Bargain Bottled Beers the Second: Aldi's Ales
As promised, I have ventured forth into the hallowed shelves of Aldi in search of greater value for my beer money. And for a cool 5.50 I left with a selection of five Aldi own brand beers, two foreign lagers/pilsners and three British ales/beers. In this article I will be rating their flavour and determining if I got the right bang for my buck.
Beer #1: Rheinbacher Pilsner
As per the Reinheitsgebot, this beer only contains:
- Malted Barley
- Hops
- Hops Extract
- Water (obviously)
Due to the lack of preservatives and food colourings prohibited by this law, you should hopefully be left relatively hangover free the next day (results may vary depending on how many you drink).
One 500ml bottle will cost you 99p and provide you an alcohol content of 4.8%.
First Impressions
Like the wheatfields of the German countryside viewed through a car window as the sun starts to fade, this beer is a light golden colour, yet crystal clear, akin to reasonably hydrated urine.
It has hardly any smell, except for a faint whiff of a combination of apples and citrus fruits if you're really looking.
Tasting
Much like the crisp, pristine springwater this beer mirrors in its clarity it also shares in its taste and texture. There is a slight acidity combined with hints of citrus peel, which playfully run along the tip of the tongue, after which the flavour begrudgingly fades into a bitter hoppy after taste and then a clean nothing. Though there wasn't much in the flavour department it was undoubtedly refreshing, as though a reverse Jesus had turned the beer into water in my mouth. In fact, I barely felt like I was drinking alcohol, despite its reasonable 4.8%.
Summary
I could definitely see myself drinking this while sweating to death at a barbecue on a hot day. Furthermore, the hints of citrus would work really well in a Radler/Shandy and the 99p price tag could help numb some of the guilt of using beer as a mixer.
"If khaki shorts and Birkenstocks were a beer"
6/10
Beer #2: Wainwright, The Golden Beer
This beer is currently being produced under the banner of Marston's, after their purchase of the Daniel Thwaites PLC beer division and although it is sold in Aldi for £1.29, you can also experience it on tap at selected pubs throughout the UK, likely with a slightly dearer price tag attached.
This beer is made from:
- Malted Barley-Maris Otter
- Hops- Hersbrucker, Magnum and Tradition
- Isinglass (A protein extracted from the dried swim bladder of a fish)
- Yeast
This 500ml bottle packs a meager hit of 4.1% alcohol by volume.
First Impressions
Living up to it's name of "the golden beer" this beer is slightly translucent and the colour of apple juice from concentrate.
Emanating from the glass I could smell something resembling blueberry pulp or honey, with hits of toasted malt, like cinder toffee.
Tasting
I quite enjoyed the initial sweetness, which transitioned into delightful, slightly burnt malt flavoured followed by a lingering bitterness.
The yeast almost seems to surround the overall flavour, combining with the sweetness to temper the bitterness, as well as providing a solid, creamy texture.
Sadly, the main flavours faded quickly, and even the mild toffee apple afterglow disappeared all too soon.
Summary
Even though it was the most expensive and the weakest of the beers, I must say I quite enjoyed the experience of drinking it, which I guess relegates this beer to the first thing you drink to treat yourself at pre's, before moving on to the cheaper stuff like vodka and pineapple juice.
"A decent all round sweet little beer"
8/10
Beer #3: Sainte Etienne Lager
This lager is brought to you by the proud beer making nation of Belgium, home to chocolate waffles, my personal favourite beer "Delirium Tremens", and the EU HQ.
Straight out of the gate this beer is technically the greatest value clocking in at 500ml, 4.8% alcohol by volume for only 89p.
If this beer provides me the greatest joy for money spent is yet to be determined.
This beer is made using:
This beer is made using:
- Barley Malt
- Glucose syrup
- Hop Extract
First Impressions
The colour is reminiscent of a freshly toasted Belgian waffle sans chocolate or powdered sugar, yet as clear as the glass which contained it.
Similar to Heineken this beer has a mild "hoppy" smell, with the overall odour reminding me of emptying the grass collection bag while mowing the lawn.
Tasting
Straight after the first sip I was shocked by a wave of cloying sweetness, like I was dipping my tongue into a wasp trap filled with sugar water. There was also a feeling similar to a piece of sodium fizzing across the back of my mouth during the initial mouthful, however the beer quickly went flat as the tasting progressed.
The usual bitterness seems to cling to the tongue long after any stale sweetness has travelled down the tongue and left.
I couldn't make out any distinct flavours other than perhaps bitter and bar mat.
Summary
Quite frankly I would happily pay the extra 10p to have the other lager, in fact, I wouldn't even drink this if I got a refund after finishing the bottle.
There were just so many things wrong with it, with its short lived fizz and unnatural, saccharine taste with a complete lack of depth.
"Never has something so sweet made me so unhappy"
2/10
Beer #4: Wild Bill IPA
Brought to you by the fictional Harper's Brewing Co. (probably Marston's) this very real American IPA comes in a wonderfully kitschy bottle, filled to the brim with all of the americana your recycling bin could ever want in a lifetime.
Brewed using:
- Barley Water
- Malted Rye
- Hops
- Calcium Chloride (Used to alter the mineral balance/pH during brewing)
- Brewer's Yeast
- Carrageenan (a polysaccharide usually sourced from Irish moss, used to make the beer clear)
- Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (a stabiliser used to filter out certain proteins in the beer)
- Isinglass
- Kieselguhr (a special kind of soil used as a filter)
This 500ml bottle will set you back £1.19 and yield a reasonable 5% alcohol by volume.
First Impressions
Though I would personally describe the colour as tannin soaked river water, to keep up the whole western theme of the bottle, one could say that it harkens to the leather boots of a cowboy, trotting into the horizon to the soundtrack of rattlesnakes and lonesome tumbleweed.
The smell was rather sweet and very similar to canned lychees.
Tasting
Upon sipping I was greeted with a rich malty sweetness caressing my tongue, along with a pleasant fizz, which the beer maintained throughout the tasting, unlike it's rapidly deflating Belgian predecessor.
There was hardly any bitterness present, which was complimented by dark toffee notes in the main flavour. Overall, these flavours gave me the impression of shortcrust pastry and much like the pastry, I could easily see myself getting fat from drinking too many of these.
The whole flavour seems to sit on top of the tongue and change like a stick of butter melting in the frying pan, rather than flowing down the tongue like a wave, which I had experienced in a lot of the other beers that I had tasted.
Summary
Personally I couldn't see this as something I would drink on a regular basis, since it is quite heavy, which means that although it's a decent 5%, you might struggle to reach the desired effect, as drinking enough may be a chore. However, if ales are your thing and you prefer darker beers such as stouts, I could totally see this working for you.
"A drink to feed your inner grandad"
5/10
Brewed using:
- Barley Water
- Malted Rye
- Hops
- Calcium Chloride (Used to alter the mineral balance/pH during brewing)
- Brewer's Yeast
- Carrageenan (a polysaccharide usually sourced from Irish moss, used to make the beer clear)
- Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (a stabiliser used to filter out certain proteins in the beer)
- Isinglass
- Kieselguhr (a special kind of soil used as a filter)
This 500ml bottle will set you back £1.19 and yield a reasonable 5% alcohol by volume.
First Impressions
Though I would personally describe the colour as tannin soaked river water, to keep up the whole western theme of the bottle, one could say that it harkens to the leather boots of a cowboy, trotting into the horizon to the soundtrack of rattlesnakes and lonesome tumbleweed.
The smell was rather sweet and very similar to canned lychees.
Tasting
Upon sipping I was greeted with a rich malty sweetness caressing my tongue, along with a pleasant fizz, which the beer maintained throughout the tasting, unlike it's rapidly deflating Belgian predecessor.
There was hardly any bitterness present, which was complimented by dark toffee notes in the main flavour. Overall, these flavours gave me the impression of shortcrust pastry and much like the pastry, I could easily see myself getting fat from drinking too many of these.
The whole flavour seems to sit on top of the tongue and change like a stick of butter melting in the frying pan, rather than flowing down the tongue like a wave, which I had experienced in a lot of the other beers that I had tasted.
Summary
Personally I couldn't see this as something I would drink on a regular basis, since it is quite heavy, which means that although it's a decent 5%, you might struggle to reach the desired effect, as drinking enough may be a chore. However, if ales are your thing and you prefer darker beers such as stouts, I could totally see this working for you.
"A drink to feed your inner grandad"
5/10
Beer #5: Medusa Ruby Red Ale
Presumably promising that you'll sleep like a statue after consumption, the Medusa Ruby Red Ale is another product of the fictitious Harper's Brewing Co. I don't have much experience with red ales, so I'm excited to see what the beer with the menacing chick on the bottle has to offer.This beer is made from:
- Barley Malt
- Hops
- Calcium Chloride
- Brewer's Yeast
- Carrageenan
- Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone
- Isinglass
- Kieglass
- Kieselguhr
- Enzymes
First Impressions
Well, it certainly lives up to the "Ruby Red" in its description, barely letting any light pass through its crimson depths. It almost reminds me of cola with red food dye added, with a nice ring of pale off-white foam.
The smell can be likened to a dark cherry/blackcurrant chocolate sauce poured onto a banana split.
The smell can be likened to a dark cherry/blackcurrant chocolate sauce poured onto a banana split.
Tasting
Being the darkest of the beers, it was also the heaviest, providing me with a strange grounded flavour resembling foam banana sweets or some sort of banoffee pie topped with whipped cream.
The front of the mouth is treated to bold toasted barley flavours and commercial caramel sauce, which slowly dissolves across the palate, seceding to a faint bitter after taste.
The bitterness, though minor does stick to the edges of the mouth, whereas the middle of the tongue is left with a pleasant lingering hint of caramel.
The front of the mouth is treated to bold toasted barley flavours and commercial caramel sauce, which slowly dissolves across the palate, seceding to a faint bitter after taste.
The bitterness, though minor does stick to the edges of the mouth, whereas the middle of the tongue is left with a pleasant lingering hint of caramel.
Summary
I quite enjoyed this one, although I wouldn't personally consider this a party beer, rather using it to help me get through the Christmas season along with port and brandy.
It's richness and sweet flavours certainly seem to suit it to jumper season.
"A Christmas market in your mouth, for when it's too cold outside, or you're too lazy to go out"
6/10
Conclusion
Overall, the two beers that I found to provide the greatest value were the German pilsner and the golden beer. Although they were 10p more expensive than their equivalents on this list, and the golden beer was the weakest, they gave me the greatest pleasure for what I was paying, with the pilsner providing an inoffensive and refreshing alcohol delivery method, and the golden beer satisfying me on the flavour front.
What shocked me the most whilst writing the article was the lack of transparency regarding what actually goes into our booze as the labelling laws aren't as strict as with other foodstuffs, which I personally find questionable, considering the UK drinks approximately "67 litres per capita" of beer per year.
People should have easy access to information about what they are putting into their bodies in order to further consumer choice and bring us closer to a perfectly competitive market and giving us greater influence about what is acceptable to put into beer.
I for one could happily live in a world where we don't put glucose syrup into lager.
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