10 of the best British craft beers

We run down 10 of the finest craft beers that are coming out of the UK right now.

Northern Monk Lust

Brewer: Northern Monk Brew Co., Leeds.

Type: Saison.

Strength: 6.8%

With a tip of the hat towards monastic brewing techniques, Northern Monk have sought to create a stunning range of beers based on the seven deadly sins. This one, Lust, is infused with strawberry, hibiscus, and rose petals, that all serve to give it a light and fruity nose with just a mild alcoholic taste.

Mad Hatter Club Tropicana

Brewer: Mad Hatter, Liverpool.

Type: Berliner Weisse.

Strength: 5.1%

Liverpool’s Had Hatter have been working away at creating a number of exciting and innovative beers for some time and are now finally getting the recognition they deserve. Club Tropicana is a Berliner Weisse jam packed with tropical fruit flavours and provides an interesting palate.

Salopian’s Darwin’s Origin

Brewer: Salopian Brewery, Shrewsbury.

Type: English ale.

Strength: 4.3%

Originally brewed for the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin back in 1809, but it proved to be so popular that they just carried on. The Origin has a pronounced, spicy hop character, which leads to a refined malt finish and provides an excellent example of how to bring an old beer into the 21st century.

Vocation Brewery’s Pride and Joy

Brewer: Vocation Brewery, West Yorkshire.

Type: Pale ale.

Strength: 4.4%

Classic American Pale Ale’s don’t frequently come from Yorkshire, but Vocation have managed to produce a brew that is pale, crisp and very aromatic which is infused with mango, citrus, earthy pine, tropical fruit and blueberry flavours.

Wil’d Beer Co, Millionaire

Brewer: Wild Beer Co., Westcombe.

Type: Milk stout.

Strength: 4.7%

A milk stout isn’t the most common of brews seen in the pubs and clubs of the UK, but Millionaire manages to turn the flavours of a millionaire’s cake into a perfectly drinkable ale. Creamy and delicate on the palate, the finish leaves dark chocolate notes on the tongue with hints of salted caramel.

Good King Henry

Brewer: Old Chimneys Brewery, Norfolk.

Type: Imperial stout.

Strength: 9.6%

A versatile Imperial Stout which can range from roast malt, cocoa, caramel, fudge, treacle, coffee and much more. A frequent medal winner at beer festivals, it is finally getting the recognition it deserves after enjoying a strong cult status for so long.

Undercurrent

Brewer: Siren, Wokingham.

Type: Pale ale.

Strength: 4.5%

Loads of spicy, grassy aromas and a taste of grapefruit and apricot entwine themselves with bold, bready and nutty malt whirl that leaves an aftertaste of spicy, citrus and floral hops. Truly refreshing and perfectly executed.

Mills & Hills Imperial Stout

Brewer: Fyne Ales, Argyll, Scotland.

Type: Imperial stout.

Strength: 9.5%

Though the company may be based north of the border in Scotland, the stout was made in conjunction with a brewery over in the Netherlands. Pitch dark in colour with a slightly rustic head, it has prunes and dark fruitcake with a smooth treacle like taste and a lasting warm bitter finish.

The Kernal

Brewer: Kernel Brewery, London.

Type: Pale ale.

Strength: 3.3%

A beer that is already popular in the watering holes of east London. This low alcohol brew proves that there doesn’t need to be a big ABV presence in order to make a quality product. Smelling like a flowergarden, it has plenty of citrus and zest on the tongue.

Buxton Brewery’s Axe Edge

Brewer: Buxton Brewery, Derbyshire.

Type: IPA

Strength: 6.8%

Mandarin orange, schnapps, pineapple, and juicy tropical fruits all combine to create a truly unique beer for one of the hotbeds of the UK’s brewery industry.