Hop, Clip, & Pump

In the ever-evolving world of craft beer, few breweries have pushed boundaries quite like Vault City Brewing . Known for their unapologetically bold approach to sour beer, Vault City have carved out a reputation for intensity, innovation, and flavour-first brewing. Their Triple Fruited Mango is a perfect embodiment of that ethos, rich, vibrant, and unapologetically indulgent. First Impressions: A Glass Full of Sunshine From the moment it hits the glass, this is no ordinary beer. Coming in at a recently lowered 4.8% ABV, Triple Fruited Mango pours with a deep, glowing orange hue , bordering on opaque. With a texture that looks almost smoothie-like,  there’s a density here, something substantial, that immediately signals this is going to be a different kind of drinking experience. The head is minimal, fleeting, and secondary to the main event: fruit. Aroma: Pure Mango Saturation Before even taking a sip, the aroma makes its presence known. This is mango in high definition :...

There’s something immediately inviting about a well-crafted session Indian pale ale (SIPA) that promises flavour without fatigue. Drift Theory , from Castle Rock Brewery , fits neatly into that space, delivering a contemporary hop profile with an easy-drinking edge. First Impressions In the glass, Drift Theory presents as a light golden ale , bright and inviting with a soft, delicate head. It looks exactly how a modern session pale should: clean, fresh, and ready to drink. From the first pour, there’s a noticeable lift of aroma, hinting at the hop-forward experience to come. Aroma: Subtle Complexity The nose is where things begin to get interesting. Thanks to the pairing of Citra and Vista hops , the aroma carries: A gentle mango sweetness Light strawberry notes A soft tropical lift It’s not overpowering, but it’s expressive enough to draw you in, suggesting a layered yet approachable pint. Flavour Profile: Citrus Meets Tropical On the palate, Citra takes the lead...

There’s a particular rhythm to micropubs, quieter than the traditional boozer, but somehow more intense. Less noise, more conversation. Fewer distractions, more focus. And at Original Gravity, in Brampton, Chesterfield, that rhythm becomes something else entirely, a kind of apprenticeship in beer. Working behind that bar wasn’t just about pulling pints. It was about learning a language I hadn’t fully spoken before. From Cask Comfort to Craft Curiosity I came into the job with a solid grounding in real ale. Cask was familiar, reliable, nuanced, and rooted in tradition. You learn to read it instinctively, condition, clarity, how it’s pouring, how it’s sitting in the glass. But then there was the fridge . Rows of cans, each one louder than the last. Bright designs, bold claims, unfamiliar styles. Names that sounded more like band titles than beers. And behind the bar, the keg lines, clean, cold, pressurised, and carrying beers that behaved very differently from cask. This was craf...

 Some beers whisper. Others linger. And then there are beers like Ratsputin ,  dark, commanding, and impossible to ignore. From Ossett Brewery , this is a stout that leans fully into its name: rich, enigmatic, and carrying a certain weight of presence that feels almost historical. The Name: Myth, Madness, and Influence Named after Grigori Rasputin , the infamous Russian mystic, the beer borrows more than just a title. Rasputin was a figure of contradiction, both revered and reviled, powerful yet elusive, and this stout reflects that same sense of duality. It is bold without being overwhelming. Complex without becoming chaotic. A beer that holds its ground. First Impressions: Dark, Deep, and Inviting In the glass, Ratsputin is everything you want from a stout. Deep black, almost opaque, with a soft, creamy head that sits neatly on top. There’s a quiet confidence to its appearance, no theatrics, just depth. The aroma follows suit. Roasted malt rises first, followed by...

Some beers arrive quietly. Others arrive with a sense of decadence before you’ve even lifted the glass. Snowball from Waen Brewery firmly belongs to the latter. The Beer: Dessert Disguised as a Stout At 7.0% ABV , Snowball sits comfortably in that rich, warming territory where stout begins to blur into indulgence. But this is no ordinary stout. Brewed with chocolate, vanilla, and coconut , Snowball leans unapologetically into dessert territory, more akin to a liquid confection than a traditional dark ale. Think of it less as a pint and more as an experience: Chocolate provides depth and familiarity Vanilla smoothing and sweetening the body Coconut lifting everything with a soft, exotic edge There’s even a lingering suggestion, depending on interpretation, of that nostalgic winter drink, the 'snowball' cocktail, with its creamy, slightly festive character. The Brewery: Innovation from Mid Wales Waen Brewery was founded in 2009 by Sue Hayward and John Marti...

How do you introduce a legend? Perhaps it’s best to begin with a quote: There are more flavours in the beers brewed by Theakston in Masham than there are from an entire wine growing region in France. — Roger Protz , Editor of The Good Beer Guide High praise indeed, but in this case, entirely deserved. A Beer Steeped in History T&R Theakston Brewery ’s Old Peculier (5.6% ABV) is not just a beer; it’s a piece of brewing history. Brewed in the Yorkshire town of Masham , Old Peculier has been produced under this name since the 1890s , making it one of the most enduring and recognisable ales in Britain. Over the decades, it has built a reputation not just for consistency, but for character, earning accolades such as a silver medal at the Campaign for Real Ale Champion Winter Beer of Britain awards in 2000 . The Meaning Behind the Name The name Old Peculier is as intriguing as the beer itself. It derives from the historic ' peculier of Masham,'  a parish that exi...