Beers we have tried since setting off again in 2025.
Australia
| Beerfarm Milk Stout: Australia Stout, 5.5% (Beerfarm Brewery) Very bitter. Burnt chocolate, burnt coffee. Oak, plastic, black malt, astingency. The lactose is not really doing any work here, because this is not sweet or creamy. 3/10 |  |
| Betty’s Lager: Australian Lager, 4.5% (Pirate Life Brewing) Light and malty, corn, some grass. But also some cardboard. A bit acidic and a bit too dry. 3.5/10 |  |
| Betty’s Pale Ale: Australian Pale Ale, 4.5% (Pirate Life Brewing) Tropical fruits, lemon zest, slightly toasted, honey-like malt, delicate hops. Some orange blossom swimming beneath the surface. Smooth body and medium carbonation. 7.5/10 |  |
| Cheeky Monkey West Coast IPA: Australian IPA, 6% (Cheeky Monkey Brewery) Lots and lots of pine. Dry. Quite bitter. Light malty grains. The citrus in this is quite mellow, and is mostly grapefruit. 5/10 |  |
| (Froth) The Captain: Australian Lager, 4% (Froth Craft Brewery) Corn, cereal and bread crusts. Refreshing, straightforward, but bland. 4/10 |  |
| (Froth) Dont Be Draught: Australian Lager, 4.7% (Froth Craft Brewery) Quite grassy, leafy, a little bit of peanut and a hint of lemon. Sour grains, and a bit of a salty tang. 4.5/10 |  |
| (Froth) Golden Hour: Australian Pale Ale, 3.5% (Froth Craft Brewery) Bitter hops, some biscuits and a little bit floral. A faint taste of hay and grass; slightly dusty. Quite fresh, but unsubstantial. 4.5/10 |  |
| (Froth) Hopmouth: Australian XPA, 4.7% (Froth Craft Brewery) Hoppy, but not as much as the name would suggest. Dry-ish, lean, bright and light. Spoilt by a hint of wet sock. 5.5/10 |  |
| (Froth) Rollin Home: Australian Steam Ale, 4.9% (Froth Craft Brewery) Smokey. Burnt caramel. Very light citrus. Faint tobacco and some peppery spice. A little bit resinous. Mild drinking, and not a lot of bitterness. 7/10 |  |
| (Froth) Stoned Over: Australian, Australian Hazy Pale Ale, 5.5% (Froth Craft Brewery) Stone fruits, honeydew melon and wood. Not just the fruits, but the peach and apricot stones too. Huge amount of hops. Digestive biscuits. It has an almost chalky element to it that is quite drying. 8/10 |  |
| Jindong Juicy: Australian Pale Ale, 5% (Rocky Ridge Brewing) Slightly sweet, with medium hops. Not as juicy as advertised, but there’s some mango in there. Very flat, with low carbonation which doesn’t suit how light it is. 4/10 |  |
| Little Creatures: Australian Pale Ale, 5.2% (Little Creatures Brewing Co.) Distinct hops, lots of citrus. Juicy and fresh. Quite acidic. 5.5/10 |  |
| Nannup Ginger Beer: Australian Ginger Beer, 3.5% (Nannup Brewing Co.) Nice fiery bite, though not overpowering. Ginger flavour is clear, with some lemon bite. Good, balanced, natural-tasting sweetness. Medium carbonation. I don’t think I’d guess it was alcoholic if I didn’t know. 6/10 |  |
| Nannup IPA: Australian IPA, 5.9% (Nannup Brewing Co.) Distant yeast. Lemon, peach, apricot and flower petals. A little bit oily and a bit flat. Smooth and bitter finish. 5/10 |  |
| Nannup Kolsch: Australian Kolsch, 5.1% (Nannup Brewing Co.) Brisk and sharp lemon zest, with some grapes and passion fruit in the background. Bright grains, some dough and a touch of bubblegum. I was not expecting a world class Kolsch in rural Australia. 8.5/10 |  |
| Nannup Stout: Australian Stout, 5.8% (Nannup Brewing Co.) Deep, deep milk chocolate. Very malty. Fresh coffee, almost-burnt toast, rounded with brown sugar. A little bit of char and a very faint hint of vanilla. Light bodied, but feels appropriately so. One of the best stouts I’ve ever had. 9/10 |  |
| Nannup Trail Ale: 3.3% (Nannup Brewing Co.) Brown bread, mineral, slightly roasty. Faint caramel and light malt. A bit thin and very coppery. An interesting hint of nutmeg. 5.5/10 |  |
| Nannup XPA: Australian XPA, 3.5% (Nannup Brewing Co.) Kiwi and grapefruit, underripe mango and a little bit of cough syrup. Grassy, with some drying bitterness and a crisp finish. 6/10 |  |
| Running With Thieves Hazy Pale: Australian Hazy Pale Ale, 5.6% (Running With Thieves Brewery) Herbal and hoppy. It’s fruity with cantaloupe and honeydew, but it isn’t juicy. Big hit of skunk, fading into a quick, subdued and sour finished. Mouthfeel is quite chewy. Very low carbonation. 4.5/10 |  |
| Swan Draught: Australian Lager, 4.8% (Swan Brewery) Grainy. Can’t detect any hops. Clean, dry, basic, bland, light. Over carbonated. 3.5/10 |  |
| White Rabbit Dark Ale: Australian Dark Ale, 4.9% (White Rabbit Brewery) Toasted malts, hoppy bitterness, some roasted hazelnuts and a hint of herbs. Very slight bitter chocolate. A little bit musty. 6/10 |  |
France
| Bière Brune de l’Oncle Hansi: French Brown Ale, 5.6% (Brasserie La Saint-Pierre) Faintly burnt toast. Tinny. Slight roasted coffee, a bit of malt and bitterness, but overall a bit meh. 5/10 |  |
| Cidre de Bretagne Brut: French Dry Cider, 4.5% (Val de Rance) Tart green apples, with peels, sharply acidic; almost vinegary. A little bit of hay and meadow and cereal. Light sweetness taken over by bitter tannins. The dryness is quite intense. 7/10 |  |
| La Choulette Ambrée: French Bière de Garde Ambrée, 8% (Brasserie La Choulette) Very malty; sweet with raisins, figs, toffee and red berries. Slightly tart cherries, and burnt sugar. There’s a presence of brandy in the background. Medium body and carbonation. 8/10 |  |
| La Grenouille Assoiffée Ambrée: French Amber Ale, 5.8% (La Grenouille Assoiffée) Very heavy on the hops. Floral, with green apples and a bit peppery. Slightly savoury. A bit piquant. Dry finish. 7/10 |  |
| La Sober IPA: French IPA, 5.9% (Brasserie Du Lavoir) Quite creamy and resinous with lots of grain and malt, and a robust hoppy bitterness. Strong citrus and muted pine; semi-sweet caramel. Carbonation has a bite. Long aftertaste. 7/10 |  |
| Lobotomy Factory: French White Fruit Beer, 5% (Brasserie Sainte Cru) Grapefruit and watermelons dominate, though overall this is watery and thin. Very dry, too sour, and lacks depth. 3/10 |  |
| Manala: French Amber Ale, 5% (Brasserie Sainte Cru) Sticky chocolate malt, some faint fruit and spicy yeast notes. Fizzy, with a hint of cola. My main criticism is that it’s a bit muddy and slightly under carbonated. 7/10 |  |
| Orange Mecanique: French Ale, 7% (Brasserie Sainte Cru) Quite metallic. Hoppy with some coffee and caramel, shallow with a lingering bitterness. The orange is very faint. 4.5/10 |  |
| O’St Trop: French Blonde Ale, 6.5% (Brasserie Goudale) Mildly floral, a dash of citrus, but with a bit of corn sweetness. A bit deeper and more robust than a lager, but still very refreshing. We tried this on tap at a bar in Calais, but couldn’t find any info about it on the brewery website, so this was possibly brewed exclusively for the bar – they did indicate that it was an “in house” beer. 6/10 |  |
| Pelforth Brune: French Brown Ale, 6.5% (Brasserie Heineken) Lots of malt, coffee and some cola and cocoa. There is a bit too much caramel sweetness. Medium carbonation. It’s very much on the sweet side, with some mild bitterness on the finish. It’s basic, but Richard loves this style a lot, which adds on half a point. 5.5/10 |  |
| Bier Picon This is not a specific beer, but rather a French way of drinking beer. A shot of Amer Picon (a digestive similar to an Italian Amaro) is added to a basic lager (something like Heineken.) I love Amaro, and this is a great way of making shit beer taste very nice. Picon specifically has a very distinct orange flavour in addition to the usual bitters and spices of this type of digestive. Very much worth a try, especially as Picon is pretty affordable in the UK. |  |
Germany
| Erdinger Dunkel: German Dark Wheat Beer, 5.3% (Erdinger Weissbräu) Light, malty caramel, with some roasted nuts and coffee. The roasted flavour is quite strong, though overall it is quite light and lacks the robustness I’d want. Some raisins, and a hint of spice. Very smooth, but the finish is quite short and a little sour. 7.5/10 |  |
| Mühlen Kölsch: German Kölsch, 4.8% (Brauwelt Köln) Some malt, bread and spicy hops. Quite floral and fruity, particularly lemon. Moderately bitter, medium bodied, crisp, a little thin. 5.5/10 |  |
| Kloster Andechs Weissbeir Hell: German Hefeweizen, 5.5% (Klosterbrauerei Andechs) Big banana punch, with a background of honeydew melon, apple and orange. Spicy with cloves and nutmeg. A touch of vanilla and light honey. Very slight hop bitterness. Soft and creamy body, buttery mouthfeel. Great wheat beer. 9/10 |  |
| Kloster Gold Dunkel: German Dark Beer, 5% (Kloster-Brauerei Scheyern) Roasted malt, light hops and earth. Nutty, with a hint of chocolate and very subtle vanilla and dark fruits. Fairly rich, but not heavy. Mineral aftertaste. 6.5/10 |  |
| Waldhaus Hell: German Helles, 4.6% (Privatbauerei Waldhaus) Malted milks, faint grain sweetness and honey notes. Pears and lemons with a little bit of spice. Clean and crisp. 6/10 |  |
| Warsteiner Premium: German Pilsner, 4.8% (Warsteiner) Mild hoppy bitterness, bread, grass, apples. Some plums and prunes, and gets more malty as it goes. Fairly clean. 5/10 |  |
Belgium
| Blanche de Bruxelles Rosée: Belgian White Fruit Beer, 4.5% (Brasserie Lefebvre) Malty, sweet and fruity, but with balancing acidity and the finish is slightly dry. Spot-on carbonation. Full of apricot, orange mango, raspberry, lemon. It’s a bit like drinking a liquid drumstick. Amazing. 9.5/10 |  |
| Bolleke De Koninck: Belgian Amber Ale, 5% (Brouwerij de Koninck) Lots in common with a British bitter. Mild, toasty. Light brown sugar. Slight allspice and even slighter leather. A little bit watery and one dimensional. 7.5/10 |  |
| Bruxellensis Reserva: Belgian Brett Beer, 7.2% (Brasserie De La Seine) Smells a bit like lemon-scented cat wee and tastes similar. Very dry. Sour apples and old leather. Has a white wine quality, which might be why I’m so averse to it. 3/10 |  |
| Cherry Chouffe: Belgian Fruit Beer, 8% (Brasseie d’Achouffe) Deep, rich, ripe cherries. This is unctuous cherry jam and not bright sugary boiled sweets. Faint marzipan and oak. It isn’t sickly though; there is a lot of tartness. No bitterness. No artificial sweetness. If you like cherry beer, then it probably doesn’t get better than this. 8/10 |  |
| Chimay Tripel: Belgian Tripel, 8% (Abbaye de Scourmont) Intense, spicy yeast, cloves, pepper. Lots of esters, wheat and raisins. Lingering flavours of honey and nutmeg. Carbonation is gentle, but mouthfeel has a robust breadiness. Lightly acidic with a hint of hops. 8/10 |  |
| Orval: Belgian Pale Ale, 6.2% (Brasserie d’Orval) Quite earthy, sour apples, very hoppy. Tart and dry. Hints of tobacco and faint spice. Too bitter for my taste, and the bitterness is the only thing that lingers. 5/10 |  |
| Saint Lamvinus: Belgian Fruited Lambic 6% (Brasserie Cantillon) It smells and tastes a lot like a cider, although the fruit in this are grapes from vineyards in France. Flat, acidic and sour. It does get better as I get used to it, and as it gets warmer. It is very tart, with a hint of rose water and retains a strong funky apple flavour. 5/10 |  |
| Tipsy Bier: Belgian Brown Tripel, 7% (Gebroeders Hermans Freres) Initially sharp and slightly sour on the tongue. But then coffee and Maltesers, muted pepper, with a thick mouthfeel and a silky smooth finish. 9/10 |  |
| To Hell & Back: Belgian Spiced Coffee Porter, 6.66% (La Source Beer Co) Very fizzy and quite sharp on the tongue. Very medicinal, with lots of liquorice. Foamy mouth feel, though the head dissipated very quickly. Coffee is very muted for me, though Richard’s comment was it tasted like an alcoholic cold coffee. One of us is wrong, and it’s not me. Ends up just tasting of thick TCP. 4/10 |  |
| Tripel Karmeliet: Belgian Tripel, 8.4% (Brouwerij Bosteels) Amazingly complex. Lots of fresh fruits – banana, apricot, pineapple and orange. Deeply yeasty, and a bitterness similar to marmalade, with some honeysuckle. Slight coriander and clove spice. Despite having so much depth, it has a surprisingly clean finish. If you ever find yourself thinking that Belgian beer is a bit passé, and IPAs from New England or pretty painted fruit beer cans are the way to go, then have a pour of this and set yourself straight. 9.5/10 |  |
| Tripel D’Anvers: Belgian Tripel, 8% (Brouwerij De Koninck) Yeasty, with fresh bananas and oranges in the background. Slightly floral and grassy with citrussy hops. I thought there was a very faint woodiness to it. Highly carbonated. Fairly pedestrian, but it’s up against some great competition. 6/10 |  |
| Westmalle Dubbel: Belgian Dubbel, 7% (Brouwerij Westmalle) Rich malt, brown bread and caramel. Lots of dark fruits and raisins with a background of dark chocolate. Slightly coppery and faintly tart. Soft carbonation with a chewy mouthfeel and slightly bitter and unexpectedly clean finish. 8/10 |  |
| Westmalle Tripel: Belgian Tripel, 9.5% (Brouwerij Westmalle) Lightly hoppy, slightly floral, herbal and lemony. Honey, biscuits, foam bananas. Creamy mouthfeel, but also quite fizzy. Slightly dry and grapefruit sour. 8/10 |  |
Ride & Seek 