While I usually find bars in and around Shoreditch to be overly “ironic” and full of cheap vodka and overly priced fancy beers – I was incredibly pleased to discover that The Commercial Tavern was none of these things.

Sure it had cheap vodka, but more importantly, it had some excellent treasures on tap.
In the fridge they had the usual Aspall ciders, and chilled wines, but what caught my eye (and my taste buds) was that they had Meantime Brewery’s Helles Bier on draft.

This “country style lager” is absolutely gorgeous, and should delight any discerning female palette.
According to Meantime, “helles” is the German word for “light”, and compared to Meantime’s other bad boy brews like their signature IPA – Helles is definitely lighter.

Measuring in at 4.4% ABV, Helles is citrusy, a bit hoppy, but altogether a refreshingly smooth brew that won’t leave your pout puckering from bitterness.

In my opinion, Helles Bier embodies a lot of what The Commercial Tavern is about. The decor is a kitschy blend of grandma-chic meets antique-glam with vintage mirrors on the ceiling, and quite the collection of extravagant chandeliers dangling above the bar.

This is the perfect place for you and your gal pals to meet on a Thursday night, perch on their lovely white tables, and have a proper chat over a pint (or half-pint!) of Helles.

Trust me, it will be the highlight to your week. (Or dare I say month?)

Cate Sevilla is the founding editor of BitchBuzz.com. You can follow her on Twitter as @cupcate.

It might be cold outside, but this time of year, you can get a little bit bored of all of the mince pies and Christmas pudding.

Sure hot treats can be delicious, but as we all learned with the decadent chocolate and stout ice cream, cold treats this time of year (as long as you’re outside!) can be positively delightful. Or, if nothing else, a welcome break from the gingerbread houses and powdered sugar.

If you don’t have an ice cream processor but are still wanting an ice cream and stout-y treat, how about a stout and ice cream float?

The first time I heard about this I was at a diner in San Francisco called the St Francis Fountain and they had a Guinness Float on their menu. Of course, I freaked out a little at first, but as I’m a huge fan of Guinness and Vanilla Stoli together, I knew that a stout float would be excellent.

So, if you’re bored of mulled wine and mulled cider and mulled anything and everything – then I suggest trying a stout float!

This will only work with stouts – although some fruit beers might be just as nice – so grab a bottle of Titanic Stout or can of Guinness and some vanilla ice cream and get ready!

I made my float in a pint glass, which takes about three scoops of ice cream.

Then open your stout and slowly pour it over the ice cream. You should be able to get about half of the bottle or can into the glass, but you can always add more ice cream or stout as you go.
Add a straw and a long spoon, and you’re all set!

This is the perfect treat for Boxing Day when everyone is fed up Christmas food!

Note: I used Titanic Stout with my vanilla ice cream, but found it a bit bitter. If you find your ale doesn’t quite mix with your ice cream, add some chocolate powder to sweeten things up

Cate Sevilla is the founding editor of BitchBuzz.com. You can follow her as @cupcate on Twitter.

Beer and ice cream are two of my favorite things, so when I found out that you could actually combine the two, I literally trembled with excitement.

Making your own ice cream at home sounds incredibly daunting, but I promise you it’s not. If you’re keen on making your own ice cream at home, all you’ll need is a handful of ingredients, a bottle of Titanic Stout, and an ice cream processor. (Don’t have an ice cream processor? You can get one at Lakeland for £50!)

The lovely Cellar Man over at LivingBeer’s AleChair blog was incredibly gracious and shared his special ice cream recipe with me, and it is beyond delicious.

What You’ll Need

175g granulated sugar
1½ tsp cocoa powder
4 egg yolks
1 bottle of Titanic Stout

What To Do

To make the ice cream, halve the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Then, add the vanilla to a pan with the double cream, stout and sugar and bring up to the boil.

In a large bowl, mix together the cocoa powder and the egg yolks, blending thoroughly.

Add a small amount of the stout cream to the cocoa powder and egg yolks, whisking quickly to temper the eggs.

Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook until thick, whisking constantly. Cool the mixture, and then process in an ice cream maker.

The Cellar Man’s original recipe calls for Mud City Stout, but I prefer to use Titanic Stout. However, you can pretty much use any stout of your choice! If you do end up making this delicious treat, let us know what you thought and which beer you used!

Cate Sevilla is the founding editor of BitchBuzz.com. You can follow her as @cupcate on Twitter.

A lot of women who say that they don’t like beer have probably just been drinking the wrong beers.
(Or at least I hope.)

I know when I was younger, the only beers I was ever exposed to were about as tasty as Bud Light, so I never knew that I was a beer drinker at heart until I started to find beers that didn’t taste like hops mixed with acid rain.

So! If you’re interested in unleashing your love of beer, where should you start?

Kasteel Cru
If you love champagne and you’re hoping to move on to lager, Kasteel Cru is the best place to start. Light, slightly sweet but with all the same kick of a proper beer, Kasteel Cru is one of my favorite beers to enjoy if I’m looking for something light, without ordering a light beer. There’s also a rose version if you’re feeling like you want something a bit pink.

Sol
Some may say that Sol is a sissy beer, but it’s really not. It’s a bit stronger than Corona or Corona Light, but it’s still not as harsh as say other lagers . Sol goes fantastically with lime, Mexican food, and the summer sun better than any other beer I know.

Blue Moon
If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, Blue Moon may not be as light and un-beer like as Kasteel Cru, but it’s citrusy and slightly sweet and is absolute heaven with a slice of orange. Blue Moon is one of my absolute favorite beers, and I think is a good beer for someone who has tried a lighter beer, like Sol, but is thinking they can handle something a bit more robust. And orangey.

Cranberry Fruli
This is a beer for someone who doesn’t like the taste of beer, but is willing to try one. If you’re a fan of Woo Woos or frilly cocktails, a pint of Cranberry Fruli is probably something you will very much enjoy. There is also a strawberry Fruli, but I find it incredibly sweet and almost too much. However, feel free to check out the strawberry Fruli if you’re not a fan of cranberries!

Raspberry Grand Cru
Meantime Brewery make some fantastic beers, and while they’re Raspberry Grand Cru beer isn’t overwhelmingly fruity, it’ still has that “refreshing tang” and is rather light. Raspberry Grand Cru also goes well with chocolatey and sweet desserts, so why not replace your dessert wine or Bailey’s with a bottle of with a chocolate cupcake?

Cate Sevilla is the founding editor of BitchBuzz.com. You can follow her as @cupcate on Twitter.

Image via Barnaby’s Flickr