After my rants about the all-round goodness of low-alcohol wines you may think I'd hate this beast of a beer. I think this is quite balanced, although not really a light, refreshing drink. It is a Trappist monk beer. No wonder they don't talk, they must be too drunk.

The large lumps of dead yeast in the bottom of the bottle demonstrate that this is bottle-conditioned. Good. The white and red Chimay beers are good, but blue is my favourite. Indeed, Chimay Bleu is the only beer that has ever got me barred from a pub. The boozer was in Florence so I don't feel I am missing out by being barred. Chimay Bleu is also bottled in a 75cl bottle with a cork seal; this is known as Chimay Grande Reserve and it is intended for ageing. My advice is don't age it, it tastes bloody awful when it is old.

Chimay Bleu, 9%
Very dark brown colour. The nose is richly malty with alcohol sweetness definitely present. There is some bitterness to the palate, but it is really quite round and malty. The finish shows alcohol sweetness, but with the rich maltiness of the beer this doesn't seem out of balance.

This is not a real ale in a bottle, it is not bottle-conditioned. It is quite refreshing to drink whilst watching the cricket, though.

Timothy Taylor's Landlord Pale Ale, 4.1%
A darkish golden colour. This has a really hoppy nose, it smells really quite lively. The palate is refreshingly bitter with good malty flavours. It may not have the freshness and life of a bottle-conditioned beer, but it is a refreshing and pleasing drink.

I do like my beers to be quite bitter, and that certainly true of this. The draught version is really a significant step up in terms of liveliness and pleasure.