Sainsbury's Basics Bitter
Meantime Brewing Company Limited

Consumed directly from the can. Very carbonated, so much so, there is the sensation like drinking Perrier on the front of the tongue and inside the cheeks. Flavour reminds me of a hint of lemonade, and also, Dandelion and Burdock. Metallic aluminium twang with a very unidimensional malt taste. No sweetness. Grinds to a halt on the tongue due to the dryness. Does not leave a satisfying feeling in the mouth. Not thirst quenching and the bitter is very weak and back end.

Like a soft-drink but dull with a very very watery mouthfeel. Unlike a soft-drink it just tastes ‘dead’ and a bit stale. Not refreshing like a lager and nothing like a bitter. Dull as dishwater!

Even so, for the price, it is not as bad as I make out. What does one expect? Well, in the UK, a beer with 2.1% ABV has lower tax on it. If someone only made a refreshing hoppy beer with something to give a better mouthfeel: oats? Maltodextin? (oh sin!) This could be a really good seller and would encourage moderation. I like the taste of stronger beers but get far too squiffy too quickly and would love something with a good taste and a better body and at a good price.

An even lower tax on low alcohol beers would be wise.

I usually drink 'serious' ales, local ales and premium brand supermarket ales. I generally don't drink hipster/microbrewery stuff. I never lack for choice, as I live in England.

Recently, I have been thinking about 'small beer', and traditional medieval beer culture. It used to be the norm for common people to drink low-alcohol, 'live' ales with lots of nutritional benefits. Unfortunately, nothing like that exists today. Ale isn't seen as a staple of life by many people, but rather as a means to R&R. This means that ale tends to be a stronger drink (over 4% ABV), and its consumption is reserved for evenings and weekends. However, my curiosity about weaker brews remained. It was with this curiosity at the forefront of my mind, that my attention was drawn to the reappearance of 'Basics Bitter', after a hiatus from the supermarkets of a couple of years. A bargain-basement product, unfeasibly cheap, with all the trappings of being a mere 'basic' and, therefore, by implication, necessary, accompaniment to life. A no-frills beer, but an actual 'bitter', or so it claims. The echoes of medieval 'small beer' impelled me to buy some today.

As I drink this product, I am forced to admit that it's quite dreadful. Terrible, in fact. This isn't the substitute for cheap medieval 'small beer' for which I had been hoping. It is, however, possible to convince oneself, with a massive gift for imagination, that it is. On the condition that you don't look at it but just drink it...

The lowdown is, it's brewed by Carlsberg. Carlsberg is a lifesaver if you happen to be in a part of the world (for example America, or a third world country) in which imported beers are the only drinkable or safe beers. It clearly uses the same cereals as Carlsberg lager. Technically, it is a bitter, and not a lager, but only by the skin of its teeth. If you're a fan of Perrier, or other carbonated mineral water brands, you'll recognise the carbonated, chalk-ish taste, with a very, very mild overtone of malted barley. That's all you'll taste. At least it's inoffensive.

The most interesting thing about this beer is the price. £1.10 for 4x440ml cans. I'm drinking this satisfied in the knowledge that I have an ample supply of Old Speckled Hen to wash away the taste. But if I didn't, this wouldn't be a satisfying drink with which to unwind in the evening. I'm still in two minds as to whether it could possibly be a 'working' beer, to quench the thirst and hydrate the hypothetical workman in the course of a day. In any case, a bad beer, that proves there might be a market for mid-day/lunchtime low-alcohol non-hipster beers.

Drunk straight from the can mostly - its best to gulp it down quickly. But poured into a pint glass for the review.

An unnaturally white head, drink is a brown colour.

Smells watery with a bit of malts.

Tastes not very bitter at all, obviously started out as a decent beer but bulked out alot with water to reduce the price per can (30p)

Overall not the best, but refreshing and better than alot of lagers.

Appearance: Fizzy and thin but surprisingly dark - a fairly deep orange-cinnamon. Head retention is not very good.

Smell: Smells like what it is: a generic bitter. All the basic bitter characteristics are there, without any character: toffee, caramel, and brown sugar malts with a bit of diacetyl, plus a very light floral/leafy hop breeze. Bland and unenticing, but not bad. There are no off flavors to speak of, and it could be a whole lot blander.

Taste: Bland and boring, a bit watery, but what little flavors this beer has are good ones, for the most part. Nice, toasty malts with a bit of nutty caramel sweetness and a touch of hops so feathery it almost seems absurd to call this a bitter. It calls to mind cheap Japanese lagers more than actual bitters, and as it warms unpleasant off-flavors of corn and stale lemon intrude on the palate.

Mouthfeel: Not bad. Thin, soft, and very, very dry.

Drinkability: Drink it cold and rapidly and it will do in a pinch. About as refreshing as sparkling water, and about as interesting - but what do you expect for 40p a can?!

Part of the inexpensive but generally high quality "Sainsbury's basics" line of products exclusive to Sainsbury's supermarkets. Purchased in a 4-pack of 440ml cans for the princely sum of 83p. Certainly wasn't expecting much...

Poured a pleasing orange-amber color with a fizzy white head that quickly dissipated to a thin collar. Minimal lacing, constant stream of bubbles rising up from the bottom of the glass.

Smell is heavy on malts with a subtle fruity note. Quite nice.

Mouthfeel is thin, as expected from a cheap 2.1% ABV beer.

Taste is surprisingly pleasant. Not particularly bitter, but a nice full malty backbone.

I'm only just becoming acquainted with English styles, but this is was a nice change-up from the pricey pints that are so prevalent in the UK. Definitely a bargain!