Drinking England

Nottingham Beer Festival 2012: over one thousand beers by over three hundred breweries. An afternoon session. Third-pint measures. A plan.

Drink my way from the north-east to the south-west of England.

How hard can it be?

Northumberland: Anarchy Sublime Chaos, 7.0%  Soft coffee, liquorice twang, silky finish

Durham: Sonnet 43 IPA, 4.4%  Citric kick, punches higher than weight

North Yorkshire: North Riding Man In Tights, 4.0%  Pale, hoppy, that's about it really

West Yorkshire: Mallinsons The Five Hundred, 3.9%  Like most Mallinsons beers: pale gorgeousness

South Yorkshire:  Sheffield Festival IPA, 5.2%  Warm glue, tacky citric, chucked it

Derbyshire: Thornbridge Evenlode, 6.2%  Hedgerows and toffees and roasty cocoa

Staffordshire: Morton Jelly Roll, 4.2%  Orange nose, dry sweetness, massively under-rated

Warwickshire: Tunnel Trade Winds  Not the Cairngorm one. Bugger. Tasteless

Gloucestershire: Cotswold Lion Shepherd's Delight, 3.9%  Dull. Really, really, ball-achingly dull

Somerset: Ordnance City Mark II, 4.0%  Anonymous with a hint of twigs

Devon: Tavy Best Bitter, 4.3%  Achieves what best bitter should: balance

Cornwall: Rebel Managh Monk, 5.2%  Cloves, spice, hops? Tastes like... victory