Fruity trio

It always amazes me the amount of different flavours that can be packed into ale. The next three on my list are all fruity varieties. Some of my favourite summer pints tend to have citrus notes and I am always on the lookout for future options so let’s see how these went down…

Beer – Boon Doggle
Brewery – Ringwood Brewery (Hampshire)
ALC – 4.4%
Description (on bottle) – Blonde Boondoggle is a deliciously fruity ale affectionately crafted to savour and satisfy. Best enjoyed with a few nuts.

If first impressions were everything this craft ale would have scored extremely highly. It had an alluring rich blonde colour in the glass and a zesty citrus smell was particularly evident. Boon Doggle had good life and the head that formed left its mark on the glass throughout the duration of consumption. Unfortunately, this is where the main positives stopped. I felt a bit let down on the overall taste and flavour from what I expected and had read on the ale’s bottle and website. It was certainly not unpalatable but it lacked fruity undertones and the flavour did not have much depth.
6 out of 10

Beer – Ghost Ship
Brewery – Adnams (Suffolk)
ALC – 4.5%
Description (on bottle) – This ghostly pale ale has good assertive pithy bitterness with a malty backbone and a lemon and lime aroma.

When walking through the supermarket I was immediately drawn to this pale ale’s distinct bottle design. It had a sense of familiarity to it and it suddenly dawned on me this was a pint I had tried and enjoyed before. Living in Greenwich (South East London) I am fortunate to have an array of quality pubs in a close proximity which can all be relied upon to serve good ale. If my memory serves me correctly it was the Coach & Horses http://www.the-coach-and-horses.co.uk/ where I had previously supped a few Ghost Ships. When first poured into the glass, a light copper colour was apparent which was somewhat darker from many other pale ales I have come across. Nevertheless, this ale had fantastic flavour. The citrus flavourings gave a good smack but this was balanced effectively with a malty background. I must say I did prefer this on cask in comparison to the bottled version but still a great pint of beer.
8 out of 10

Beer – Golden Glory
Brewery – Badger (Dorset)
ALC – 4.5%
Description (on bottle) – Deliciously balanced peach and melon flavours of this award-winning classic. An ideal complement to sticky bbq ribs or an indulgent vanilla cheesecake.

The final in this trio of fruity beers was certainly the most extreme in terms of flavour. It definitely delivered what it set out to and was very floral and peachy in terms of smell and flavour. A nice head formed when it was poured and the colour was suited to the name as it was indeed golden! For my personal taste, it did become a little sickly and almost syrupy on the palate by the last few mouthfuls. Despite this, I was really pleased to have tried it and it was enjoyable as a one-off drink. However, I don’t think I would have anywhere near as much enjoyment if I had drunk more than one as the sweetness would more than likely become over powering. A ‘ronseal’ of the ale world – does exactly what it says on the bottle albeit rather sweet!
6.5 out of 10