As Nature Intended selection

So today I went into As Nature Intended in Balham to see if they had any funky organic ale for me to try and it turns out alongside some ones I’ve had before like the River Cottage Stinger there were some new ones for me to sample, I got a Cannabia, a Stroud Brewery Budding, and an Organic English Beer.

First up was the Cannabia (5%), it’s not an ale but more of a Pils lager, but with special hemp, the website for it says this ‘Cannabia, first hemp beverage (Cannabis beer) of mankind’. One hell of a line. Apparently more hemp is used than hops (more information can be found on their website). The beer itself is gold in colour, smooth to drink with quite an odd aftertaste, which just left me a bit underwhelmed. It’s an interesting concept trying to make a beer out of hemp but i think it needs more work on its taste. I’m going to give it a 5/10, as it’s ok to drink but the only thing I’ll remember about it is the label.

Emma Says: ‘this is a beer so it’s difficult as my palate is not very educated, beery, and sweetish’

Next I went for the Stroud Budding (4.5%), another organic ale with a rich golden colour, according to the bottle this ale has won Champion Beer of Gloucestershire in both 2006 & 2008 and is named after an Edward Beard Budding of Stroud who invented the lawnmower and if that’s not something to celebrate in a fine ale I don’t know what is! The ale itself has a slight floral aroma, with a fruity hoppy taste with hints of bitter citrus with quite a long dry finish. A nice pale ale and certainly a big improvement over the Cannabia, 6.75/10.

Emma says: pulls a funny face then says ‘I had to double check but it tastes like dishwater’

And finally... the Organic English Beer (4.1%) brewed with the influence of Master Brewer Peter Scholey (former Brakspear head brewer). It’s another golden organic ale and has a smooth floral aroma with an equally smooth drinkable taste, and it does have a little bit of a spicy and bitter kick which disrupts the smoothness in a good way. It’s not going to leave you thinking ‘this is amazing I must have more’ but it is a nice ale nonetheless, 7/10.

Emma says: ‘sweet and honey taste’