BIG JOB

Warrington Guardian:

This is my favourite beer by some distance.

It is brewed by the family owned and run St Austell Brewery in Cornwall and it's a beer that lives up to its name.

Absolutely everything about it is big – massive American hop bitterness, dry as a bone, huge citrus aroma and 7.2 per cent alcohol by volume in this magnificent double IPA.

There's nothing subtle about Big Job and for that we should all be grateful.

It is the big brother of the former CAMRA bottled beer of the year Proper Job – which could lay claim to be the first American-style IPA to be introduced to the UK.

I'm just glad St Austell isn't a 'trendy' brewery so it can still be my little secret.

DEAD PONY CLUB

Warrington Guardian:

I am a fan of the new wave of US-inspired craft beers – and no, I'm not a hipster – and in the vanguard of the beer revolution is Scottish brewery Brewdog.

I could have stuck a pin in Brewdog's catalogue of great beers and come up with a favourite (including the flagship Punk IPA) but I've gone for Dead Pony Club simply because its alcohol content is that little bit lower at 3.8 per cent ABV making it a more accessible session beer.

ESTRELLA GALICIA

Warrington Guardian:

There's a time and a place for everything and in my humble opinion summer holidays on a hot Spanish beach call for a cold Spanish beer.

San Miguel used to be my beer of choice when on the Costas but that was supplanted by Barcelona's Estrella Damm or even the odd Mahou or Alhambra.

That was until I stumbled across Estrella Galicia. It just seems to have more about it. Deeper flavour, sharper taste, more hops.

But be warned, you can buy Estrella Galicia in the UK but it is a weaker version of the 5.5 ABV Galician original.

CHIMAY BLUE

Warrington Guardian:

Oh those Belgium Trappist monks. All that time on their hands to pray and make world class beer.

Chimay blue was the very first 'different' beer I ever tasted when I was on holiday in France more years ago than I care to remember.

It is dark, powerful, complex and packs a significant punch at nine per cent ABV. Unusually for a beer, it can actually improve with age.

Chimay is not to be taken lightly but you can give yourself a pat on the back for drinking it as most of the income generated from brewing by the monks is devoted to the needs of the community and social works.

PROPER BLACK

Warrington Guardian:

We're off down to Cornwall again, back to the St Austell Brewery.

Proper Black is a contradiction in terms – a black IPA.

It was a small-batch festival brew until earlier this year when Tesco signed an exclusive deal to take it national (you can't even buy it in St Austell's own pubs in Cornwall. I know because I've tried).

It's very dark, very complex and hoppy as you would expect from an IPA.

With six per cent ABV, it needs treating with the respect it deserves and despite the fact it has only been out and about since the summer of 2016, it has already found a place in my affections.