10 of the best British craft beers
We run down 10 of the finest craft beers that are coming out of the UK right now.
Northern Monk Lust
Brewer: Northern Monk Brew Co., Leeds.
Type: Saison.
Strength: 6.8%
With a tip of the hat towards monastic brewing techniques, Northern Monk have sought to create a stunning range of beers based on the seven deadly sins. This one, Lust, is infused with strawberry, hibiscus, and rose petals, that all serve to give it a light and fruity nose with just a mild alcoholic taste.
Mad Hatter Club Tropicana
Brewer: Mad Hatter, Liverpool.
Type: Berliner Weisse.
Strength: 5.1%
Liverpool’s Had Hatter have been working away at creating a number of exciting and innovative beers for some time and are now finally getting the recognition they deserve. Club Tropicana is a Berliner Weisse jam packed with tropical fruit flavours and provides an interesting palate.
Salopian’s Darwin’s Origin
Brewer: Salopian Brewery, Shrewsbury.
Type: English ale.
Strength: 4.3%
Originally brewed for the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin back in 1809, but it proved to be so popular that they just carried on. The Origin has a pronounced, spicy hop character, which leads to a refined malt finish and provides an excellent example of how to bring an old beer into the 21st century.
Vocation Brewery’s Pride and Joy
Brewer: Vocation Brewery, West Yorkshire.
Type: Pale ale.
Strength: 4.4%
Classic American Pale Ale’s don’t frequently come from Yorkshire, but Vocation have managed to produce a brew that is pale, crisp and very aromatic which is infused with mango, citrus, earthy pine, tropical fruit and blueberry flavours.
Wil’d Beer Co, Millionaire
Brewer: Wild Beer Co., Westcombe.
Type: Milk stout.
Strength: 4.7%
A milk stout isn’t the most common of brews seen in the pubs and clubs of the UK, but Millionaire manages to turn the flavours of a millionaire’s cake into a perfectly drinkable ale. Creamy and delicate on the palate, the finish leaves dark chocolate notes on the tongue with hints of salted caramel.
Good King Henry
Brewer: Old Chimneys Brewery, Norfolk.
Partner Content
Type: Imperial stout.
Strength: 9.6%
A versatile Imperial Stout which can range from roast malt, cocoa, caramel, fudge, treacle, coffee and much more. A frequent medal winner at beer festivals, it is finally getting the recognition it deserves after enjoying a strong cult status for so long.
Undercurrent
Brewer: Siren, Wokingham.
Type: Pale ale.
Strength: 4.5%
Loads of spicy, grassy aromas and a taste of grapefruit and apricot entwine themselves with bold, bready and nutty malt whirl that leaves an aftertaste of spicy, citrus and floral hops. Truly refreshing and perfectly executed.
Mills & Hills Imperial Stout
Brewer: Fyne Ales, Argyll, Scotland.
Type: Imperial stout.
Strength: 9.5%
Though the company may be based north of the border in Scotland, the stout was made in conjunction with a brewery over in the Netherlands. Pitch dark in colour with a slightly rustic head, it has prunes and dark fruitcake with a smooth treacle like taste and a lasting warm bitter finish.
The Kernal
Brewer: Kernel Brewery, London.
Type: Pale ale.
Strength: 3.3%
A beer that is already popular in the watering holes of east London. This low alcohol brew proves that there doesn’t need to be a big ABV presence in order to make a quality product. Smelling like a flowergarden, it has plenty of citrus and zest on the tongue.
Buxton Brewery’s Axe Edge
Brewer: Buxton Brewery, Derbyshire.
Type: IPA
Strength: 6.8%
Mandarin orange, schnapps, pineapple, and juicy tropical fruits all combine to create a truly unique beer for one of the hotbeds of the UK’s brewery industry.
