Brixton Coldharbour Lager (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

Many years ago Brixton Coldharbour Lane was a shelter for travellers in London. The back of the can of this Brixton Coldharbour Lager goes on to say that these days the street has a free spirited feel to it, which probably originates from the travellers from way back when.

I have a Chinese Takeaway tonight, which may not seem free spirited, but I reckon this floral bitter lager will wash it down rather well. At 4.4% in volume, Brixton Coldharbour Lager is a Pilsner lager. So, I'm looking forward to find out how the floral hops fit in with those familiar sweet malts.

On opening the can there was quite an excitable fizz to this bubbly lager. Brixton Coldharbour Lager had a heavy Pilsner and yeasty aroma, and poured with a frothy head.

On taste there was a crisp almost sour floral bitterness to begin with, which mixed okay with the sweetness of the malts into the aftertaste. I was pretty surprised by the sourness, as I wasn't expecting it. It was as if the floral hops were fighting the Pilsner malts before giving in, rather than complementing each other. A bit of a rough diamond this one, to some.

J2O Dragonberry (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I have to be completely honest. I picked up this multipack of J2O because it was new and I assumed Dragonberry was an actual fruit. Once I got it home and took a closer look, I realised there is no such thing as a Dragonberry. This drink is a blend of dragon fruit and blackberry, which makes a lot more sense now I think about it.

The drink is a lovely pink colour, and the aroma was fruity and appealing. I gave it a sip and found it super refreshing. There was a fresh but sweet flavour from the dragon fruit, with a slight zing at the edge from the blackberry. I really enjoyed the complexity of the taste. It was wonderfully fruity, refreshing, and very easy to drink.

In hindsight, it is just as well I liked it. When I bought these Dragonberry drinks, I not only had no idea what the flavour was meant to be, I also committed to a ten-pack. Luckily, they are so tasty that getting through them will not be a problem.

Co-Op Limited Edition Chianti Beef Pizza - [@NLi10]

 Mmmm - beef pizza.  It feels like a very American thing - especially the brisket ones - but the co-op have had a different twist Chianti!

It sees some lovely marinated beef on the standard luxury Co-Op pizza

And it looks pretty good.

It smells like an Italian restaurant pizza too - I had a lovely deep beef pizza while in Italy, and these are making me want to go back.

I'm not a wine buff, so I couldn't tell you if this is authentic at all, but it's nice to see a variety of flavours in the pizza aisle - and we really enjoyed this one.

Lucky Saint Lager (The Bell at Belbroughton) By @SpectreUK

I wouldn't go as far as calling myself a saint. Although I spent much of yesterday taking my mom for a scan at a hospital twenty or so miles away. The traffic around there was awful, and the parking worse, so I had to have a lot of patience if nothing else. We had fish and chips in a pub on the way back, and I found this Lucky Saint lager on the menu.

At 0.5% in volume, Lucky Saint is good for drivers. I had done a lot of driving on motorways, and also around car parks several times trying to park. So being able to drink a lager with my dinner seemed ideal, and without the unwanted ABV.

This not too bubbly lager had a Pilsner malt and citrus Noble hop aroma. There was a citrus bitter flavour to begin with from the hops, followed by Pilsner malt into the aftertaste. Lucky Saint complemented my fish and chips rather well. At 53 calories, it helped me have a pudding too. Cheers.

Yorkie Biscuit and Brownie Limited Edition (Tesco) By @Cinabar

I don’t buy a lot of Yorkie bars. My favourite chocolate is Milka because it reminds me of childhood treats from my German grandma. It has a slightly nutty taste, and I like it for the memories attached to it. My second favourite is Cadbury, simply because it is super sweet and creamy, and I have a sweet tooth to match. So I don’t often buy Yorkies, plus they had that awful ‘not for girls’ advertising campaign in the nineties. Some of us remember, and yes, we are that petty. However, I can be tempted by a new flavour, so for a change, I picked up a bar.

This is the Yorkie Biscuit and Brownie limited edition. The bar is smartly packaged in a blue wrapper, though in a more aqua shade than the usual blue. Inside were the classic Yorkie pieces, each embossed with the brand name. I broke off a piece and gave it a try. The chocolate was nice, but I think you get used to the brand you normally buy, and that becomes your norm. I liked the chocolate, it was chunky and sweet, though not quite creamy enough for me. The texture was good, with the biscuit adding a soft crunch to the pieces, which I enjoyed as I like a mix of textures.

I have to admit I enjoyed the bar. It was a nice chocolate, and the addition of brownie and biscuit worked well. I’ll have to make more of an effort to keep an eye on new products from the brand and give them a try. This was a very enjoyable afternoon chocolate with my coffee.