You may have read my last post about my accidental journey into the world of beer reviews, well here are my ten favourite brews I tried in 2013.

It’s actually quite a difficult list to write, and even tougher to list them all. A lot of beer is of a certain level, and there’s not a lot to say why x is much better than y. Plus sometimes it’s not about how the beer tastes, but the context you’re drinking it in. The list here doesn’t necessarily mean they are the best beers – more, perhaps, the ones that made the biggest impression on me.

The first five in the list aren’t in any particular order, the top 5 are sort of ranked, with a definite favourite at number one. If you asked me tomorrow I might change my mind, but you can rest assured I enjoyed all of these beers.

10 – 6

St Austell: Tribute

This is here because it’s a good quality, tasty beer that is freely available in most large supermarkets. I remember being pleasantly surprised by just how good it was, and that also applied to ‘Proper Job’ another of St Austell’s beers.

Bird’s: Amnesia

Aptly named this one, because I’d forgotten all about it. Looking over my mini reviews though I wrote some very good things about it – which is fairly unusual. That’s enough for me to recommend it, even though I can’t remember that much about it!

Williams’ Bros: Ceilidh

I like the beers that the William’s Brothers put out, and this was a great little find in a deli shop in Perthshire. It only cost me £1.30, and as I noted in my alelog review I really should have bought 30 bottles. A good lager.

Harviestoun: Schiehallion / Sainsbury’s Craft Lager

Talking of good lagers, this is another. Even better that you can get it from Sainsbury’s labelled as their own ‘Craft Lager’.

Greenwich (for M&S): Black IPA

Greenwich have done quite a few nice releases for M&S, and they’ve all been pretty good. This one was my favourite though. I like a fruity, zesty IPA. I like a darker beer, and this combined the two very effectively.

Read the rest of this entry »