From the Hop Back Brewery. Created as a beer which will appeal to premium lager drinkers and go down well with spicy oriental food. Abv: 4.2% Price: £1.49 THE EXPERT Sally Easton Master of Wine and wine buyer for Berry Brothers and Rudd This has the lemon, amber colour of a lager, and the frothy head on pouring dissipates quickly. The nose is faint and elusive, with notes of celery, cabbage and coriander, but no lemongrass; there is also a faint rubbery aroma which is not pleasant. The palate is bitter with elements of green, unripe leafiness; the flavour is diluted and lacking weight and it has a hollow mid palate, finishing with a bitter phenolic flavour at the back of the mouth. But the packaging does identify the product well with its targeted drinking occasion and the price tag should at least encourage trial purchasing. Success rating out of 25 ­ 0 THE DESIGNER Graham Shearsby Board creative director, graphics, at Design Bridge I'm afraid this is another of those desperate concoctions that are supposedly the ultimate partners to specific cuisine styles. I cannot comprehend how a beer brewed with lemongrass and coriander can complement a dish of intrinsically the same ingredients. What's next? Perhaps a beer infused with chilli and onions for that perfect doner kebab moment! The name and graphics are a play on its stablemate Summer Lightning, with the upturned shield becoming a more exotic holding device, but overall the pack is very stark and acidic. All very niche and lacking any eastern promise. Success rating out of 25 ­ 8 The buyer Steve Mayes Category controller at Landmark This is a very clean crisp beer that will go well, as suggested, with oriental food. But it still falls into the niche beer category and will require a hard sell or some serious above the line support. On that basis it will probably tick over but it is not going to set the world alight, which is a shame as it is a good product. The packaging is striking, although a little cluttered. For cash and carry sales the outer presentation is crucial. A high quality printed outer will have significantly more impact than a shrinkwrap. The liquid is great and the pricing is OK, but it will take some selling. Only buy if you can sell to those niches. Success rating out of 25 ­ 15 Total score out of 100 - 45 {{DRINKS }}

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