Boltmaker - Timothy Taylor

Name: Boltmaker.
Brewery: Timothy Taylor.
ABV: 4.2% (bottle).
Style: Bitter.
Season: Autumn/Winter

Availability: Available in most good supermarkets.

What I paid: £1.79 (Waitrose).

Try if you like: Traditional bitters, Spitfire by Shepherd Neame, malt and rather bitter hops.

Combing through the Camra champion beer lists turned me toward this Yorkshire brew from the very well established Timothy Taylor brewery, creators of the legendary Landlord.

Boltmaker has won the Supreme Champion Beer award from Camra (2014) and comes very high up in many of the 'Best British Beet' lists to be found online. It has a depth of flavour that makes it very robust and there is nothing gentle about this drop: malty to a point at the start but a strong bitter body that unfortunately for me finishes with a very rough finale - an almost acrid flavour that just doesn't sit well with me but I do prefer things on the sweeter edge as familiar readers may be aware of. If you enjoy a good, no nonsense traditional bitter, I don't think you'll find a better example than this. Certainly not a session beer due to its rather gassy nature and heavy body.

In colour and taste, it reminded me of Spitfire by Kent's Shepherd Neame brewery: coppery, malty undertone with a hopped bitter final flourish. Not for me and I don't think I'll ever drink one again but each to their own as they say. 

Review: Sharps Doombar

Name: Doombar
Brewery: Sharps, Cornwall
ABV: Cask: 4.0% Bottle 4.3%
Style: Amber Ale (according to the brewery)
Season: All-Year
Availability: Stocked in most supermarkets.

Try if you like: Gem, Broadside, toffee and caramel biscuity malt flavours - hopped enough to not be sickly mind!

An incredible achievement by the brewery that hails from Rock in Cornwall. It pours out at a copper brown rather than an amber and it tastes how it looks: malty, morish with a slight biscuity note coming from the roasted malts. However, this is by no means a heavy beer and what saves it from being too 'chewy' is the refreshing swell of understated bitterness brought out by the hops. This is a sweet pint but one that is nowhere near as demerera on the palate as beers near a similar shade (such as the now legendary Speckled Hen or Abbot Ale). This is a real session beer that doesn't give too much gas and doesn't pack too much of a punch. It's real charm is that it suits any time of year: cold and from the fridge, it can refresh on a summers day whilst still giving some malty scrumptiousness that makes it wonderful paired with Autumnal dishes and rich comfort foods. In many ways, this is the most competent all-rounder and a real go-to beer if in doubt. Dependable and delectable. One of my all time favourites: a forever beer.