So, after a couple of years barely related preambles, shaggy dog stories, niche pop culture references and even occasionally some talk of beer the time has come to say goodbye from The Good Spirits Wine & Beer. Thanks for allowing us (me, mainly) to ramble on. Sorry for using the word ‘mouthfeel’ on occasion and for leaning rather too heavily on ‘tropical’ as a descriptor, I should have had a thesaurus to hand more often.

There’s just time for one – or indeed five – for the road. If you need any further recommendations then just drop by the shop, we’ll be happy to help.

Magic Rock Dancing Bear

£2.20/4.5%/330ml

There are beers that require a little time and consideration, occasionally a little effort to really appreciate them and then there are beers that are just for hoofing after a hard day, thinking beers and drinking beers if you will. This one definitely falls into the latter category; it’s simply a great, well-balanced lager with a little grassy note and good biscuit malt character on the nose, clean and refreshing on the palate and a lasting bitter finish. Another cracker to add to Magic Rock’s strong core range.

Siren Please Look After This Beer

£3.60/5.8%/330ml

I often think of Paddington, sometimes when I’m thinking of my dad who was nicknamed after Michael Bond’s bear for a time at work after buying himself a new duffle coat and regularly when I find myself giving a hard stare to someone causing me untold umbrage. So, naturally I was drawn to this marmalade inspired IPA from Siren. I actually didn’t get quite as much orange as I was expecting on the nose (certainly not as much as in Tempest’s Marmalade On Rye) but there’s a definite warm and zesty note that evolved into jammy peach and sweet spice. The orange is more apparent on the palate, alongside caramel, more of that spicy quality and also a little floral hop quality which lasted on the long finish alongside a great balance of sweet and bitter.

Northern Monk Heathen

£3.90/7.2%/440ml

I was at a sizeable trade event last week, with a couple of dozen of the best breweries in Britain showing some very excellent beers. Despite there being all sorts of pretty hyped and hard to find things on offer, the beer that I heard mentioned time and time again was this core range IPA from Northern Monk. For me it’s all about their pale ale, Faith but I can certainly understand the draw here. A punchy, full bodied beer with near perfect balance between the tropical fruit, citrus and bitter bite of the hops and the caramel sweetness of the malt. Definitely one to have in the fridge all year round.

Left Handed Giant BFG

£6.10/8.3%/440ml

A big juicy DIPA from Bristol’s Left Handed Giant, I took a little time with this one, getting apricot, papaya, caramel, grapefruit, pineapple, mango and even a little blueberry alongside some caramel and biscuit malts but nary a hint of snozzcumbers. After a while I stopped thinking about it so much and it was soon gone, leaving me keen for another so I reckon that’s as good a recommendation as any.

Oskar Blues Death By Coconut

£4.50/6.5%/355ml

We only manage to get our hands on this porter about once a year, and every year I think that it can’t be as good as I remember and then every year I am proven wrong. Smooth, rich, sweet with coconut and chocolate but balanced with a dark roasted coffee bitterness. They never last long, so you should come and see us sooner rather than later.