Green Hop Beer
Dunham Massey Brewing Company

Pours a light golden copper with medium head that left a few specks of lace. Nose was indeed hoppy for the style and was classic EKG/Fuggles-type aroma...for better or worse...with an herbal, earthy, cardboardy nose. Taste was quite big for a 4.1% beer and I would have guessed around 5.5%. Typical fruity malts of a bitter take a back seat to firm bitterness and hops with some mild yeast and grainy notes as well. Overall, a well executed beer and really good if you are a fan of these traditional hops. If you want citra, mosaic, etc in your green hop beer with lots of tropical fruit, this isn't your bag. Honestly, this beer quite an accomplishment for 4.1% ABV.

Bottled, bottle conditioned and picked up from the brewery
pours a silver shred marmalade coloured body with decent enough white head
grainy, yeasty aroma with nettle like prickly hop tones
So a very traditional North West bitter Flavour, some rhubarb, some salted caramel then that peppery bitterness

I visited the converted barn that has the brewery on the ground floor and the shop/tasting room above a few Saturdays ago and bought 12 different bottles from them. I will slowly review each one in turn.

As I wandered around I noticed a small line of hops in a garden round the back. On enquireing I discovered the hops grown in the garden are used in this brew, the plants produced so many hops this year they managed to brew two kettles worth for the first time!

The beer is bottle conditioned and was in a brown 500ml bottle, I poured it carefully into a 'Batemans' badged English pint sleeve. No sediment left the bottle and a lovely pale amber/light orange body filled the glass, on top a foaming covering of white bubbles sat majestically. The head fell away to a tight collar and wispy island a bit too swiftly for my likeing, but the cheese I had with it might have accounted for that.

I was expecting a really hoppy aroma but got just a mild wiff of the said ingredient, along with a little bit of maltiness and yeast esters. As the beer warmed in the glass the hop smells grew in intensity a great deal.

The first sip however is all hop, more like an American West Coast IPA or even a DIPA. It isn't however just about the hops, and first sips can be deceiving, there is a subtlety within the brew that allows the malts to have a say in the flavours too. Both wheat and barley are used in the brew, which would help the colour stay pale and also add to the lightness of depth in the body (I suppose).

I had this beer with some 'Innkeepers Choice' a creamy mature Cheddar with pickled onions and chives added, they complimented each other wonderfully.

Although they only brew this when their hops are ready the bottles are for sale all the time (until they are all sold of course). They claim the beer stays fresh and drinkable for a whole year, plus. I'm sure they'd ship some, if you asked nicely and paid handsomely.

Easy to drink and an ideal session beer with a 'Ploughmans Lunch' or simular platter.