Porthleven, Skinner's Brewery

Skinner’s Porthleven (4.8%)

Skinner’s Brewery was founded in Truro, Cornwall, in 1997 by Steve Skinner who moved there from Jersey, where he’d run the Tipsy Toad brewpub. Skinner’s is now a major force in West Country brewing and its Betty Stogs beer in cask and bottle is a leading brand beyond the region. The company moved to bigger premises in 2003 and now has a 25-barrel plant with a weekly production capacity of 375 barrels. A brewery shop and visitor centre has been added (www.skinnersbrewery.com).

Porthleven is a golden ale named after the fishing town and harbour that’s the most southerly port in Great Britain. It’s now famous as a surfing centre. The beer is brewed with three varieties of malting barley – Tipple, Propino and Westminster – that are grown on three farms within a six mile radius of the brewery. The hops are two American varieties, Citra and Mount Hood, with English Northdown.

It’s a highly complex beer with an aroma of rose petals, creamy honey, lemon drops and citrus fruit, with tangy hops resins. Tart and bitter hops burst across the tongue with citrus and floral notes and rich juicy malt. The long finish offers intensely bitter hops with continuing notes of lemon/citrus, toasted malt and creamy honey.

Porthleven is available in 34 Tesco stores in South-west England at £1.98 a bottle. It’s also on sale in many independent grocers, restaurants and cafes and online from Beers of Europe (www.beersofeurope.co.uk).