Anspach & Hobday

Ansbacher 2024 (5% ABV, can)
Golden with a white head, this lager is well carbonated. There’s a delicate, grassy, slightly spicy hop aroma. Easy drinking with a great body, this is well balanced, with sponge cake/biscuit sweetness from the malt, and light lemon citrus from the hops. A cracker.
(23rd July, 2024)

Ansbacher 2025 (5.8% ABV, can)
Stronger than last year’s version, here’s a hearty German-style brew that really delivers in Oktoberfest season. White golden with a voluminous white head, it has a fresh, herbal, and spicy aroma. On the palate, light biscuit malt balances lemon citrus and a herbal, slightly minty note. Refreshing and moreish.
(25th October, 2025)

Hop Pickers’ Harvest (4% ABV, can)
Hazy gold with a strong white head, there is, appropriately enough for a green hop beer, a very strong fresh hop aroma, spicy and slightly tart. On the palate, it’s zingy, herbal, spicy, with a hint of lemon citrus — very drinkable. One really gets a sense of the wetness of freshly-picked hops, all underpinned by light malt. A lovely glassful.
(25th October, 2025)

The IPA (6% ABV, can)
Slightly hazy gold with a white head, this offers fresh tropical and citrus hops on the nose, along with a sense of good malt balance. Pineapple, stonefruit, and orange pith charge in. The hops sing, but there’s decent balance — a light golden sugar note. Splendid!
(20th July, 2024)

London Black (4.4% ABV, can)
Black with just the faintest hint of red, this Guinness challenger has, of course, a creamy off-white head that stays well. There’s a very inviting roasty aroma and a beautiful body. Notes of dark chocolate and espresso coffee lead to a gentle bitter finish that leaves one wanting more.
(24th July, 2024)

The Pineapple Gose (4.2% ABV, can)
What a delightful, delicate brew. I don’t consider myself an aficionado of the gose style, but this is a beautifully balanced, subtle brew, with the unmistakable aroma and taste of the titular fruit. A Goldilocks gose, indeed: neither too tart nor too salty. Light and easy drinking, and refreshing. Just right.
(29th October, 2025)

Rauchbier (5.5% ABV)
Amber/red with a beige head, this offers sweet smokiness on the nose. And it’s everything a rauchbier should be: smokey with burnt toffee notes, and slightly savoury. Perfect for fireworks night!
(5th November, 2025)