After, quite literally, years of rumours about a Lidl opening up on my local high street, the door to the nations best (in my opinion) supermarket swung open just before Christmas. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately on the wallet without a middle aisle. I know, I didn’t know a Lidl could exist without one either! There is, however, a small beer section and so I thought I would return to my natural habitat of reviewing some own brand booze from the supermarket.

Today’s beer is Shark Bay from Hatherwood which is essentially the name given by Lidl to it’s own brand beer, like Alesto for the nuts or Milbona for the cheeses. Interestingly they have given this Amber Ale a name as often they are simply labeled by the style of the beer. It comes in at 4.3% ABV.

The beer pours a clear copper colour with an off-white head, that holds fairly well. I couldn’t get too much of an aroma from the beer but from my perspective, I was getting hoppy, bitter characteristics. The beer has a moderate carbonation to it, not too flat and not too fizzy either which for this style I think works. The initial taste is quite smooth before quickly moving to a much stronger bitterness. Slight citrus flavours on the finish with a touch of malts at the start.

A quick note on the bottle art: The design itself is actually heavily ‘inspired’ from the well known Amber Ale, Doom Bar by Sharps Brewery. Lidl and Aldi are both known for their similarities in design on certain products to evoke the better known brand. I’ve never had a problem with this, and honestly find it quite amusing at how far they can push it. Below is a picture of a bottle of Doom Bar for reference if anyone was curious.

On the whole it’s an okay beer. The balance in amber ale can vary from beer to beer by design. Some have a stronger caramel like sweetness while other have the stronger hoppy bitterness. In my mind the best examples of this style would have that ideal combination of both. Shark Bay is certainly more on the bitter side. Some people might prefer this, I personally would have liked some more sweetness in there to enhance the ease of drinking and add a depth of flavour. However, at £1.19 a bottle I don’t think it’s fair to be asking too much from this beer!

Score: 5/10

Usually I give my score at the end and leave it at that, but I think some people would rightfully consider this a harsh score. So I thought I’d relate the score to my personal, arbitrary scoring system. In my opinion, a 5/10 is a completely average, inoffensive beer. It’s neither particularly good nor bad, it’s just okay. And while I wouldn’t personally go seeking it out, I would have no problem drinking it again. So there’s the context on the personal score of this perfectly acceptable if underwhelming beer from the fine folks at Lidl!

If you have had this beer before, I would love to hear what you think about it, as everyone has their own thoughts and tastes when it comes to the beers in the supermarket. Thanks for taking the time to read!

Additional Information:

Style: Amber Ale

Hops: Not Available

Malt: Not Available

IBU: Not Available

ABV: 4.3%

Gluten Free: No

Vegan: Not Available

Location: Lidl

Price: £1.19