A nice Lidl surprise!

OK, I know it should be pronounced “lee-dl” but I couldn’t resist a little pun! Taking a slight detour from the 300 beers list this time, I’ve sampled my first Hatherwood Craft beer – the Green Gecko IPA.

While the big supermarkets have branched out and not only sell their own branded beers, as well as an ever growing range of real ales, the smaller supermarkets have done too. Aldi have won medals for their wines and here we have an example of a beer produced by Lidl. I wouldn’t have thought to go into Lidl looking for beer, but the good people over at BrewUK.co.uk pointed me in their direction.

Just before Christmas, I went to our nearby Lidl and found that they offer a number of their own craft beers. I picked up a Golden Goose, Purple Panther (a porter) and a Spiced Winter ale (which I had in the run up to the festive season). I was particularly interested in trying the Green Gecko IPA, as I’d heard good things. As an aside, they also sell a few other craft beers including a lager.

About the beer

This does not appear on the 300 beers list, but don’t let that put you off!

The beer is fairly pale (when compared to a porter say) but is more brown than gold. It packs a good strong bitterness, as you would expect from an IPA and was, on the whole, very enjoyable. I wasn’t bowled over with the scent of hops, as you sometimes are these days, but it wasn’t lacking in flavour. I felt it lacked a little “mouth feel” or body, but often bottled beers do when compared with their draught equivalents.

Alcohol: 5%

My rating: 6/10

When you compare this beer to some of the mammoth beers you’ll find on the 300 list, it probably won’t stand up against them. This isn’t meant as a criticism though, as the Green Gecko and its siblings is not trying to be a world beater. It comes in at a reasonable £1.25 (or thereabouts) which is pretty darn cheap. As the saying goes, you tend to get what you pay for, but this is a very reasonable pint for not much more than a pound.

If you have a Lidl near you, why not take a punt? Or a pint, if you prefer!

If the other beers in the range are good, I’ll be sure to write about them also. I’m particularly looking forward to sampling the Purple Panther porter, but then, I’m a sucker for a dark beer!