Maple Pancake Pale Ale (@fiercetaproom) By @SpectreUK

The temperature has dropped quite considerably here in the UK, and the weather has turned back to it's usual cold and damp. It's feeling pretty far from the Summertime now. It's definitely comfort food and drink weather, so what better brew than a Maple Pancake Pale Ale from the Fierce Brewery? I guess there's only one way I'll find out.

This 6.5% in volume Maple Pancake Pale Ale was brewed with Vegan pancakes and Canadian Maple Syrup,. The can recommended having a Vegan breakfast with this beer, or even a little bacon. Tonight we have a Dominoes takeaway, so I shall try the Meatilicious (I hope I spelt that right), which happens to have bacon on it. Part of the reason I picked this beer in the first place, I couldn't be bothered with a pizza that doesn't have bacon on it.

On opening the can there was there was a sweet maple syrup aroma with a touch of pale malt underneath. Famous for my sweet tooth, I can't imagine many better ingredients to sweeten a beer than maple syrup. Oh, I do really love honey beer and also chocolate beer too though.

This Maple Pancake Pale Ale was a deep misty brown in colour. It looked more like a brown ale, rather than a pale ale. However the flavour railed against the look quite considerably. There was quite a bitter sharp edge to this pale ale on first taste. A biting herbal hop bitterness almost cut straight through my tongue. This hoppy bitterness was quickly followed by sweet Canadian Maple Syrup. The syrupy sweetness coaxed out the pale malt to join in a merry dance into the aftertaste in an attempt to cheer up my severed tongue. No wonder they call it the Fierce Brewery.

Bear Yo Yo’s (Pineapple and Apple Variety) [By @Cinabar]

Bear are one of those companies that like to remind people that just because you have a sweet tooth, it doesn’t mean you can’t eat healthily. Impressively these fruit Yo Yo’s are 100% fruit, and don’t have any nasty additives. If you haven't seen one before a Bear Yo Yo isn’t an actual yoyo it is a strip of fruity goodness all wrapped up, and you can unwind and eat it. It’s fun too, and even comes with a fascinating fact card to collect – I shared my facts with those in the office, and they seemed impressed too!

There are two new flavours in the Yo Yo range, and Bear very kindly sent me a sample of each to try.

Pineapple
As there are no colourings in this fruit Yo Yo, it does look quite dark and brown, and not the usual artificial bright yellow you’d somehow associate with pineapple. I unwrapped the fruit and was pleased to discover that it wasn’t at all sticky and eased apart nicely. The flavour was very natural and had a strong zingy edge, which made it rather refreshing and juicy. I thoroughly enjoyed it, pineapple doesn’t get enough shelf space when it comes to these kind of treats and this just shows what an underestimated fruit it is.

Apple
The pineapple may have been brown, but the apple fruity strips are a fab dark green! This will undoubtedly make kids smile, because I loved the colour myself. Again these weren’t sticky and unwound without any hassle, ready for me to eat. The flavour was mild, but distinctively apple in nature, with its fresh edge as an aftertaste. It was more sweet than sharp, and as such very easy to like.

These are an excellent alternative to naughty treats in any lunchbox. As they are pure fruit they are a healthy treat for those with a sweet tooth, and the fun aspect of unwinding the fruit and the fascinating fact card means that you can’t fail to smile while enjoying them. These get a thumbs up from me.

By Cinabar

Strawberry Yo Yos (Bear)

Inside the rather pretty bright pink bag were two 'fruit yo yos'. Sadly I discovered that one of them was already slightly unwrapped, but this didn’t really matter as you'd be hard pushed to use it as an actual yo yo anyway! My intentions were purely to unwide then eat!
Also inside the bag was a fascinating fact, with a message about it being impossible to lick your own elbow. I have managed to resist testing this so far, but the card gives me the impression that this product is aimed at the younger market and possible school lunch boxes. Given the fruit composition, it would make a fun but healthy choice.
The texture of these items is surprisingly pleasant as they are firm but very slightly chewy. The flavour is predominantly strawberry, but I also noticed a hint of apple mixed in which goes particularly well. Overall this makes a tasty but healthy snack, that is fun and perfect for to encourage kids to eat some fruit without it being too taxing for them.

Bear: Tropical Crunch [Baked Granola Nibbles]

I would like to start by saying a big thank you to Bear for sending me these samples of the Tropical Crunch Granola, it is much appreciated.
Towards the end of last year I wrote about the Cocoa Cherry Pie Granola, and rather enjoyed it, but found the pieces rather large and crunchy. I was pleased to see that the granola pieces in this bag were a little smaller and more manageable, but still maintaining the crunch.
The main flavour that comes through with these is a wonderful natural coconut taste, that is rather moreish, what then follows is the flavours from the oats. Mixed in too are pieces of pineapple. I have no idea how Bear have managed to get pineapple in this form, as it is ever so slightly crisp, but then it comes to life and melts in the mouth and releases all the flavour, its genius. I would love to have had more in the bag though, 9% may seem that a decent amount, but I really would have liked some extra.
So in conclusion, Bear have come up with a product that definitely tastes Tropical with its coconut and pineapple flavours, and is a healthy snack food too. Lovely, but that pineapple is so good I think you should increase the contents!

Bear: Mango Pineapple Baked Fruit Nibbles (Boots)

I decided to have a somewhat quick and healthier than usual breakfast this morning, and picked my myself up a bag of these fruit nibbles. When I opened the bag, I was a little worried about my purchase; I didn’t think that the contents looked particularly appetising. The pieces of fruit within the bag are thin, wrinkled and uninspiring in appearance. I realise that this is because Bear do not want to mess with the contents in order to make them look pretty and so they leave them alone rather than enhance them with colourings etc.
The pieces of fruit are firm, and slightly chewy but wonderfully sweet, with a full flavour. In fact they tasted so good, I became convinced there was extra sugar in there, but I was pleased to discover that there wasn’t. It is just naturally tasty fruit.
I would certainly buy this again, any items that are both healthy and tasty are a bonus in my book.

Bear: Cocoa Cherry Pie - Baked Granola Nibbles (Boots)

I decided to try this bad of ‘nibbles’ out as breakfast in the office with a cup of coffee. After all, the bag contains all natural ingredients and is only 99 calories, so it seemed like a good start to the day.
Inside the pack is a mix of grains, dried cherry and cocoa nibs, stuck together in chunks of no universal size. I was a little bit surprised by just how hard and crunchy these clusters of grains and goodies were. I found them tremendously crunchier than I had expected, and thought my jaw even ached a little after finishing the pack. They are not a quiet snack to eat either, and the office probably wasn’t the best place to tuck in!
Flavour wise, I really like them. I could taste all the different grains, the hint of cocoa from the cocoa nibs, and the zingy cherry really topped it all off. They were surprisingly sweet and tasty given that there is no added sugar. I also do like the idea of the contents being all natural, but the hardness of them could put me off a re-purchase.