MARVERINE COLE
Say hello to spring with our beer sommelier’s pick of refreshing brews to enjoy on sunnier days
Brighter, lighter beers to enjoy on warmer spring days
Spring is within touching distance. The very thought of brighter mornings and lighter evenings makes my heart sing with so much hope.
For months, I have desperately missed the late-night drinks in town, laughing and gossiping with my girlfriends. And, if you’re anything like me, you will be pining for the day when you can sit down for a meal in a restaurant or pop to the pub, when those lighter nights come around.
In the spirit of optimism, I’ve started to think about which beers I could gather into my beer cupboard, ready to celebrate that ‘Hello, spring!’ moment. For me, Curious Brew (4.7% ABV) fits the bill. It’s a premium lager, but not as you know it. Chapel Down in Kent are the magicians making this one, with its lychee-like quality coupled with a honey sweetness. English lager malt with Saaz, Cascade and rare Nelson Sauvin hops all collide with the pièce de résistance: the beer is re-fermented with champagne yeast. Curious Brew is perfect on its own, or as a companion to roasted seabass with a lemon parmesan cream.
I’m not a fan of spring cleaning. I am a do-nothing-for-monthsand-then-blitz-it-all-in-one-day sort of cleaner. When the mood takes me, I tip out the contents of my kitchen cupboards, and don my Marigolds for the intrepid search to unearth out-of-date herbs and spices. Shimmying to ‘Go West’ by the Pet Shop Boys is my musical motivation. Alongside sips of Edinburgh-based Bellfield Brewery’s Jex-blake Mosaic IPA. At 5.6% ABV, it’s certified gluten-free and vegan, and it’s made in honour of Scottish pioneer Sophia Jex-blake. Born in 1840, she became the first practising female doctor in Scotland. The single hop is Mosaic, but that does not make this beer one-dimensional. A triple hit of balanced bitterness, and tropical notes on its nose and flavour, all deliver a fitting homage.
I am horrified to admit that I have emerged from serial lockdowns with a larger waistband. Salads are making a comeback. I like rocket, couscous, baby vine tomatoes and cucumber (although it’s hard not to lob in some roast chicken chunks or slivers of cheddar). And with the renewed interest in golden ales at this time of year, there’s no finer complement to a healthy salad than Salopian’s Lemon Dream. The name says it all. Its majestic flavour is one of the many reasons why this Shropshire beer is so adorable. Brewed with organic lemons, it’s clean, smooth, refreshing and dangerously tasty, and only 4.5% ABV. After just a drop of this beer, the hope of a healthier and happier 2021 looks even more promising.
To read more from Marverine, go to bbcgoodfood.com/author/ marverinecole
Marverine Cole is an accredited beer sommelier, broadcaster and journalist who’s won several awards. She’s a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers, and has collaborated with breweries on her own beers. She’s conducted tastings on ITV’S This Morning, and extolled the virtues of Britain’s national drink on various BBC shows. She can usually be found in a pub somewhere in the West Midlands. You can listen to Marverine’s podcast, Beer Beauty, wherever you get your podcasts. marverinecole.co.uk
@Beerbeauty @Tvmarv
I have desperately missed the late-night drinks in town, laughing and gossiping with my girlfriends