This is the special bottling of Kriek beer from the excellent Cantillon brewery. They use two year old lambic, to which is added 300g of cherries per litre of lambic. This was bottled in September 2006, so hasn't really had much bottle age. We are told these beers can last forever, but I've never seen the point.

Cantillon Kriek 'Lou Pepe', 5%
This is a very deep red colour, looks like fresh cherry juice. The nose has a pleasing cherry character, and the slightly off flavours of lambic are there too. A taste... hell's bells! Am I drinking vomit? No, no, the entry is really aggressive and very acidic, but once you get over the absolute horror of that there is some nice cherry fruit on the finish. OK, there is no real charm here, and perilously little that is nice, but it is really interesting and rather complex. No I don't like it, but this is by no means 'sub-interest' and I will drink some more.

Again, purchased from Waitrose (they do have some really good beers) this is made by the Goose Island brewery of Chicago. It is a very good IPA, but not a patch on the really great Meantime Brewery IPA that comes from just down the road from me.

Goose Island India Pale Ale, 5.9%
The nose bursts with hoppy aromas. It is full of life and smells most inviting. The palate has good richness from the alcohol, but is wonderfully bitter. This tastes very refreshing for a beer so strong. Really most enjoyable.

This is an award-winning, bottle conditioned beer from Hogs Back Brewery in Surrey. I've been wanting to try it for a while so was very pleased to see some sitting in Waitrose.

Traditional English Ale (T.E.A.), 4.2%
A very rounded, full-favoured nose. Plenty of maltiness there, so much so that there are hints of Ovaltine about it. This is not unattractive, though, this smells like quite a lively, complex ale. The palate is very full flavoured, round and malty again, but perhaps lacks a tiny bit of bitterness to cut through this and make it refreshing. It is nice and characterful, but just a bit ponderous.

I really love custard, it is great stuff. So now I am around the neighbours and they have asked if we want to make up our own creamy cocktails I have instantly perfected the Custard Cocktail. You will need:

1 shot Advocaat
1 shot Galliano
1 shot cream

Mix thoroughly and serve. This is so hilariously childish that it would suit being served in a baby bottle! The only problem is, it is so childish that it become difficult to drink after one or two. Ah well...

Everyone else had an additional drink last night; I wimped out. They looked like this:

The most successful attempt (in the middle) was a layer of creme de cacao, a layer of creme de menthe then a layer of single cream on top. It was decided to call this a mint chocolate cream. As I did not try one I cannot comment about their taste, but they certainly look interesting.

Tonight's final cocktail is the Pina Colada. You will need:

One and a half shots of coconut rum
One and a half shots of pineapple juice
Three shots of single cream

Shake over ice and strain into a suitably sized glass. Perhaps odd to drink late on night on a cold day, but this is a really lovely drink.

I am around the neighbour's place and they have just mixed me a rather nice cocktail: a Long Island Ice Tea (aka Liit). To make one you will need:

Half a shot of vodka
Half a shot of rum
Half a shot of Cointreau
Half a shot of tequila
A shot of lemon juice
Coca-cola

Shake the vodka, rum, Cointreau, tequila and lemon juice with ice. Strain the drink off the ice into a tall glass, add a few lumps of ice and top up with Coke. This is a good afternoon cocktail for a long, boring summer days watching the cricket as you begin to doze, the cat asleep on your chest.

This is another purchase from Sainsburys. I first tried it in Antwerp and must confess to drinking quite a lot of it during the short holiday. Made from wheat, oats and barley.

Tripel Karmeliet, 8%
A bright, golden colour. It smells of honey and lemon. And alcohol too. The palate is very rich and heady, almost sweet from the alcohol. There is a fruitiness to it, though. Not bad, but somehow not as charming as I remembered.

This is another beer from the excellent Meantime Brewery just down the road from me in Greenwich. It is sold in larger branches of the supermarket Sainsburys under their 'Taste the difference' label.

Franconian style dark lager, 5%
This is the colour of porter. It has a malty nose with hints of caramel. It does not smell heavy or thick, though, it seems fresh and full of life. The palate is really rather crisp and refreshing, very nice. There are some rich malt and caramel flavours there, but the overall impression is of a fresh, lively drink that is both refreshing and flavoursome.

This beer is brewed for Sainsburys by the excellent Oxfordshire brewery Wychwood. Sadly it is not bottle-conditioned, but is a completely drinkable brew, nonetheless.

Goldwing English Blonde Beer, 5.5%
A lovely nose of lemon fruit and a good hoppy character. It smells quite rich, presumably because of the high-ish alcohol for a blonde beer. There is good weight to the palate, and the lemon fruit tastes very ripe, but it is pleasingly bitter and has a refreshing acidity that makes it extremely quaffable. A pint or two of this would slip down a treat.