As the cost of living soars, many of us are being forced to make savings wherever we can. Food bills are higher than ever, forcing households to consider cheaper alternatives in their weekly shop.
Luxury items such as lager are likely to be among the first items culled from the shopping list. But it doesn't have to be that way.
While a four pack of premium lagers will usually set you back around a fiver, most supermarkets stock their own branded alcohol for half the price. Admittedly, there has long been a taboo surrounding own-brand lager but is it actually deserved?
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We decided to find out for ourselves by putting the budget lager offering at the UK's six most popular supermarkets to the test. The candidates were Tesco Ashfield lager, Sainsbury’s Original Crown, Morrisons Continental lager, Aldi's Galahad, Lidl's Excelsior and Asda's Biere de Luxe.
Tesco Ashfield lager - 4 cans for £2.37
I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, but the branding of this lager struck me as fairly uninspired. Still, it is what is inside the can that counts, right?
Flavour-wise, this was not good. With each gulp came a flat, bitter taste that made it extremely difficult to drink.
I managed to soldier on and finish the majority of the can's insipid contents but I can't say I enjoyed the experience. Surely things can only improve from here on in.
4/10
Morrisons Continental lager - 4 cans for £2.25
Despite being billed as a continental lager, this was the weakest of the lagers at a very un-European low of 3.5pc ABV.
The black, white and red branding is suspiciously reminiscent to that of Carling - a lager I've never been fond of - so my hopes were not high to begin with.
Although not terrible, it was difficult to ignore the faintly metallic taste to this lager. Other than that, it was relatively smooth. Given the price, it would be unfair to expect miracles.
5/10
Sainsbury’s Original Crown lager - 4 cans for £2.35
Flavourless but inoffensive - Sainsbury's foray into the own-brand lager game is certainly not one for the lager connoisseurs out there.
It does the job though which, at this price, is perhaps the best you can hope for. I'd certainly be willing to drink it again.
The can design is also relatively eye-catching. It could easily pass as a real brand so is perhaps a sensible choice for anyone self-conscious about being caught drinking supermarket own-brand lager.
6/10
Asda's Biere de Luxe - 4 cans for £3.10
I approached this one with low expectations. For some months after graduating from university, I worked as a shelf stacker at Asda and heard only bad things from customers about Biere de Luxe.
Maybe it says more about the other lagers I tasted, but this one was not bad at all. Both crisp and refreshing, it offered everything you could want from a budget lager.
It may not leave much in the way of an aftertaste, but Biere de Luxe is perfectly pleasant and you could certainly do a lot worse.
Brewed for Asda by the French brewery Brasserie de Saint-Omer, its colourful branding could easily be mistaken for a lager from a continental brewery.
At £3.10, it may have been the most expensive but I suppose you get what you pay for.
7/10
Aldi's Galahad lager - 4 cans for £2.49
Aldi - the supermarket that is always good for a budget take on a well-known branded good. Surely I could rely on them for a refreshing lager?
Sadly, not. Galahad - which, based on its apperance, appears to be the supermarket's answer to Foster's - was by far the most underwhelming of the six lagers that I tried. In fact, it's not a stretch to say I've enjoyed dirty pints more than this.
At £2.49, it was also the second most expensive. Although it was the cheapest lager on offer at Aldi, there are several alternatives that cost only slightly more, including four cans of Saint Etienne for £2.99. Unless you have no choice, you would be wise to fork out the extra 50p.
2/10
Lidl's Excelsior lager - 4 cans for £2.35
A thoroughly forgettable lager with no discernible taste. There's not much to say about Excelsior that has not already been said about the other five lagers.
Like Galahad, the branding suggests a cheaper take on Foster's. There certainly is not much different in taste which I suppose makes it a potential alternative for anyone looking to save a couple of quid.
5/10
The verdict
Most of the lagers I tried were drinkable and relatively inoffensive. Yet I'd be lying if I said I was not judging this based on which was the least mediocre.
By that measure, Asda's Biere de Luxe is the clear winner and a lagerI'd happily drink again.
None of the lagers are likely to become anyone's new favourite but that is not really the point of this exercise. As more and more people feel the pinch, it is useful to know what alternatives are out there.
Please drink responsibly.
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