The Trooper (4.7%) by Robinsons (& Iron Maiden!)

Not wanting to be the odd blogger out, I thought it was about time that this one, ROBINSONS` The Trooper, was added to the twobeergeeks` portfolio.

The trend for bands adding their brewing ideas (and their `brand`, more importantly) to ales looks set to continue in 2014. Last year saw the likes of Reverend and the Makers and Elbow attempt to scale the beery charts and, on the horizon soon, Super Furry Animals will enter the fray allegedly. However, all of them will struggle to compete with the label on this beautiful bottle which is emblazoned with Eddy, the infamous Iron Maiden mascot but what lies inside?

4.7% is the number of this beast and it proclaims Bobec, Goldings and Cascade hops to add some bitterness and zing to the malt base. It pours a nice golden colour with quite a thin but soapy head that it is difficult to imagine Bruce Dickinson concurring to. Personally, I preferred this on cask (had it on Anglesey last year) as the sparkler seemed to bring out the hoppy flavour more than was the case in from the bottle where it was a tad bland. Not exactly Run to the Hills bad but certainly not Aces High either and I couldn`t really pick up the supposed citrus hit. Trooper is very much in the Robinsons mould so if you like their beers then this ideal and, you`ll be happy to know, it is now widely available in supermarkets and off licenses.

Mike`s Score - 5