With pictures and anecdotes from Beavertown’s inaugural event, Leeds Beer Festival and Indy Man Beer Con being all over my various social medias in the last couple of months I have sought to overcome my fear of missing out by doing some deeper digging into some of the best craft beers coming from our southern cousins. As it turns out hasn’t been too difficult as our shelves seem to be heaving under the weight of some outstanding new English brews, so here are just five of my favourites for this week.

Beavertown Lupuloid (£2.90/6.7%/330ml)

I definitely mentioned Lupuloid when it first arrived on the scene after numerous variations and a competition for consumers to decide on how they wanted it to taste. At the time I was quietly riled by what I saw as a bit of a gimmick and a long process to go through for what apparently ended up being – on first impressions at least – a slightly more malt led take on Gamma Ray. However, over the course of the year since it launched this has slowly but surely become my favourite beer from them. Maybe I’m just mellowing to Grapefruit, as there’s plenty of that in there, alongside apricot and peach and a spicy note on the nose, it’s juicy and refreshing on the palate and has just enough of a resinous bitter bite in the finish to balance that sweet juice and make you come back for more. Sometimes it’s good to be wrong.

Northern Monk/Verdant Captain North (£5.80/6.0%/440ml)

A collaboration between these two breweries was always going to peak my interest, and the can – with probably my favourite illustration in the series so far - completely sold me. Light and refreshing with tropical and stone fruits on the nose and more of the same on the palate alongside some juicy white grape, finishing with more tropical notes and a light spicy quality, this is a straight up, delicious, no messing IPA.

Wylam Splatterberry Sour (£2.60/4.5%/330ml)

By now you should all be very well versed in my love for a sour beverage, so this one immediately caught my eye as I opened the box. It uses Greek yoghurt cultures to create the sour effect and it really reminded me of yoghurt, not as sharp and tart as many, this was more creamy with plenty of red fruit and berry character, a tannic touch and a hint of funk on the finish.

Buxton Battle Horse (£4.70/10.5%/330ml)

Black IPAs have come in and out of fashion over the last few years, combining the roasted malt character of darker beers with the hop bill of an IPA. This one from the ever-reliable Buxton also pushes the potency levels way up there, so this is definitely one to take some time over. In doing so the complexities of the beer continue to reveal themselves, with sweet malts, bitter grapefruit, chocolate, resinous pine, well fired toast, cigar box, liquorice and the proverbial many more showing up in my tasting notes over the course of half an hour or more.

Siren/Slim Pickens Cerealist Manifesto (£3.80/9.0%/330ml)

After the Battle Horse (although not immediately after or my tasting notes may have been even more difficult to decipher than usual), I expected to be taking some time over this one too but in actual fact this Imperial Milk Stout is ridiculously easy drinking for the ABV. Incredibly smooth, with notes of Maltesers (if they were made with much better quality chocolate) and milky mocha, there’s mention of a ‘car load’ of Cinnamon Toast Crunch being used in the brew, but I thought the cinnamon was quite restrained and just added a lovely warming spicy note on the finish.