What is the best readily available bottled ale?

[Wowbagger]

Bound to cause some lively discussion, this one.

I tend only to buy the ales that are on special offer (4 bottles for £6) and Adnam's Broadside is, in my view, the best that I have regularly found on such an offer. The Badger series are pretty good fall-backs, as are the Ringwood ales and Black sheep, but Broadside is my favourite.

I was delighted when we were at the Things' "do" that Fuller's 1845 was on the 4 for £6 offer in the Chepstow Tesco. That is an absolutely magnificent bottle-conditioned ale, amongst the best, but I don't often see it on the shelves, let alone on an offer of that sort. I had a look in our Tesco when we got back. If it had been there I would have seriously considered Tesco for our weekly shop, even though it is further away than Waitrose, but it wasn't.

So I will go for Broadside.

[Ian H]

Of our local small breweries, I particularly like the various Otter beers, Branscombe's productions, and Cotleigh.  Hanlon's do good cask beer (though a bit wobbly after a take-over) but I don't know of any bottled varieties.  There are one or two newish breweries in Exeter that I haven't yet investigated. 

On the other hand there are some spectacularly nasty bottled ciders around these parts (and a few good ones).

[bikenrrd]

I was going to write Black Sheep, as that is always consistently good.

Jennings beers are also good and usually £1 a bottle in Aldi (!).
Hook Norton is the best brewery around here and their beers are usually on offer in Co-op.

Does Westmalle Dubbel count?

There's so many different beers being made at the moment that are good.  This thread might become "what nice beer did you drink this weekend!"

[Ian H]

A certain Mr Interzen ought to be invited to this discussion.  http://interzen.homeunix.org/blog

[Rhys W]

I only buy Welsh beer now. Wales will never be independent if people like me keep buying English beer. Brains, Tomos Watkin, Celt, Mŵs Piws, Cwrw Llŷn, Felinfoel, Cwrw Cader, Tiny Rebel, Bragdy Conwy, Orme...

[Hot Flatus]

I don't think I've ever had a bottled ale that wowed me.

Lagers are a different matter....

[Ian H]

I don't think I've ever had a bottled ale that wowed me.

Lagers are a different matter....

You'll have to come down and try some Otter Head.

[Hot Flatus]

I'll have it draught please

[Ian H]

I'll have it draught please

It's not readily available draught, except a couple of hundred yards down the road from here, and then not on Sundays or Mondays.

[Hot Flatus]

5.8% is a bit strong

[Ian H]

5.8% is a bit strong

That's the downside of it as a draught beer.   It's on the strong side for a bottled beer, but not out of the ordinary if you include lagers.

[fuaran]

Readily available will depend on just where you are.
But I'll say something from Williams Bros, they have a range of interesting beers. And available in most of the supermarkets around here, usually cheap at Aldi. I like the Joker IPA, or the Midnight Sun porter, or the classic Fraoch heather ale.

[sg37409]

Another vote for Williams. I like the 7 Giraffes and the Midnight Sun. I *dont* like the Joker IPA.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, (Tesco & M&S) and Lagunitas IPA from M&S.

[Ian H]

Readily available will depend on just where you are.

Three miles from the brewery in this particular case, and a short walk from the family pub.  But I have never seen it draught elsewhere.

[David Martin]

Red Kite or Yellowhammer from the Black Isle Brewery. We did have some stuff at the summer graduation do that was awful from some Glasgow brewery - good bottles though so they have now been recycled with far better contents.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Readily available?

I'd go with Hobgoblin.

[Pedal Castro]

The one in my glass (currently  Grimbergen dubbel ambree)!

[Efrogwr]

I only buy Welsh beer now. Wales will never be independent if people like me keep buying English beer. Brains, Tomos Watkin, Celt, Mŵs Piws, Cwrw Llŷn, Felinfoel, Cwrw Cader, Tiny Rebel, Bragdy Conwy, Orme...

There is now a shop in Caernarfon specialising in cwrw Cymraig… currently my favourite is Dark Side of the Moose (Ochr Tywyll o'r Mws?) from Bragdy Mws* Piws.

*Bugger, y cyfriadur ddim yn 'neud tôl bach!

[Vince]

I'm another who likes Adnams, though I prefer the Southwold variety.

I also like Doom Bar (Yes I know the bottled stuff has nothing to do with Cornwall) which is stocked in Tesco.

[menthel]

By the horns porter- Lambeth Walk. Bloody awesome bottled or draft. On of the few of their beers that is good in a bottle.

[Basil]

Readily available?

I'd go with Hobgoblin.

Well done.  This like some similar threads was in danger of turning into "Who can name the most obscure ale?"

[Wobbly John]

I don't think there is a 'best' for all eventualities, but I don't think you can go far wrong with Hobgoblin as a 'Winter ale' and Badger's Hopping Hare as a 'Summer ale' 

Both are usually in Aldi for £1.25. 

[trekker12]

I'm a keen real ale drinker in the pubs but don't have much time for bottled beers. However, my favourite is Landlord by Timothy Taylor which in both bottled and pub form is rather good. Often found in Sainsburys but very rarely in the 3 for £5 type offers.

[Dibdib]

Hobgoblin is excellent but a little dark for my tastes. Most of Badger's beers are excellent, of course, and I'm not much of a connoisseur but I quite like most of the Old Somthing Hens too. If I could bring myself to continually mail order them (and could afford same), I'd keep a decent selection of Black Isle beers in the house. I visited the brewery shed when I was in Scotland a few years ago.

But mostly I like that there's always plenty of choice - they're all good and I'd always pick and mix rather than stick to the same every time.

Readily available but not always in the special offers, I'm very partial to a bit of Weissbier and especially some Erdinger.

[David Martin]

Readily available?

I'd go with Hobgoblin.

Yes. buy a crate by post and it is in many supermarkets too.