Slurp on those nuts

A beautiful Christmas Day spent in a homely pub, in front of a well-stoked open fire, and what better than a turkey than a mouthful of nuts….

But wait, hop lovers, not the hairy, flaking, dangling kind.

Sat in The Lamb in Newbury I partook many festive pints of Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter, itself a fair way from its’ Lewes brewing home at Christmas.

The ale has been well tended by the scrupulous landlords of this fine boozer and the results were evident in the quality of the pint and atmosphere.

At first, the hoppy and nuttiness of it all were quite something for even the Hopmeister, but a third of the way down it mellows on the palate and the last third is wolfed to leave the tippler longing for more. Much more.

At 4.0% it certainly can be enjoyed in a session (and was). Despite the initial surprise at the strength of its flavour, pint six was as welcome and refreshing as the first.

There must be something in the way it is brewed because the day after this booze-up (lost count at seven) the Hoppmeister walked away from the scene unscathed – right back up to the pump for a repeat performance.