Brewery: Hornbeam Brewery
Location: Denton, Manchester
Style: Golden Ale
ABV: 3.8%
Version: Draught
Source: The Angel, Manchester

Top Notch Bank Holiday Weekend beer #2 was a delicious pint of Villain from the Hornbeam Brewery in nearby Denton. This one was on tap at The Angel when Jo and I headed up there on Saturday evening and as I was lining up the first of the night I thought I’d give it a go.

I was very glad indeed that I did. A light, golden colour with a creamy white head, Hornbeam Villain was hugely refreshing, with a zingy, slightly floral, hop-fuelled citrus hit up front and a long, long dry finish. Best of all though was the fantastic, silky mouth-feel, which helped it down a treat, and at 3.8% it’s a great session strength.Jo was impressed as well, as was a couple from Blackburn a couple of tables away who’d been out on a session since lunchtime and happily declared this the best pint of the day.

Come to think of it, Villain reminded me quite strongly of Boddington’s bitter; specifically the cask version of Boddington’s that I’d occasionally encounter back when I was a student (so we’re going back 18+ years now) and a particularly good batch made it up the road from Strangeways Brewery (dead and gone) to The Griffin (likewise long since demolished) on Lower Broughton Road. Happy memories.

Anyhow, there’s no mention of this one on the Hornbeam website yet, so I have no idea if it’s a seasonal or a permanent addition to the range, but I’ll happily have another one if it’s on again next time I’m in The Angel. Or anywhere else.

(Excellent Bank Holiday Beer #3, if anyone is actually keeping count, was firm favourite Howard Town Dark Peak, which I decided to move on to a bit later in the evening, it being a 6.4% dark rum porter and all…)

I know I’m nowhere near the first beer blogger to suggest this (not by a long chalk), but fantastic as it is to sip and savour a huge, dry-roasted imperial stout or a gob-smacking, palate-shrivelling double-IPA, sometimes there’s nothing like a few good session bitters to see you through a pleasant evening (or two) of pleasant company down the pub.

A couple of weekends ago I was lucky enough to enjoy not one but two classic cases. On the Friday night I went out for a few jars and a chin-wag with my mate Andy. We started off down the Knott Bar, where I sampled a Titanic Port & Starboard (a 4.2% deep red-coloured ale with a rich malty main-flavour and a hoppy after-taste), followed by an Acorn Barnsley Bitter (3.8%, light, dry and hoppy). After that we wandered off to the Rising Sun, where we had a Leeds Best Bitter (4.3%, perfectly pleasant if not hugely remarkable) and then we nipped in for one more at the City Arms, where I had a Batemans G.H.A. Pale (another 4.2% hoppy and drinkable if not exactly amazing beer).

End result: after a couple of hours of chat and four pints each, we decided to call it a night. Personally I was feeling fine and dandy and nowhere near the worse for wear in the morning despite the 8-unit-or-so (technical) binge drinking session I’d indulged in the night before. So on Saturday I had no problem whatsoever heading out with Jo for date night at The Angel. The place is under new management and they’ve recently opened an upstairs dining room, which is where we sat to enjoy a particularly fine meal (red grouse for me and baked gurnard for Jo, both of which were delicious and are highly recommendable), accompanied by a couple more session bitters.

First up was Williams Bros Fraoch Heather Ale, which I’d only encountered in bottles before (a few years ago) and which turned out to be very good indeed on draught. Quite malty and slightly sweet, with a pleasant, light bitterness on the after-taste, it went down very easily indeed. Jo liked it so much she stuck with it for the rest of the evening, but I’d spotted a couple of others I wanted to try, so I switched to Redemption Urban Dusk, from a relatively new addition to the London brewery scene. This one was a 3.8%ABV dark bitter with a strong burnt-sugar flavour and plenty of malt. A very tasty dark beer that I wouldn’t mind trying again some time.

After that, I decided I was in the mood for something a bit more experimental, so I opted for a half of Hornbeam Lemon Blossom, a 3.7% pale ale that promised lemony freshness and turned out to taste like mildly alcoholic lemon curd; there was lemon zest in there, definitely, but the whole thing was carried along on a slightly stilton tang. Not entirely unpleasant, but not one I’d rush back to, either. And then I’m afraid I fell off the session wagon, because I’d spotted the big, boozy (6.6% ABV) Wensleydale Porter on draught at the very start of the evening and I’d been itching to try it ever since. Delicious it was, too: a big whack of roasty malt flavours, shot through with blackcurrant and fruitcake, with a nicely dry finish by way of contrast. A pint and a half of that one (Jo had the other half, having been tempted herself) and we called it a damn good night.