10a - Banks: Barley Gold (Very Strong Ale).

I have numbered this beer 10a because I will have to revisit it at some point. I was ready to give this beer a truly scathing review. In fact I was looking forward to giving the review I thought this beer deserved, but then I investigated the can a little closer in order to see precisely what awards it had won, and noticed that it was past its "Best Before" date.... by 8 months.

It took me several days to recover from New Zealand's Radler bier, and I was looking forward to getting my teeth into a meaty English beer. But this beer made me physically shudder, when I tasted it. I was going to say that this beer is the brewing equivalent of water-boarding, and that the owners of the owners of the Park Brewery at Wolverhampton should be reported to the International Criminal Court at the Hague for crimes against humanity, but now I know that would be unfair.

There is a definitely English flavour to this beer but it is accentuated to the point of caricature and I can only put that down to the extra 8 months that this beer has had to mature.

I would drink this beer with fetid meats and blue vein cheese.

NEXT: I retreat to the safe haven of Germany and seek Sancruary with the Catholic Church. I try Franziskaner - Weissbier. If Barvarian friars can't make a nice beer, I don't know who can.