Wold Top Golden Summer & Scarborough Fair IPA

…Or, as perhaps it should be, two hot-weather stunners from the North Yorkshire brewer, Wold Top.

Having rebranded and expanded their range somewhat of late, I’ve been really impressed with recent offerings from Wold Top. There aren’t many breweries in the county that grow their own barley, draw water from their own well, and fire their kettles with gas; luckily the beer that comes out of the fermenting vessels is generally very good indeed.

Scarborough Fair IPA (6%abv) is very much in the ‘English’ IPA mold, and probably all the better for it. There’s still more than enough to satisfy hop-heads, however; sitting on top of a creamy, marmalade-sweet body is a decent fresh-jop aroma; blending the herbal, more earthy note of UK Hops with a zesty wave of bitter-orange pith. The whole package is like boozy orange jelly – sweet, finishing crisp, and with a rising bitterness that hangs around long after the sip.

Coeliacs can rejoice too; it’s certified Gluten-free; which is some achievement given the amount of flavour and body in this beer. Hurrah!

Golden Summer (4.4%) is probably the one that you’d drink most of in this heat; and super-drinkable it is, too. Slightly darker in Amber than I anticipated, the nose is positively sparkling with Lemon and Lime sherbert-y-ness, and again you’ve got a robust, digestive-biscuit malt base to back it up. It’s light, fresh, and really vibrant in flavour.

Both beers are perfect for this heatwave, so if you see them about – don’t miss out. Golden Summer has just been shortlisted for the Sainsbury’s Beer Challenge, so (hopefully) It should be fairly easy to pick up. Right now, I can’t recommend either beer enough to accompany those barbecues I know you’re all enjoying!