Wild Beer Millionaire, Wild Beer Co

Wild Beer Millionaire, 4.7%

Wild Beer is based in Somerset and is surrounded by orchards, which is why it has achieved fame for its spontaneously-fermented beers, using wild yeasts in the atmosphere. Millionaire, however, is made with a conventional English brewers’ yeast culture but the finished beer is highly complex as you would expect from this brewery.

It’s a stout brewed not only with roasted grains and Magnum hops but with the addition of lactose, caramel, cacao nibs and sea salt. Lactose, also known as milk sugar, is a bi-product of cheese making. It can’t be fermented by conventional yeast and as a result gives a creamy texture to the beer. Remember Mackeson?

The beer has a complex nose with salt to the fore, with chocolate notes, rich caramel, velvety malt and spicy hops. Creamy malt dominates the palate but is balanced by delicious chocolate and caramel with a crunch of salt and floral hops. The finish is sweet but not cloying, with velvety malt, and continuing notes of chocolate and caramel, a touch of salt and gentle hop bitterness.

A gorgeous beer, like being wrapped in a warm blanket in front of the fire.

www.wildbeerco.com 24 330ml cans £45, 12 cans £25, six cans £13. Branches of Waitrose, £2.50 bottle. Wyvale garden centres.