As well as the 4.3% draught version of Bombardier, Wells also produce a bottled version at 5.2% – and they also produce a couple of variants – Satanic Mills and Burning Gold. The other day I tried a bottle of the Satanic Mills (the name comes from William Blake’s “Jerusalem”) – and it was a real treat – rich, dark and very flavoursome – almost like a stout (the bottle notes say “this is an intensively dark, porter style ale, smouldering with English pride” – not sure about the smouldering bit, but the rest sounds about right).
The smell and taste remind me of coffee and burnt toast, with a smoky finish – a bit like breakfast in a transport cafe. No, really, it’s delicious. Now I’ll be on the lookout for the Burning Gold.
The Bombardier web site has a fun quiz about Englishness – worth a visit (click on the “Fun” sign on the signpost on the home page). I scored 92% – no I didn’t cheat!