Jamie Goode
Our expert is hoppy to recommend beers offering freshness and personality
The beer scene is exciting at the moment and it has a great blend of tradition and experimentation. Brewers have more freedom than winemakers and get to make beer whenever they want, whereas wine is made once a year. And if an experiment goes wrong, it can be tipped away and they start again.
Maybe this is why there is such a variety of beer styles – and I’ve chosen seven that I like at the moment...
M&S American Pale Ale, Vocation Brewery, £6.30 for a pack of four at Marks & Spencer, 5.3% alcohol
Golden in colour, this has a nice balance between the sweet toffee and malty notes, and also the fruity, tangy hoppy qualities. There’s some nice warmth and texture but also a bit of spicy bite on the finish. This is very appealing.
Kona Brewing Company Big Wave Golden Ale, £2.20, Waitrose, 4.4% alcohol
Kona is from Hawaii but also brewed elsewhere in the US. This is sweet and malty with notes of toffee and cream, as well as some orange peel and white bread characters. Intriguing, with lots of personality and a distinct creamy texture.
La Chouffe Bière Belgian Blond, £2, Tesco, 8% alcohol
This is a strong but surprisingly fresh beer with spicy, yeasty flavours and some citrus fruit notes, as well as a nice sweet but well balanced malty backbone. Lots of complexity here.
Oakham Citra Session IPA, £1.65, Sainsbury’s, 4.6% alcohol
Citra is a special US hop and Oakham was the first to bring it to the UK in 2009. This has beautiful aromatics with lime, dried herbs, passion fruit and chalk. In the mouth, this is bright and lively with textured citrus fruit and a bit of spiciness, plus a slightly dank edge.
Duvel 6.66 Belgian Blond, £1.70, Tesco, 6.6% alcohol
A lively, complex blond beer with richly textured, yeasty, spicy characters but also plenty of citrussy freshness. Very zesty and appealing
– a classic Belgian blond.
Brewdog x Mikkeller Urban Fog New England IPA, £3, Sainsbury’s, 6.5% alcohol
This is what’s known as a hazy IPA, with a cloudy character. It’s yeasty and complex with some mealy, spicy depth to the sweet pineapple and lime notes, as well as melony sweetness and nice volume in the mouth. Real drinkability here.
Brixton Brewery Atlantic American Pale Ale, £1.50, Morrisons, 5.4% alcohol
Pale malt and lots of aroma hops here, with the result being a compact, intense pale ale with some earthy notes anchoring flavours of citrus, dried herbs, bitter hops and a twist of peach. It’s a very drinkable beer with some volume, combining fruity notes with a distinct savouriness.