Foodie Rich: Beer of the Week

March 8, 2017 by Foodie Rich

Beer, I love it! I’m pretty certain I speak for quite a few of us. But it’s gotta be beer with flavour, not nasty, cold and fizzy tasteless lager. One problem though, typically good craft beer costs a little more than a pint of crap! On that rare occasion when you can grab yourself a bottle of something a little nicer for a bargain, doesn’t that hoppy nectar taste so much sweeter? I really believe we are now a nation of bargain lovers. Here’s a good example; you’re out with friends, you notice your bestie is wearing a new pair of shoes or maybe a rather dashing jacket. Naturally you comment ‘ohh I do like your new shoes’. Their face lights up, clearly they are glad you asked, as immediately they respond with ‘thank you, only £12.99 from Primark!’ Your impressed, and they are proud of this absolute bargain! I’m sure you wouldn't get the same response if they’re size 5’s where squeezed in to a pair of £500 Christian Louboutin’s? That would be considered socially unacceptable! I’m pretty sure in a situation such as this you’d just look on enviably thinking ‘flash bitch!’

But back to that beer. As I said, Craft Beer does come at a cost, but rightly so. Its good, and you get what you pay for after all (even in Primark!) Or so I thought! Last week I was wandering the aisles of Aldi, and found myself perusing the booze shelves. They have craft beer. And a bargain at that; £0.99 a bottle! Yes, less than a quid for a bottle of American style IPA beer. They have other varieties, but I am a sucker for this style of beer. So without further ado I filled by basket and got these bad boys back to my fridge. But how good can a 99p beer taste? Time to crack open a bottle and find out. This appeared to be a good’n. straight away that distinctive citrusy hoppy aroma came through that you’ll only find in an American style IPA. The flavour didn't disappoint either. Fresh grapefruit, hops and a hint of sweetness. At 5%, hardened craft beer lovers may think this is a little weak for a classic American IPA? But, if you want to drink a few of these its perfect. You won’t be slurring your words telling everyone within close proximity you love them after just two bottles (we’ve all been there haven’t we?) Wanna match it food? I honestly think this IPA would be great with a classic burger; after all BBQ season is only around the corner. Or how about a bit of Thai food? That citrusy flavour of the IPA would go so well with the lemon grass and galangal in a green curry. I reckon you could even serve this with a citrus tart for pudding. IPA’s are pretty versatile!

We all love a bit of Aldi don't we? And their beer and wine shelves are being stocked with some damn fine bottles. This IPA was good, ok it wouldn't stand up against a real IPA heavy weight like a Sierra Nevada, but let’s not forget, the Aldi IPA is 99p a bottle! I don't think you can get a bag of cheese and onion for less than that. so we need to put this in perspective and rate this beer overall. To summarise? For the price you really can’t go wrong with this IPA, it’s just a simple, non-offensive bargain-basement of a beer. Now if you can excuse me, I’m off back to Aldi!