Tuesday 8 May 2012

M&S beers and offers.

I've had cause to visit a M&S store a few times recently, whilst waiting for car repairs to be completed. The 2 branches local to me have usually a good range, and as Meer for Beer in her recent run of posts has noted they've also a few new additions to this range, selected and brewed by the countries better breweries.

Inspired by her reviews I first fancied the Sandringham Ale ,then the Greenwich Raspberry wheat beer.


My first purchase was however the Greenwich Red Ale, a wine bottle shape and 750mls, wire corked, and 4% abv beer brewed with crystal and caramel malts for its red colour, and uses 5 types of Yakima Valley hops.
I imagine a few of you are thinking 'hmm sounds like their Yakima Red, their 4% amber ale??' Certainly ratings on ratebeer would agree with that. I have never had it so forked out its £4.99 price tag.

This morning on a return visit I indeed did get the raspberry wheat beer, and noted they have dropped the abv to 4.9% and refreshed the label on the Cornish IPA, and there is a new Bath Ales produced Ginger Ale which I passed on this time.

I then noticed that they have reduced the price of two of the beers from last years lines, the Southwold Dark Ale by Adnams, a 7.2% barley wine that was £2.19, and the 4.7% Cheshire Brown Ale by the Robinsons brewery originally £1.99. Both of these are currently only 99p each, both good beers and therefore worth picking up a few bottles at this price in my opinion. This second photo of bottles cost a very reasonable £5.95 as you also get deal 'buy 6 for 5' offer!

Meantime seem to have a few of their bottles fon the shelves of M&S (and Sainsburys) currently, the two mentioned above, the London Porter, and now also a limited addition Barrel Aged Greenwich Hospital Porter. It comes in a cardboard tube, corked again, 750mls and 6%.
There is a picture here on ratebeer. It is priced at £9.99 which despite the recommendation from 'the guardian' tagged on the shelf, was too rich for my blood I decided. Unless someone has had it and can recommend it at that price I think I'll pass.

6 comments:

  1. I rather like the Red and 4.99 for that size of gorgeous beer is a bit of a bargain :) I'll have to pop in to my local and see if they have e reductions too.

    Glad to see my reviews have encouraged someone.

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  2. I did enjoy the hospital porter, but worth splitting with a couple of friends (then only £3.33 each!) Red is pretty decent. My M&S didn't have reductions when I went on Saturday. Sandringham was okay but nothing to write home about.

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  3. not sure my friends are beer geeky enough to warrent spending that on a third of beer to be honest!!.
    the reductions i saw were in more than branch but maybe its not nationwide? perhaps more of a local stock issue.

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  4. They are reduced if they are still in stock as they are Winter beers that need to be shifted. Might be worth aging a couple of those Southwolds as they are pretty much Adnams Tally-Ho Barleywine.

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  5. yes, got a bottle at the weekend, reduced here too.

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  6. I've not been back to see if they are still on offer, but must say the Red was thoroughly enjoyed by my friends and i on holiday, great beer.

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