Guest Blog #4 - Graeme Hilton on Autumn 52wbc

When Richard asked if anyone would like to review the 52 week beer club case I jumped at the chance to get some free beer! As Cooking Lager so eloquently put it: "Free beer is, I have decided, one of my favourite things in life. [...] People that send you free beer are clearly among the finest examples of humanity on the planet. If there is a heaven, they have their place, secured by the happiness they have created."

Having already sampled a few of these beers before, I was keen to try and capture their flavours on paper. I've divided the Autumn case into three instalments and the first includes the four hoppiest, lightest beers. Hopefully we'll have at least a couple of sunny days to enjoy these!

1. Saltaire Cascade
Cascade by name, cascade by nature. This pale golden ale is bursting with fresh zesty flavours. Best drunk slightly chilled - say 20 minutes in the fridge. The citrus freshness is nicely backed up by a slight sweetness from the malt. And at 4.8% it's a beer you could drink several of in a night!

2.Williams Bros Good Times
I don't know where to start on this beer. Pour carefully and then take a long deep sniff at the glass. Now, do the same again. I know! Good isn't it! The meadowsweet and elderflowers really come through on the nose, but not so much on the palate where the freshness of the hops dominates. There are also oats in this beer which give it a slightly silky mouth feel. Dangerously drinkable.

3. Thornbridge Jaipur
This modern classic starts with a sweetness that fills the mouth, but it swiftly gives way to tropical fruits and then a huge,almost overpowering bitterness which washes through the sweetness. It's difficult to emphasise just how well balanced this IPA is. The huge bitterness might be too much if it wasn't tamed by the juicy tropical fruits. Truly excellent.

4. Brewdog Punk IPA
Apparently based on the same recipe as the Thornbridge Jaipur this 6.0% IPA takes it up a notch. Bursting with huge tropical fruits and a decent backbone of malt this is a beer I keep coming back to. One thing, and as with all highly hopped beers,I would drink this young, and often.

Thanks Graeme! we'll have more of Graeme's thoughts on the current case soon.

You can sign up to the 52 Week Beer club here. This selection is also available as an individual mixed case here.