Beer52: Beer Subscription Box

Subscription boxes have become all the rage recently; you can buy monthly beauty boxes, food boxes and now the subscription world have moved to alcohol. Yes, that's right, you can now sign up to have a box of 8 beers delivered to your house every month. Beer 52* pride themselves on delivering exclusive beer brewed at microbreweries and I was lucky enough to receive a box to try out for myself (although my Dad was very happy to help me out!) I will briefly go through the beers I received in a little bit of detail; if you're interested in beer, keep reading for a discount code!

The India Pale Ale from the Loose Cannon Brewery was a straw golden colour, which tasted hoppy and malty with a sweet fruity flavour. Loose Cannon promised a floral flavour which we couldn't really taste but it was a tasty beer nonetheless. Next we tried the Dubbel from the Savour Brewery. This was a dark beer with hints of sweetness and a chocolate and toffee finish. It was a stronger beer at 7% and we enjoyed the fruity and luxurious taste

The Hardknott Azimuth was a very citrusy beer, with a golden colour. It both smelt and tasted of orange and I enjoyed the zesty taste. Next we tried what was probably both of our's favourite beer of the bunch: the Valente's Double Espresso from the Black Wolf Brewery. It was a very dark beer with a strong coffee and caramel smell. It had a wonderful creamy coffee taste and the combination of coffee and beer was sure to be a winner!

Our next beer was the Killer Cat Circus IPA from Malmesbury Brewery, which came out orange and slightly cloudy. It smelt very strongly of vanilla and tasted fruity and mildly hoppy - although not as strongly of tropical fruit as the brewery suggested. The Friday's pale ale by Septum brewery was also a golden orange colour. It has a citrus peach scent, which I always enjoy, and a floral hoppy taste.

The final two beers were also citrusy; the first being the Broadway Blonde California Pale from London Fields Brewery. It was dark golden with a slight citrus/lime aroma. The taste was fresh and crisp, with no particular notes, but very pleasant. Finally we finished the box with the Bleddyn Crafterd Ale from the Celtic Experience Brewery. It smelt delicious and very strongly of pink grapefruit and had a sweet taste, with a slight grapefruit tang. 

All in all, my Dad and I thoroughly enjoyed the box. It was a great way to try some unusual beers; even my Dad hadn't tried any of the beers before. As I mentioned, the Valente's Double Espresso beer was our favourite and it was exciting to discover something new. The subscription box is £24 a month, but you can also buy 'rolling contracts' which make the boxes even cheaper - for example, a 'quarterly' subscription provides 3 months of beers for £69, which works out as £23 a box instead. The boxes work out as about £3 a beer, which is good value for such interesting beers which can't be found in the supermarket.

Even better - you can get your first box for even less if you use the discount code JESS10 for £10 off!
Have you tried any unusual subscription boxes, such as Beer 52? Let me know what you thought!

Jess

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Fitness Friday: Why It Doesn't Matter That I Suck At Ballet

Hello! It's time for another Fitness Friday, where I talk about all things fitness. I wanted to start with a fun ballet-inspired workout, then talk a little about my recent return to ballet:

(Workout found on Move Nourish Believe)

I think this workout is really fun. It uses some simple ballet moves to inspire a workout which works on your thighs, Over time, it's a good way to increase flexibility and toning and will bring something a little different to your daily workout. I know that I'm prone to forgetting to stretch after workouts, which I always regret the following day (damn you DOMS!) This is a good way to include some ballet in your routine in place of ballet lessons.

I used to do ballet when I was very small, probably like many girls, but it unfortunately fell by the wayside as I couldn't balance this with gymnastics, swimming, music lessons and school (yes, I was one of those children!) I always enjoyed it and a few months ago, after drunkenly reminiscing about all my childhood hobbies and skills, I emailed my local ballet school and signed up to adult lessons.

Sometimes, drunken decisions actually pay off! I really enjoy ballet and it's a great way to work on my flexibility and balance. However, in reality I have no idea how good or bad I am - the hall in which I learn has no mirrors so I can't see myself. In some ways this is irritating because I have no idea if I'm doing anything right or not. Yet, in another way, it is totally liberating. I don't worry about whether I am 'any good' or not so I simply do my best and can't see what this looks like.

Perhaps ballet lessons needn't be so deep! Yet it does show that sport is about more than simply the physical; getting out of your comfort zone and not worrying about whether you are 'good enough' is certainly an attitude I am trying to work on this year. I'm sure most of you will have seen the 'This Girl Can' adverts from Sport England which reflect the importance to give exercise a go, regardless of what you might look like. Getting involved in sport can be liberating, exciting and make a huge difference to confidence - you just need to discover what kind of exercise you enjoy.

What will you be trying this year to get out of your fitness comfort zone? Are there any exercises which you love but are frankly terrible at?

Jess

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Bloggers' Holiday with Sykes Cottages

Another Bloggers' Holiday! I've been very lucky to have spent the last few months travelling to various exciting places across the UK and a few months ago I headed to a little village called Osmotherley, just outside Northallerton in North Yorkshire. I can't believe that's it's now been a few months - it's about time I told you all about it! I just can't resist Yorkshire at the moment - there's no wonder that people still think that I live up North! I spent the weekend with some of my favourite bloggers in a fantastic cottage and had a thoroughly enjoyable few days:

We stayed at Cote Ghyll Cottage thanks to Sykes Cottages and it was a beautiful building. Downstairs, we had a kitchen and dining table, shower room, living room and even a games room. Upstairs, there were four bedrooms, which slept the 8 of us in total, and another bathroom with a separate toilet. The cottage was impeccable, very spacious and certainly in a rural location. It might have been a little too rural for my fellow city-bloggers (a sheep in the road caused some terror from Sammie) and I must admit the poor WiFi was frustrating, but I loved the quaint Osmotherley town. However I'm happy I didn't have to drive to it as I must say that it was a horrible route to get to this Yorkshire village.

As a result, the weekend was slightly affected by the fact that we were all anticipating that complicated drive home but we still managed to have a wonderful time. The village of Osmotherley was small but still housed three pubs, which all served food. The larger town of Nortallerton wasn't far and we managed to spend an afternoon there - obviously making some time to visit Bettys for some fat rascals and cakes!

Sykes Cottages are my go-to for UK cottage breaks. In October, I had also travelled to Yorkshire with my family to stay in a Sykes Cottage for the week and we found them to be affordable, well located and importantly dog friendly. They're certainly worth checking out if you're looking for a relaxing weekend away in the UK. However, I personally can't wait for my next 'blogger trip' which is a little more exotic - a city break to New York! Do you have any posts about New York? I'd love to read them!

Jess

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