Outland West Coast IPA (Tesco) By @SpectreUK

Pizza night tonight. I hadn’t been all that keen on pizza for sometime, after they took Carne Amanti off the menu at Pizza Hut. However, we now have something meaty, sharing half a pizza each, with a fried egg on each quarter and a jacket potato with beans and cheese on top.

I like a beer with my tasty pizza meal. So, I thought I’d try this Outland West Coast IPA from Hall & Woodhouse, in Dorset. This 5% in volume India Pale Ale has Amarillo, Cascade and Mosaic hops for a citrus bitterness with all those Pale malts.

There was a citrus hop aroma on opening the can, followed by sweet malted barley. This deep bronze, almost brown IPA had a flavoursome sweet biscuit Pale malty goodness throughout its taste, with an initial citrus bite, followed by warming spice and hints of pine, and a little earthiness into the aftertaste. Yum. Perfect with my pizza dinner.

Walkers Max Portuguese Chorizo & Onion (Ocado) By @Cinabar

Here we have another flavour from Walkers' FIFA range celebrating tastes from around the world. This one is inspired by Portugal, specifically chorizo and onion.

As soon as I opened the bag, I was greeted by a lovely meaty aroma that reminded me of salami. We poured some into a bowl to share while watching Netflix, as we're still a little early for the World Cup itself. The crisps are ridged, which means they hold plenty of flavour in all those grooves.

I gave one a try and was impressed. You can really pick up the meaty chorizo flavour, complete with a nice smoky taste and a gentle hint of spice. The onion adds a slight sharpness that works well alongside the richness of the chorizo. Overall, these are very tasty, easy-to-eat crisps.

My first experience of the Walkers World Cup inspired flavours was the Walkers Wavy Spanish Queso Crisps, and those absolutely blew my mind. They were the cheesiest crisps I have ever eaten, packed with flavour and then some. So when I opened these Walkers Max Portuguese Chorizo & Onion crisps, I assumed the seasoning levels would be just as intense and that they too would deliver a full-on flavour overload. They don't quite reach those heights. The flavour is well done and they are certainly tasty, but I was hoping for a little more punch. To be honest, I could happily have handled double the seasoning.

Twinings Refresh Juicy Raspberry Lemonade with Hibiscus (Ocado) By @Cinabar

I have had quite a day, mainly trawling around two different cities completing, or attempting to complete, a lengthy list of chores. We hit traffic and had a couple of failures along the way, but thankfully managed to get most of what needed doing done.

Once home, I was looking forward to a refreshing drink and a sit down when I remembered this can of Twinings Refresh Juicy Raspberry Lemonade with Hibiscus waiting in the fridge. Fizzy iced tea sounded perfect.

The can is on the smaller side, but it states that it contains added vitamins and minerals to support mind and spirit. I'm not sure vitamins and minerals work quite that quickly, but I'm more than willing to give them a try.

There is a gentle fizz when you open the can, but this isn't strongly carbonated like a can of pop. It's more of a lightly sparkling drink, which works well with the iced tea style. The flavour is very refreshing. It isn't overly sweet, but the fruity raspberry gives it a lovely boost, while the tea and lemon add a sophisticated, grown-up feel. There is also a subtle floral note from the hibiscus.

Overall, this is a well-balanced and mature-tasting drink that was exactly what I needed after a long day.

Cheltenham is a lovely place to eat! Kibou & Huffkins [@NLi10]

 We had a day out in Cheltenham yesterday for the Science festival - but you don't care about that part - what did we eat?!

First up before talk one we had a coffee and a cake at the lovely Huffkins on what I think of as the main road - it leads from the festival to the high-street and has two huge bookshops on it.

It also looks very English - especially if there is drizzle.

Partner had a carrot cake, but I had a double raspberry éclair.  Decadance.

Cut open, not piped while hot so the bake-off judges would be knocking off points, but the flavours and textures would win them back around.  Not too sweet, and not too fruity.

Between talks 2 & 3 we had a two hour slot for a proper look in the bookshops (and dinner) and I chose a Japanese place we've not spotted in other years called Kibou, purely on the wonderful aromas and lovely atmosphere.

Turns out they had the beer I like most

The perfect pairing of brewed liquids. Hitachino and Kikkoman!

I had the pork mazeudon and it was awesome.  Everything was exactly how you'd want it - melting pork, firm fresh udon noodles and a good mix of veggies and seeds/flakes to add texture.  I could eat here every day and not get bored.

We didn't have space for desert but the green tea crème Brule sounded amazing so plans are already in place to return.

We sat at the bar seating which added to our salary man vibes as we ate and ran to the final talk about genetics.  Despite the lovely beer I managed to not fall asleep too.

And there are so many other little independent eateries around I think we could have done all three days of the festival only eating in 5/5 places with no repeats.

Lucky Saint Lime & Sea Salt Lager (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

I have seen a mixture of lime and salt added to the rim of Tequila shot glasses. Apparently lime and salt are also paired with some Mexican beers. I guess that’s where Lucky Saint came up with the idea of their 0.5% in volume Lime & Sea Salt Lager.

Lime and salt are used to balance Tequila’s bite, enhance its flavour, and replenish electrolytes. Low in sugar, this Lucky Saint Lime & Sea Salt Lager has added sodium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C. All good for our daily diet. The electrolytes are especially good for me, as I can suffer from dehydration if I don’t drink enough water.

On opening the can there was a lime aroma from the lager inside. On pouring this Lucky Saint Lime & Sea Salt Lager, there was a slight haze to this cheerfully bubbly straw gold beer.

On taste there was a sharp lime bite followed by a saltiness that did make me a little thirsty. This is a drink that makes you go back to quench your thirst. It made me think of the salted peanuts that used to be complimentary on many bars. They stopped doing that when they realised how many people don’t wash their hands when they go to the loo. That keep coming back for more beer, but not necessarily for the right reasons.