Kelham Island Harvest Gold

Cask (handpull) Babington Arms (JDW) Derby. Having just finished a hearty breakfast, my laptop is still downloading upadtes courtesy of the Spoon’s free wifi so it’s only fair that I swing by here and rate a beer or three in the meantime, There seems to be a real desire in the North Midlands / South Yorkshire to brew wet hopped beers so it’s good to see the return of Harvest Gold. There’s certainly a clean, fresh hop feel to it, a sprinkle of watery fruits leaking from underneath the solid collar. The first mouthful runs a smooth segue from lush hop into subtle, sustained malt wash. Subsequent gulps see the hops more to the fore but there’s still an enviable balance. The only problem with a beer this fresh is the context - I need to be in a beer garden, overlooking a babbling brook or under the shade of an oak as the leaves turn in the autumnal sun. Instead, I’m in the back of a converted furniture store with the clickity-clack of breakfasters all around. Still, a damn fine beer and the best wet hopper I’ve smapled this season.

Hand pulled at the Wellington, Birmingham. Great balanced Golden beer. Strong St Clements fruit, with a good clean transition into hops through the finish. Silky and smooth.