Xbox! You know when you play the first bit of a game and all you can think of is 'WOW' and 'OMG' etc etc? No? Must just be me then, but anyway I was thinking 'WOW' and 'OMG' during the first bit of the game and I never say OMG normally, unless it's light-hearted piss-taking of people who say 'OMG'. Incredible soundtrack to the game too. It's going to be a winner.