What’s that? Goodens Gold? Oh, I thought you said Goolden’s Gold.

Flower Pots Goodens Gold (500ml bottle, 4.8% ABV)

This one tastes of dragonfruit, peppered venison and August evenings in the last rays of the Tuscan sun, with an aroma of crushed Twiglets and a finish reminiscent of Croatia’s entry for the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest.

What’s that? Goodens Gold? Oh, I thought you said Goolden’s Gold.

Ahem.

Providing tasting notes for beer is a bit of a tightrope. Describe it as tasting like ‘beer’ or ‘a balance of malt and hops’ and you’ve given the reader nothing; launch into a stream of exotic flavours and flowery adjectives and you sound … eccentric, to say the least.

This multi-award-winning beer pours a dark gold with very little head, as if it’s come straight from a hand-pump. Honey and sweet malt aromas greet the nose. The flavours are of biscuity malt with a hint of caramel, and there’s a notable spiciness to the hops which settles nicely on the palate as you continue drinking.

The amount of fizz is moderate, very much in the English style, and the finish is peppery and long.

British bitters and pale ales have become a bit unfashionable in recent years, due in part to the proliferation of bland, mass-produced supermarket beers. Not this one, though; this is the real deal.

And not a hint of burnt rubber or dodo’s phlegm.

Written by Richard Salsbury