Overtone Brewing: Way Out West (The Wee Beer Shop @WeeBeerShop) By @SpectreUK

I have IKEA style meatballs for dinner tonight. We have them now and then due to the Swedish furniture company publishing their recipe online during the pandemic. There was at least one good side of being cooped up for so long; IKEA style meatballs with chips, peas and Lingonberry Jam. If you ask nicely, maybe Cinabar will publish the ingredients in the comments if you don't already know them.

I fancy a West Coast pale ale with my meatballs tonight. This Way Out West by Overtone Brewing Company should wash my dinner down rather well. Made in collaboration with The Wee Beer Shop, there should be flavours of citrus peel, pine and peppercorn, from the Centennial and Citra hops, as well a little pineapple and tangerine from the Zythos and Cascade dry hops.

On opening the can there was a lovely citrus aroma from the bright golden pale ale, with citrus, pineapple and spicy pepper to finish. I was pretty excited by this peppery smell, as I love spicy flavoursome beer. I knew instantly that this Way Out West would go very well with my IKEA style meatballs meal.

On taste there was indeed fruity citrus bitterness to begin with, but the pepper spice pounced on this citrus flavour like a hunting tiger. This was definitely no bad thing on my part. Gosh, I love this spicy beer. Those glorious tropical citrus notes, followed closely by pepper and a hint of pine, all smoothed out by sweet pale malts. A delightful brew and it washed my dinner down a treat.

Swizzels Love Hearts Squash (Tesco) By @Cinabar

I think this Love Hearts squash might well win the prize for the biggest anti-climax for flavour for a drink. Swizzels Love Hearts are fizzy, zingy, and exciting sweets with a mixed fruit flavour. The key thing is that consistent fizzy fun taste; whether that be mixed with a pink berry taste or a green lime flavour, they are full on. I was looking forward to finding out how the Swizzels Love Hearts flavour translated to a drink. This squash is sugar-free, which I know puts some people off but doesn’t bother me.

We normally buy double-strength squash, so I poured extra, too much extra if anything, and then I topped it up with water. I gave the drink a sip and thought I was drinking an orange cordial. I checked the bottle on the back, and I found the description of the drink, “orange and lemon squash”. That doesn’t sound very much like Swizzels Love Hearts, and it doesn’t taste like it either. I have to say I was suitably disappointed. Sure, the drink is fine; it is a citrus cordial, and I will happily finish the bottle, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for.

Would I have bought a bottle of regular ‘orange and lemon’ squash while I was in the supermarket today? No, I would not. I wanted something different; I was after a new and exciting flavour. Well played, Swizzels, because you got me, but I won’t be back for another bottle.

ChuLo - Lemon & Apple Sours, from Japan, in a can in the UK [@NLi10]

I do like Japanese soft drinks, and Sainsbury's have a little sushi counter with lots of treats hiding on the sides - including ChuLo for £1.60 a can!

Naturally I got both flavours

Reduced sugar and vegan friendly - and Inspired in Japan! Wait - what? At the bottom it says that it's made in Manchester.  Guess that's why its cheaper - lets see if it's good.

This lemonade version is a little sour and pretty strong.  Basically it's the traditional lemonade that Fentimans sell - and a lovely refreshing drink.

And next we have the Apple.  These can's are so lovely I've kept them on the top of the fridge with the Star Wars Beer

Even though this stereotypical Mancunian is a little strong!

I expected this to be artificially green - but instead it looks like apple juice and tastes great! Like a more sour, and richer version of the Apple Tango I had as a child.  I'll be getting this flavour again.  

And maybe I could package them up with imported sweets and make Christmas In Japan packages for family for Christmas presents.  I'm sure no one else would mind with the flavours being that good.

Walkers Christmas Pudding Flavour Crisps (Sainsburys) By @SpectreUK

Yes, Walkers Crisps have finally gone potty and created Sweet & Spiced Christmas Pudding Flavour crisps. It was bound to happen at some point, but as the old saying goes, "just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should". Other flavours in Walkers latest Festive Flavours are Festive Turkey and also Pigs in Blankets. I got the fruity end of the stick, so to speak, with these Christmas Pudding Flavour crisps.

On opening the packet the aroma of fruit cake was pretty overwhelming. Not in a bad way, of course, well, not unless you don't like fruit cake or Christmas Pudding. If you don't, you probably won't be that interested in the flavour of these crisps. I say "crisps" quite loosely here, as usually there is an aroma of potato crisps underneath whatever new and interesting limited edition flavour of crisps Walkers comes up with. Not this time. I couldn't smell potato or taste it. The strength of the fruit cake or Christmas Pudding flavour overwhelmed anything else.

They went strangely with my ham and cucumber sandwich, to say the least. I didn't dislike them, I just reckon that these Christmas Pudding Flavour crisps are quite possibly the first "pudding crisps" I've ever had.

Information on the packet; Each 24g packet has 114 calories, with 5g of fat, 1.2g of sugar, and 0.14g of salt. Please see photograph for the ingredients.

Mentos Fanta (Asda) By @Cinabar

I haven’t bought Mentos for quite some time. This would confuse my work colleagues from my previous job, who knew me as the person with Mentos on the desk. I changed jobs, COVID happened, and working from home more meant I now rarely have sweets on the desk (as I don’t have a fixed desk anymore).

While shopping, I did spot a new flavour from Mentos and couldn’t resist revisiting my old favourite sweets. These ones are an orange edition and are Mentos Fanta. I know it has been a while since I last had these sweets, but I swear they made the pack more difficult to open. They used to be loose paper, but now they seem to be sealed on the ends. Probably more hygienic, to be fair.

The Mentos Fanta sweets are orange in colour and start with quite a sharp orange tang that mellows to a sweet orange. I guess they are a bit like Fanta in the softer flavour, but I’m not sure I’d have been able to pick them out from a generic orange. Still, they were nice, hard, chewy sweets with a good rush of citrus flavour. I shall enjoy the rest of the pack and try to remember to treat myself to Mentos more often.