Ale-ites amongst you might have noticed some new beers in the house. We’ve gone a little way to bring you beers from Hepworth Brewery in Pulborough, West Sussex and Adnams of Southwold. Why you might ask. We’re awash with local brewers, some of whom are making pretty decent beers and we’re certainly not planning on deserting the cause. But, traditionally, we’re a cider county and we don’t really have the brewing tradition (or the water) and a beer like Adnams Broadside isn’t created overnight.
In my, extremely humble, in the case of beer, opinion a skilfull brewer can make great craft beer but a traditional bitter is harder. Hopping seems to be the thing. I can’t help suspecting that sometimes it covers a multitude of sins but judiciously used, particularly in the case of New Lion. Brewery’s Pandit, the beers can be extremely good. But it can’t be coincidence that most what I think of as our great beers come from ‘hard, more minerally, water’ areas further east.