The 22nd Beer - Classic by Hepworth.

 The weather for the last 24 hours has been horrific we are quite a long way south in the country and the tiles on the roof of Corner Cottage rattled last night causing one or two scary moments overnight. However, all is well and no damage was done.The weather today has been properly wintry and that had me craving something Old fashioned and comforting. This is where Classic Old Ale comes in. This is not a madly strong winter ale or anything like that but it definitely hits the spot. Hepworth are based in Sussex and have great environmental credentials using the likes of heat pumps to cut down their carbon footprint.

So to the beer: It is a dark brown and invites the drinker in with dark caramel notes on the nose. Malty on the palate with clear sweetness, this is the beer to drink in front of the fire whilst telling stories about the last time you got snowed in. There is a lovely bitter finish (from the Admiral Hops). This beer is perfect for those of us who grew up drinking real ale (when we could find it) and have graduated to the modern beer scene. I really like this. There is a suggestion that it could be mulled - now there's an idea!