English Heart: Elmtree Beer

I thought I'd use our rather patriotic coverage during English Wine Week to tell you about a lovely English gent called Allan who makes beer with real passion, and then goes around the country visiting food and drink festivals to tell everyone how brilliant they are.

Ok, so we've done a fair bit on English beer and cider producers. So far we've mentioned Piddle and Brothers to name a couple. But one English beer producer really has caught my attention: Elmtree. I didn't think I needed another reason to love Norfolk, but lo and behold, I've found one! Operating in the tiny settlement of Snetterton in the gorgeous countryside, Elmtree produce fine stouts, bitters and summer beers. 

They say their range is small, like them. But 6 different brews from a tiny operation isn't bad going at all. I've had the pleasure of tasting a couple when we met Allan at the East England Food and Drink Festival a few Sundays ago.

We'll start off on a lighter note. Elmtree Golden Pale Ale is a true homage to GPA (Golden Pale Ale, Didn't really want to type the whole thing over again. So what? Sue me!). With it's beautiful malts and hints of orange peel, followed by a touch of bitter, it's a real sunny day beer. 

The highlight for me though, is their Dark Horse stout. Now, I've never really been a stout fan until now. I admit, I was a heathen who only drank Guiness on St Patricks day while wearing a funny hat; but this gorgeous brew has given me a whole new thing to think about. It initially has dark, chocolate and coffee notes on the nose followed up by amazing fruitiness and a smooth, satisfying finish. Absolute cracker of a brew! 

Elmtree beers are available for around £3 per bottle online from My Brewery Tap or if you're in the North Norfolk area, I would strongly recommend a visit to The Real Ale Shop. You can even go and visit Elmtree themselves and take part in one of their brewing days.