Golden Champion is a light, golden ale brewed by the Badger Brewery. It is 5.0% ABV.
This beer has a light, fruity flavour (just like it says on the label on the bottle) but at the same time it tastes quite strong. I couldn’t quite place the slightly floral smell and flavour until I read the label on the back of the bottle and it said it had an “elderflower aroma”, which I think is about right. It is noticeably more bitter than some darker beers but not in a bad way, it rather accentuates the fruit flavours.
I’ve never understood why Badger (or rather their taskmasters, Hall & Woodhouse) sell their best beers in bottles only. Sometimes, around Christmas, they produce a few casks of Champion or Golden Glory, but never very many. Usually you can only get their Badger Best, Sussex, Tanglefoot or one of their stupid animal themed beers on tap. Tanglefoot is nice but why don’t they put their best beers on tap more often? Why did they cancel the King & Barnes IPA? It was pondering such deep questions as these that I spent my time working behind the bar in a Badger pub. That and drinking.
One of my favourites. As I did to Elberry I would also recommend Brakspeare’s Triple, which is stocked at Sainsbury’s. Another recommendation is one that Reynard, Mrs Afagddu and I all approved of highly when staying at The Star in Talybont-on-Usk last November, and is named ‘The World’s Biggest Liar’. It had the wonderful taste combination of Dark Ale blended with chocolate.