To TEA or not to TEA that is the question.

It's Sunday, raining and the middle of summer. While the ladies look at wedding photos, my brother in law (I'll call him Ed) go down the local. This I local to my home, but I don't go very often, as the boss - wife - doesn't let me out.

So my dilemma, I'm in a bar I don't know and they are selling TEA (Traditional English Ale by the Hog's Back brewery 4.2% ). Now this is a favourite of mine, but I am always wary of bars I don't know because in my younger days the beer could be good or bad. I'm of the view, at £3.50 a pint, I'd rather have a mediocre lager than a poor ale. But in this bar at this time they are selling my favourite.

Should I go safe, or go for TEA and end up with a bad pint? I go for the TEA. Now I have no photograph as I forgot my phone, however the pint was not crystal clear as I'd expect. Now having been a barman I know this doesn't means it's off, it could just be the barrel has been knocked, so I'm not going straight to ask for a replacement.

I take the first sip with trepidation, and I'm in luck. The pint is lovely. It doesn't taste, sweet, smokey, hoppy, of honey, of flowers, it just tastes like ale. Wonderful. I'll mark 8 out of 10, I know it shouldn't have been cloudy, but it was lovely.

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