Review: Bishop's Finger

Name: Bishop's Finger
Brewery: Shepherd Neame, Kent.
ABV: 5.4%
Style: Strong bitter
Season: Autumn firstly but on a very late, balmy summer evening: especially wonderful!

Availability: Most major supermarkets.

From the garden of England and the home of many famous hop varieties comes Bishop's Finger of Shepherd Neame. With a name sounding somewhat like a niche love-act or a Carry-On esque innuenddo than a beer, the punchline comes with an ABV of 5.4%. This makes for a surprisingly heady brew and this pint is a real draw of potency that sneaks up on you. For its colour and strength (pouring out a maple-sultana chestnut brown), the delivery is rather delicately handled: there is a hop bitterness that makes this quite refreshing especially when served cold. As the drop starts to warm, a malty sweetness begins to bloom on the palate but make no mistake, this is a bitter albeit extremely well handled. The front notes are sweet with a slight smoke to the malts but as it finishes, things start to twinge with the air of steeped winter berries and as you draw breath, you would swear brandywine had something to do with the maturation. There is another flavour here that eminates up and around like the air of a late summer evening: call me romantic or even foolish (or maybe under the spell of the Bishop's rather boozy fingering!) but there is the haunting of polished wood or dare I say it, the scent of nostalgia: the dampening of grass as the late August evenings start to wane and the barbecue embers start to fade. This is a beauty of a beer and although not often visited by myself, I always appreciate an evening with the Bishop, when he comes a-calling!

Review: Fursty Ferret

Name: Fursty Ferret
Brewery: Hall & Woodhouse, Dorset.
ABV: 4.4%
Style: Amber Ale
Season: Summer but really, let's face it, any time of year: that's the beauty of it!

Availability: Most major supermarkets.

From the Badger brewery (or Hall and Woodhouse - a family-run business for generations) comes Fursty Ferret, a real lesson in balance. This is, for me, one of the great session beers and suitable for absolutely any time and any occasion: not too gassy, not too heavy, not too malty and not too hoppy: pure and absolute balance in a glass. The colour is a coppery gold which whispers of the morish and malty under flow to this pint. Coupling this almost biscuity undercurrent is an interweaving of floral hops with the tiniest hint of something citrus but don't get me wrong, this isn't overly bitter at all: just when it gets too hoppy, the malt flurries in and likewise, just as the richness of malt might dominate, there comes an updraft of fizz and freshness that takes you from autumn to spring in a single sip. We all have dependable regulars in all facets of our lives and Ferret is certainly one of those: an all-rounder that you can rely on to deliver when you may be overwhelmed with choice or simply just not sure what to go for. I wish more pubs served it owing to the fact that if you can't decide on a lager or an ale then you would have the Ferret to satisfy all your demands. Almost proving its 'Jack-of-all-trades' persona, this little beauty also comes in cans! 

Check out the brewery website for further info: http://www.hall-woodhouse.co.uk/beer/fursty-ferret

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.