As I've gotten older, my drinking tastes have matured. Gone are the days when I would drink for the sake of drinking - now that I'm a mum, with very little oppurtunity for drunken benders, I've switched to 'real' beers, and started to just buy a couple of different bottles every so often, and ... Read review
As I've gotten older, my drinking tastes have matured. Gone are the days when I would drink for the sake of drinking - now that I'm a mum, with very little oppurtunity for drunken benders, I've switched to 'real' beers, and started to just buy a couple of different bottles every so often, and sit and savour them.
Now, my local supermarket helps me out a little here, with a regular 3 bottles for four quid offer. So, with my weekly shop, ... ...wait .
Today,I waited until school was over, and my daughter was in bed asleep . I made myself a nice snack, put something interesting on the telly, and made sure the heatings on at just the right temperature . I laid out my table with the things I need for my evenings enjoyment - a book, a bar of chocolate, and my three beers.
So, tonights tipple was Well's Banana Bread Beer, a relatively potent brew a 5.2 % ABV . I'd picked ... more
As I've gotten older, my drinking tastes have matured. Gone are the days when I would drink for the sake of drinking - now that I'm a mum, with very little oppurtunity for drunken benders, I've switched to 'real' beers, and started to just buy a couple of different bottles every so often, and sit and savour them.
Now, my local supermarket helps me out a little here, with a regular 3 bottles for four quid offer. So, with my weekly shop, I'll tend to pick up three different bottles. Then I wait .
Today,I waited until school was over, and my daughter was in bed asleep . I made myself a nice snack, put something interesting on the telly, and made sure the heatings on at just the right temperature . I laid out my table with the things I need for my evenings enjoyment - a book, a bar of chocolate, and my three beers.
So, tonights tipple was Well's Banana Bread Beer, a relatively potent brew a 5.2 % ABV . I'd picked this up because I love Banana, and a swift glance at the label showed that as well as the obvious Malt, Barley, and Hops, this beer contained real banana. As well as, oddly, banana flavouring . Was I in for a double dose of banana joy ?
Well, I wanted to get stuck in and have a taste, so rubbing my hands together and gleefully grabbed the bottle - only to hit a pitfall . I'd forgotten to get the bottle opener out on the table ready . After a brief hunt around the house, it was located in the bathroom, and I returned downstairs to sample my beverage .
Taking a hearty sniff in the manner of the best wine gurus, I detected a whiff of something rich and sweet . I woudn't say the fragrance of banana hit me immediately in the face , more that it snuck up behind me in the manner of a furtive mugger, and somehow, before I could run, it was there .
It wasn't an overpowering scent, and slowly other scents crept in, a kind of caramel smell, which matched the amber toffee colour of the beer well . Pouring it into my glass, it didn't froth much. That didn't really concern me too much though, I want to drink refreshing wet beer, not annoying fluff.
On the initial sip, it just tasted beery and hoppy at first, but slowly, a mild banana taste danced along my tastebuds - but it didn't seem like real banana, more like the aftertaste left in your mouth after drinking a banana milkshake . It didn't have much of an aftertaste, and the little it did have didn't taste specifically of banana, I just knew I'd had a drink for a while .
The beer slid quickly and easily down my throat, no fizziness or anything, just a nice wet drink. It didn't seem to last me very long though - probably because I did like it an awful lot - after all, it comes in a pint bottle. I think it's definately an occasional treat though, rather than a session beer, and think this beer would benefit from being drunk on its own rather than with food, as the flavour is mild and could easily be obscured by flavours in food.
I would definatelty drink it again - probably not often, and thats not down to any fault with the beer, more my tendancy to vary my selection each week . I'd definately recommend giving it a bash !
Advantages: Tasty, fruity and comes in a lovely pint bottle! Disadvantages: I'm not drinking any now and we don't have transport to go and get any!!!
...is brewed by the Charles Wells Brewery, which is based in Bedford. This family business was founded in 1876 and has been at the present site (the Eagle Brewery) since 1976. They supply 290 of their own pubs with cask ale and around 600 other outlets around the country too. Their bottled beer range began production in 1996 and from 2000 onwards (after they bought out the John Bull Pub Company) they now supply most of Europe – this includes Spain and ... ...this bottle from Morrisons (Charles Wells deal with Tescos, Somerfield, Co op and many other Supermarkets too) and, because it was given as a gift and it would be impolite to ask, I am unsure of the price. For a bottle this size I would expect to pay around the £1.80 to £2.00 mark – I normally get bottles in standard 500ml sizes and they cost me around £1.50 to £1.70, so this is a rough estimate. I will be buying some more when we get a chance so ...
tange 20.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wells Banana Bread Beer
...quite a few reviews of Wells Banana Bread Beer and I have to admit, I was suitably intrigued. I'm always on the look-out for new and different beers to sample so when I came across this beer on the supermarket shelf, there was only ever going to be one outcome. I'd actually bought this some time ago and it was languishing at the back of my 'beer cellar' (just behind Uncle Sawney) - stuck between some bottles of Orval and Westmalle. Let's hope that ... ...Brewery • Charles Wells brewery was founded in 1876 and is now the largest independently owned, family run brewery in the country and the UK's fifth largest brewery. Over five generations the Wells family have been involved with the brewery, and present members are still involved. All Charles Wells beer is still made with water drawn from the well sunk some 90 years ago, these include some nice ales in the form of Bombardier, Eagle, and the ...
proxam 30.04.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wells Banana Bread Beer
Advantages: An interesting curiosity if you want to be the centre of attention Disadvantages: Synthetic cloying banana taste
...beer is from the Charles Wells Company but its web site (www.charleswells.co.uk) is not particularly informative. It describes Banana Bread Beer as a seasonal ale. It goes on: “Its malty aroma is complemented by the gentle nose of Banana. Its flavour unfolds with a sensual sparkle and a smart crispness, which balances its aroma perfectly. Tropically fruity; its ripe banana flavour, emphasised by a hint of bitterness, comes from the addition of real ... ...had not heard of Charles Wells before finding this bottle (even though I hale from the East Midlands). Eagle Brewery similarly did not register in my memory. Reference to Eagle Brewery’s home page (http://www.pub-explorer.com/realale/charleswellsbrewery.htm) does make things a little clearer. A glance here confirms the following history. “Founded in 1876 to provide beer to the local Bedfordians, Charles Wells is now the largest independently owned, ...
Newfloridian 31.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wells Banana Bread Beer
Advantages: Different. Very different Disadvantages: Might just be too fruity for some
...name. I’d always associated Charles Wells with the venerable old “Bombardier”, an unassuming but reliable staple of many a pub, especially around these parts for some reason, even though it’s brewed 150 miles away in Bedford. I’d never thought of them as being in the least bit exotic. So it was with just a little trepidation that I opened the bottle the other night.
First the bottle. It’s standard dark brown with ... ...A visit to the Charles Wells website (www.charleswells.co.uk) reveals a bit of a clanger. It states that it’s 4.5% abv but the bottle says 5.5%. Can’t help you there so I’ll probably have to do some kind of controlled testing over a few days with some other 5.5% product and see which one makes me fall over first. Interestingly enough, the site also says that Charles Wells brew Jamaican Red Stripe, beloved of cricket fans all over ...
The-Operator 08.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Wells Banana Bread Beer
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Reviews which might be of interest for "Wells Banana Bread Beer"
Advantages: Excellent well balanced beer with a hint of bananas. Disadvantages: There are bananas - so if you really don't like them you're scuppered!
.1% ABV and each brew is produced using around 3kg of Fairtrade bananas and a blend of hops (in this case Challenger, Pioneer, Sovereign and Bodacea).
***Look, Aroma & Texture***
Looks wise, Top Banana is a darkish golden coloured beer with a reasonably long lasting, off-white head. The aroma is quite malty, giving it a slight toasted bread smell. This is mixed with a subtle fruitiness (not surprisingly there are some banana elements there) and a little sweetness (again possibly attributed to the bananas). Texture is smooth and medium bodied, with a nice mouthfeel.
***Tange?s Taste test***
Of course there is a noticeable taste of bananas in this brew, but not nearly as much as in beers such as Charles Well?sBananaBreadBeer ? the bananainess (I?ve made a word up!!!) isn?t overpowering and it is possible to drink it if you aren ...
Advantages: Tasty, rich, full bodied and downright nice! Disadvantages: Disadvantages? Nah!
, but there are also hints of caramel, vanilla, treacle and fruit. Texture is rich, smooth and a little on the syrup/ treacley side, making it full-bodied with a pleasant though slightly mouth feel.
***Taste***
OP tastes strong! It starts off quite sweet; it has a treacle toffee taste and a sweet fruitiness (like raisins, blackberries and black grapes). The rich flavour of roasted malt develops as you drink, as does the fruitiness, which also has elements of banana (think of a very delicate Well?sBananaBreadBeer), combined with vanilla, liquorice, chocolate and a very small amount of hops. I find that there is an underlying nuttiness that softens the taste and balances the fruit. The finish is dry and leads to a long bitter aftertaste.
***What I think***
OP is a real classic Old Ale that reminds me very much of a stout ...
Advantages: It's English, It's Imperial, It's Premium Disadvantages: The Safeway special might not last long.
're campaigning for a Bank Holiday on St. George's Day. The petition has been signed by 78378 people so far?. You can register your vote at: http://www.bombardier.co.uk/stgeorgesday.php.
I know it?s a couple of days late ? I had really thought this category was listed when I tried to make a posting at the beginning of the week. It only appeared today!
THE BREWERY
I first came across the Eagle Brewery when I was reviewing one of their alternative labels (WellsBananaBreadBeer). Prior to that I have to confess that I had not heard of Charles Wells or Eagle even though I hale from the East Midlands.
?Founded in 1876 to provide beer to the local Bedfordians, Charles Wells is now the largest independently owned, family run brewery in the country and is in fact the UK's fifth largest brewery. Over five generations the Wells family have ...
