The Tesco’s near my house has a pretty huge beer selection. I’m sure most of the beers they have there are owned by some conglomeration or another and microbrewery connoisseurs will laugh at the choices I make, but hey… if you don’t get laughed at, you don’t learn. And if you avoid the beer section at Tesco for fear of its lack of street cred, I will laugh a long hard laugh at you.

Anyhow, now that that’s been said, I figure I might as well start documenting what I like and don’t like from the random things I pick up at Tesco, starting with…

Spitfire Kentish Ale: Glorious 2012 Edition

I am a sucker for anything commemorative, and this one was made to celebrate 2012, which really has been a pretty glorious year so far (despite the weather).

According to its website:

Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale is the biggest ale success story of the last decade. Originally brewed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, its characteristically Kentish, hoppy flavour and risque advertising campaign has made it a firm favourite with beer lovers.

Winner of a gold medal and Best Strong Cask-Conditioned Beer of the World at the Brewing Industry International Awards, Spitfire Ale is now Shepherd Neame’s biggest-selling cask conditioned ale. Spitfire Ale has Protected Geographical Indication, the same regional produce protection afforded to Champagne and Parma Ham.

According to a “celebrated drinks writer”on Channel 4:

“The glowing amber of this premium Kentish ale has wonderfully generous aromas of tangy malt, soft raisins and sweet oranges, freshened by the floral, grassy notes of three different Kent-grown hop varieties (flowery Target, tangy First Gold and orange-fragrant East Kent Goldings). In the mouth, the finely balanced flavour opens with a blast of rounded malt before the rousing, almost spicy hops follow through to provide a complex, multi-layered finish.”

My take:

I liked! It wasn’t really all that hoppy and went well with a cold half burger. Plus, I love the design of the bottle. When you are not a beer connoisseur and you are randomly picking up bottles from Tesco, it really helps to have a nice bottle design.

Final Verdict: Would drink again.