Had a great day out today fulfilling my yearning for some serious real ale action after months of…read morelife in Germany. To that end, I visited one of the UK's oldest independent breweries, Three Tuns. I'm not sure how old the existing building is, but it's a gorgeous red brick affair that was threatened with residential development in 2002. Fortunately, common sense won out and the brewery began producing again in 2003. The current output can only be described as fantastic. I drank Three Tuns all over mid-Shropshire today, and each pint was magical. From the first extremely hoppy XXX, to the pint of Stirling after lunch in the adjacent Three Tuns Inn, to the pint of Curate straight from the barrel. I ended up going home a happy man carrying 12 pints of the amber nectar with me. Unfortunately, brewery tours have to be booked in advance, and it's best to arrange for a Saturday. I shall do just that!

Having visited the pub next door a few times and sampling the beer that is brewed here, I have to…read moresay it is one of the finest selection of traditionally brewed ales I have ever tasted. Go there - try some - simple!

I came across Tanners by accident whilst searching for a particular Grand Cru Champagne. They were…read morecompetitively priced. I've place a number of orders with them notably for the ampagne, Bas armagnac, and port. I have bought wine too. Yes, I agree they are very knowledgable. However, I was recently looking for a particular Rioja, their prices was about £26 per botle, but Waitrose had exactly the bottle for £18. No0 contest. So I'd use Tanners for something not available elsewhere, but I would also do a general search. Only one thing let them down once, when they substitued a wine with a different year without consulting me first. Their reasoning was that they were out of stock of the one I had ordered. However, they subsequently said they had some in the bonded warehouse. The exchange and delivery took be perilously close to the dinner party, for which it was needed. They were apologetic, and tried to resolve matters immediately. It is important to contact the customer; it is not as though I was ordering from Tesco! Neverthess, I will still use them, but I will ensure that I caveat any order with "No substitutes". There recent red Burgundies for 2008 are quite exgtensive.

Very atmospheric, very knowledgeable, wide range and some rare finds. Yes, some of the products are…read moreexpensive but generally they represent good value. You get what you pay for.

An extremely friendly little shop selling their own brewed beer (the brewery is off-site so don't…read moreexpect a tour), and a wide variety of other bottled beers. It's all sensibly arranged and sensibly priced. There's a very decent selection of both British real ales, and the best of the imports. Belgian and Trappist ales are in abundance, and there's also a few interesting and hard-to-find bottles ranging from Dutch to American. Yes, it turns out that Americans do make decent beer after all. Well, I've found one. The staff (I think it's family-owned and family-run) are very friendly and happy to talk about what they've got, which beers they prefer, which ones they think will suit a particular meal, which ones will be in stock if you come back next week Exactly what you'd want from a beer specialist. There are plenty of ciders as well. They're not really my thing but it looked like a decent selection.

This is a friendly and welcoming shop selling its own beer alongside a good international and…read moreBritish selection. I was dragged in here by the OH, who strongly believes in proper beer and found myself not only interested, but also leaving with some beer of my own. Having been converted to Belgian beer over the years, I was pleased to see a good selection of Trappist and fruit beers, and collected a couple of Krieks and Cassis (cherry and blackcurrent respectively) for afternoons in the garden. The very concept of fruit beer might repel you, but give it a go - you could be surprised. The shop also stocks perrys and ciders, German wheat beer, the best of British small breweries, Czech and Polish beers. If you have stocked up, ask to leave the box to collect by car later.

Shiraz Merlot Clairet…read moreCabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Soave Pinot Noir Verdelho or Riesling? Whatever your choice of wine, this branch of Oddbins has a great selection of European, English and New World wines. Prices range from £7-£15 for a great bottle of red, white or rose but they usually have special offers on for around a fiver too. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and more than happy to recommend new wines if you're looking for something fruity, spicy, dry or sweet. They also have regular tastings on Saturday afternoons where you can sample new lines. The reason I've given it an extra star is simple: last time I popped in they were playing a classic Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra album. How many other off licenses offer customers sublime wine and sublime music? My point exactly!

This place gets 10/10 for knowledgeable and friendly staff! I shop here whenever I want a really…read morespecial bottle of wine for a special occasion and they're always soo helpful! They really do know everything about wine.. Inside out. I know nothing about wine, and this is obvious, but they never make you feel silly or patronised! Instead they put everything in layman's terms to help you find the right wine for your meal or occasion. They can even recommend a wine to suit whatever you're planning to cook for your dinner. They have a huge selection of different wines and their prices range from about £5.99 up to £50+ Well worth a look and getting a nice bottle or red for a treat, a present or a special occasion!

This is a typical Spar on a busy High Street. There isn't really any convienient parking, though…read moremost people just leave their car on the double yellow lines outside. They sell most things you would want or expect from this type of shop.