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Ok this might get me linched I know but I am not a beer drinker like cider and wine an odd Guinness now and then.
Currently sat in Bristol wether spoons as away with work thought try something different.
Shipyard American Pale Ale

I am very surprised lovely Citrus nose and tastes very nice indeed this took me by surprise especially as most say commercial beer is tasteless lol

Have I been missing out all this time or tastes changed as I reach late 40s?
 
Ok this might get me linched I know but I am not a beer drinker

I used to be a lager drinker back in the day i wouldn't have thanked you for anything else but when i discovered my gout was mainly triggered by it i gave it up and moved onto stuff like Old Speckled Hen, bishops finger etc, i got a taste for it and started experimenting and found i like Old Peculier, Guiness West indies Porter (though not original Guinness) Badgers Master Stoat and other types of beer, i haven't had pint of larger in about 8 years and i haven't missed it at all.
 
Ok this might get me linched I know but I am not a beer drinker like cider and wine an odd Guinness now and then.
Currently sat in Bristol wether spoons as away with work thought try something different.
Shipyard American Pale Ale

I am very surprised lovely Citrus nose and tastes very nice indeed this took me by surprise especially as most say commercial beer is tasteless lol

Have I been missing out all this time or tastes changed as I reach late 40s?
Yor 'avin' a larft, innit!
Guinness is beer, although not everyone's cup of Old Rosie. And yeah, it's about as commercial as it gets, And yeah, it's pretty tasteless.
But Shipyard? What, then, do you consider not to be a commercial beer?
I should try going to a proper pub while you're at it.
 
Yor 'avin' a larft, innit!
Guinness is beer, although not everyone's cup of Old Rosie. And yeah, it's about as commercial as it gets, And yeah, it's pretty tasteless.
But Shipyard? What, then, do you consider not to be a commercial beer?
I should try going to a proper pub while you're at it.
Never says not a commercial beer of course it is.

Fine will say nothing from now on to upset the beer snobs

Back to cider and wine then less hassle
 
Well I have real problems finding cider that I like these days.
It all seems so bland and tasteless compared to how it tasted in my youth.

I thought it was my taste buds changing as I got old, but I have now found a cider that reminds me of those times, so maybe modern cider is just too bland & samey. No wonder the kids drink it with ice cubes or ribena.
 
Hi @old dog new tricks - don't be put off by a couple of silly comments, there's a whole world of beer out there and it sounds like you've just found your 'gateway' to it.

Quite possible that your taste buds have changed a bit. For example, a lot of people initially prefer white wine to red before developing a taste for the latter.

Also possible you've just been trying the wrong beers for your tastes. If you've found you like some of citrus notes in Shipyard then try out a few other Pale Ales and IPAs to see what else you may like. In terms of beers that are widely available commercially I'd suggest Oakham Citra and Adnam's Ghost Ship for pale ales and St. Austell's Proper Job and Thornbridge Jaipur if you want an IPA. Obviously a lot of others out there but those 4 are highly regarded.
 
Never says not a commercial beer of course it is.

Fine will say nothing from now on to upset the beer snobs

Back to cider and wine then less hassle
You certainly haven't upset me. I'm just fascinated to know what you understand by "commercial" beer. I would say that any beer that is produced for resale is "commercial" If you mean mass-produced "fizz" made by giant companies, then I'd be inclined to agree with you. Where Shipyard fits into that, I don't know. It's brewed for Carlsberg Marston, but with all the takeovers and closures, I don't know who it's brewed by! Is it a local brewer allowed to get on with their job by their owners, or is it brewed in a mega-keggery somewhere.
In either case, I think the beer snobs would turn up their collective nose as it's not cask.
 
Well I have real problems finding cider that I like these days.
It all seems so bland and tasteless compared to how it tasted in my youth.

I thought it was my taste buds changing as I got old, but I have now found a cider that reminds me of those times, so maybe modern cider is just too bland & samey. No wonder the kids drink it with ice cubes or ribena.
There are not many pubs that sell decent cider in my experience. Most of it is fizzed up stuff, probably made from concentrate ad us the apply equivalent of Grotney's. Before I left dear old Blighty, I used to drink in the Square and Compass in Worth where Charley used keep several good ciders from Hecks', He probably still does.
There is some good cider in the West Country though. I remember getting absolutely lashed, after a beer festival at Tucker's, by wandering into a pub that sold only cider in Newton Abbott. My recollection of the day is even hazier than the stuff I was drinking.

Hi @old dog new tricks - don't be put off by a couple of silly comments, there's a whole world of beer out there and it sounds like you've just found your 'gateway' to it.

Quite possible that your taste buds have changed a bit. For example, a lot of people initially prefer white wine to red before developing a taste for the latter.

Also possible you've just been trying the wrong beers for your tastes. If you've found you like some of citrus notes in Shipyard then try out a few other Pale Ales and IPAs to see what else you may like. In terms of beers that are widely available commercially I'd suggest Oakham Citra and Adnam's Ghost Ship for pale ales and St. Austell's Proper Job and Thornbridge Jaipur if you want an IPA. Obviously a lot of others out there but those 4 are highly regarded.
If you include my comment in that then watch your mouth. Nothing silly there. Not my cup of Old Rosie: Cup of tea: Rosie Lee. Do I really have to explain? Old Rosie is a cider made by Westons.

As for Wetherspoons, I do not approve of that organisation and it's hirsute owner. They're nothing for the British pub apart from undercutting them and contributing to their closedowns. Look at his record in treating his staff! If you want to drink in Wetherspoons, you'll soon have no choice as there'll be nothing else left.

@old dog new tricks , get yourself to a beer festival or two. Yeah, half of the visitors will be besandled, baggy jumpered beer snobs (and part time morris dancers) but you'll get an excellent taste for proper beer and be in a better position to make up you mind what you want to drink and brew. (And many sell decent cider, too). Oh, and grow a thicker skin and join in the banter.
 
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I have actually started to make my own hard apple cider using various juices and sugar to get the %abv and mixed acid. Is quite nice and flavourful and can carbonate to my liking. I liked some of the Aspall cider but went off pub draft cider a long time ago.
I made a Hokum Stomp Oatmeal Porter clone that got me back into dark beers as I don't particularly like Guinness...!!! I find it bland.
 
There are not many pubs that sell decent cider in my experience. Most of it is fizzed up stuff, probably made from concentrate ad us the apply equivalent of Grotney's. Before I left dear old Blighty, I used to drink in the Square and Compass in Worth where Charley used keep several good ciders from Hecks', He probably still does.
There is some good cider in the West Country though. I remember getting absolutely lashed, after a beer festival at Tucker's, by wandering into a pub that sold only cider in Newton Abbott. My recollection of the day is even hazier than the stuff I was drinking.


If you include my comment in that then watch your mouth. Nothing silly there. Not my cup of Old Rosie: Cup of tea: Rosie Lee. Do I really have to explain? Old Rosie is a cider made by Westons.

As for Wetherspoons, I do not approve of that organisation and it's hirsute owner. They're nothing for the British pub apart from undercutting them and contributing to their closedowns. Look at his record in treating his staff! If you want to drink in Wetherspoons, you'll soon have no choice as there'll be nothing else left.

@old dog new tricks , get yourself to a beer festival or two. Yeah, half of the visitors will be besandled, baggy jumpered beer snobs (and part time morris dancers) but you'll get an excellent taste for proper beer and be in a better position to make up you mind what you want to drink and brew. (And many sell decent cider, too). Oh, and grow a thicker skin and join in the banter.

Note to self do not reply when drinking lol

Fair point about spoons but there are 2 sides to that story look beyond the headlines.
I drink there for reasons not related to beer more it works for expences and the drink included allows me to claim a drink with a meal.

That aside the fact that spoons actively trys to offer something different with guest ales etc is a good thing I tried this as a colleague recommended it. Surely a big player like this offers a choice of beers and trying to promote different choices is a good thing? I would not have had this in my local for example it very limited and commercial by that I mean the same stuff you can get anywhere
 
If you like Shipyard, try Brewdog Punk IPA, also in Wethers, and two of my favourites and similar to both of those are Neck Oil and Gamma Ray if you can find them. I also recently had Ilkley something in Wethers which was in the same vein. In fact buying a pint of Neck Oil and a pint of Gamma Ray and trying to decide which was best, forgetting which was which and having to get another 2, and then not caring brought me here with my attempts at starting to brew my own.
 
If you like Shipyard, try Brewdog Punk IPA, also in Wethers, and two of my favourites and similar to both of those are Neck Oil and Gamma Ray if you can find them. I also recently had Ilkley something in Wethers which was in the same vein. In fact buying a pint of Neck Oil and a pint of Gamma Ray and trying to decide which was best, forgetting which was which and having to get another 2, and then not caring brought me here with my attempts at starting to brew my own.

Thanks I tried Brewdog Punk IPA yeah it was nice, the other one I tried and enjoyed too much was Joker IPA.

I also took the advice of seasoned beer drinkers and tried Asda craft beers, made by Fourpure

Asda West Coast IPA - not for me tasted too much like lager and nice aroma was lost in the taste
Asda Hazy Pale - this I enjoyed, nice mellow taste, pleasant aroma and nice mouth feel, defo have this or this style again
Asda Velvet Stout - I was very impressed with this, jet black nice creamy head and lovely complex taste, without being too bitter. Had a couple of these I enjoyed it so much.

lovely change from cider
 
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