Gold (Bristol Beer Factory)

I am pretty sure making a bottled golden summer ale must be the hardest way to stand out as a brewery. But those new kids on the block at Bristol Beer Factory have tried to do exactly that with Gold.

Pops open and pours an unsurprising gold with a beautiful laced white foam head. Perfectly carbonated. The nose is delicate enough, not raw hopping but a very measured dose of citrus and fresh lemon.

The malt opens with a rather unexpected big biscuit crunch mixed with the rich malt. Too many golden ales have almost non descriptive malt flavours, this sets it's stall out early on with one big one. What swiftly follows is a full mouth flavour of hops, like the aroma big on citrus and lemon, but with a delicious smooth creaminess long into the finish. I had first thought this had all the hallmarks of the rather unique Sorrachi Ace hop, but instead found out from the bottle it's the underrated English hop Pioneer.

9/10 Superbly unique, a golden ale to savour.

Currently only available in selected local Waitrose stores in the Bristol area, but if you can find it, make sure to try it.