A very well known beer, one which has given me many hangovers years ago. The brewery says,"First brewed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory and affectionately named after an old MG car used as a factory runaround. A finely balanced ale. With a smooth, rich malty taste. Perfect for every occassion. Great with friends and food. Why not try with your sunday roast or cured meats and cheese."

The Independent says, "This lovely winter beer, with overtones of tea and autumnal leaves, is so popular it boasts its own fan club. Historically brewed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, it is now sadly owned by the Greene King conglomerate, which has successfully turned it into one of the best selling beers at Britains checkouts. While real aficionados say it isn't as good as it used to be, Old Speckled Hen's still one of the most reliable beers on the supermarket shelves."

I say; As I mentioned before, I've got a (good) history with this beer. However, my memory must be palying tricks on me. I remember the beer being a winter beer, as The Independent says. When I'm drinking this (on a warm night!) it is really refreshing, more like a summer ale. It smells malty, and initially that's the taste. This gives way to a classic hoppy bitterness. Lots of people moan about the Greene King connection, but if the beer tastes good, why not drink it. I'm really enjoying this!

This is a great beer. A great beer, although I mainly know it as a draft beer. The brewery says,"A distinctive golden beer that's long on refreshment. It's dry and delicious, a brilliant blend of malt and hop with a hint of citrus, that leaves your taste buds calling for more. It's so good that you'll wonder why you ever drank anything else! Deuchars IPA cask beer was voted the Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 2002."

The Independent says, "Scotland did win the world cup at least: this Caledonian gem was champion cask ale at the 2006 Brewing Industry International Awards. The bottled sister version was declared CAMRA's champion beer of Britain three years earlier. Light, golden and incredibly fresh, its vanilla and citrus foretaste quickly recede  to a classic bitter finish. Our judging panel declared it a perfect session beer."

I say; Mmmm, what a beer, what a beer. The Independent are right when they say the taste changes quickly. The initial citrus does give way to a subtle maltiness, which then moves on to a long tasty finish. These guys really are onto a winner, this will be in the top ten!

Yet another beer I've been desperate to try. The brewery says, 'A dry, heavily hopped strong Pale Ale with an extremely light colour. Originally commissioned by the National Maritime Museum for the quarter centenary celebrations of the defeat of the Spanish Armada by Sir Francis Drake, we were requested to continue production by numerous devotees."

The Independent says,"The only problem with this fantastic pale ale is that it doesn't come in bigger bottles. Harveys, the excellent Sussex family brewer, created the beer in 1988, after being commissioned by the National Maritime Museum to make a beer to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada by Sir Francis Drake. It came up with a pubby, hoppy little number that has remained a local favourite ever since."

I say; Mmmm, Pale Ale, my favourite of all the beer styles. There are some great ones around. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed in this. It's very nice, but just falls short of being wonderful. There's not quite enough flavour there, the hoppy tones give way to a slight blandness. It would be a fairly good session beer, but there are better Pale Ales out there. And thus shows the pitfalls of getting too excited before trying a beer!

One of two Harveys beers in the list, this small brewery has big aims! The brewery says, "Brewed to commemorate the bicentenary of the publication of 'The Rights of Man' by the radical Thomas Paine, a resident of Lewes at the time. It is thought that Paine helped draft the American Declaration of Independence. A dry hopped, strong pale ale."

The Independent says, "Think mincemeat, Branston Pickle, and long winter afternoons in front of a log fire. This dry hopped, strong pale ale was created to celebrate the 4th of July; and named after the author of the Rights of Man. An excellent, quintessentially English winter ale, with a fantastic balance of fruit, floral hops, and a breaded malty undertone."

I say; Well, after reading The Independents review, I wasn't that keen on trying this, but then reading the brewery, to me, it sounds completely different. So what's it like? Lighter in colour than I expected, the malt stands out, giving way to a hoppy fruitiness. Quite bitter, the strength comes through too. Can be a bit tangy after a while. Mid table I reckon!

Everybody knows this one! The brewery says, "The culmination of 5 generations of brewing expertise. Brewed at the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham, North Yorkshire - and nowhere else."

The Independent says, "A proper Yorkshire beer, from a well regarded brewery that was established in Masham by Paul Theakston in the early 1990's, after his family business, the much loved Theakston, was acrimoniously bought out by the international giant Scottish & Newcastle. It's flagship beer, Black Sheep, is a traditional brewed ale with a long dry taste."

I say; It's Black Sheep Ale, and whilst I prefer their Pale Ale, I have drunk this loads in the past and will drink it loads in the future. It's sold in lots of places, and is a sight for sore eyes in lots of them. Malty hoppiness takes over, and you could pretty much drink it all night. Not spectacular, but very dependable, and will always be drunk by me!