Are you able to odor it? Freshly minimize grass, a whiff of heat within the air from the sunshine (that’s usually blended with a number of showers this month) and, above all, the promise of hotter days to return – a way of triumph that we’ve emerged from the primary quarter of the 12 months unscathed. With these little victories in thoughts – and the truth that Britain’s nationwide drink is one which’s usually used for celebrations – there’s one beer that epitomises good vibes for me this 12 months.
Good Lager (4.5% ABV) is a top-class beer from Kelly and Bob, founders of Good Chemistry in Bristol. British craft lagers don’t stray removed from the norm – a straw-coloured pour with the standard malty breadiness, clear, crisp and reasonably bitter – however Good Lager just isn’t the norm. It’s a Vienna lager, that means that – true to the beer model – this little fella comes with an added additional: a cheeky trace of honey-like sweetness with each mouthful. On examination of the stats on the groovy can, there’s a 30 per cent sweetness, balanced by 28 per cent bitterness. That delicate ratio, alongside the creaminess of the beer (and it being gluten-free), makes Good Lager one that might sit completely alongside your Easter lunch, particularly in case you’re serving roast pork or hen. Being a vegan beer, it will additionally pair properly with a roasted root veg or aubergine bake with a lemon, herb and apple sauce. And, in terms of sustainability, the brewery has challenged itself and triumphed. Good Lager has achieved a 60 per cent discount of the embodied power of the beer by altering its manufacturing processes, utilizing British malts, switching the pressure of yeast used for fermenting, and utilizing recyclable packaging. There’s a lot to get pleasure from!
If in case you have any particular events to have fun this month, I’ve the final word sharing beer that – warning! – packs a punch when it comes to energy, however brings fruitiness in abundance. It’s not a fruit- flavoured beer, however the brewing course of and inclusion of the sun-kissed Californian hop Citra brings a candy, gooseberry-like high quality to each mouthful. Inexperienced Satan by identify, and by nature. This IPA (6% ABV) is brewed by Oakham Ales in Peterborough, pours golden and unleashes a tropical aroma that collides with a pronounced bitterness. It’s one in all my all-time favourites, and it’s not simply me: the cask model has gained over the judges of the World Beer Awards twice, and loads of different high plaudits. Look out for Oakham’s different beers, bought in polypins (a bit like having your individual small keg at house). They begin from round £69 for 36 pints (figuring out at £1.90 per pint). Or, strive a case of blended bottles (£25.35, 12 x 500ml). Excellent for entertaining buddies at your first tentative BBQ of the 12 months!
My remaining beer, Bitter and Twisted, comes from Harviestoun (4.2% ABV) in Alva within the Scottish Lowlands. This beer and its wonderful lager, Schiehallion, got here to my consideration greater than a decade in the past. Bitter and Twisted – which the grasp brewers have dubbed ‘saint and sinner in a single bottle’ – brings me such pleasure. A delicious-looking golden beer with a satisfying lemony end. It’s even higher if you realise that 80 per cent of the malt utilized in Harviestoun beers is sourced from a neighborhood farm. This one is greatest served cool, and would go down a deal with with a slice of lemon drizzle cake and a dollop of clotted cream.
