I need a drink! Doom Bar

Here’s a new feature for you to get excited about, you rascals! It’s not a regular feature like the Sunday Reviews, but if I’m lucky I’ll get to update it quite often. The premise is very simple: if I come across a drink (invariably alcoholic) that I like, I’ll put it under this heading. After a while it should turn into a veritable database of good drinks – and the world will always need those. To get the ball rolling here’s a great beer from the Sharp’s Brewery in Cornwall: Doom Bar.

Before I start I have to mention here, I discovered this beer when I was staying at Sally’s house. Thus, you might as well say (sigh) that if it weren’t for her, I would never have known it existed. Shit, she may as well have brewed it herself.

Anyway! There’s a pub in her little hamlet (actually; there are three, a fact which is astonishing when you consider that there are only actually seven people who live there) called ‘The Bell’ which is the perfect cross between friendly local and country pub, with reasonable prices to boot. As a pub, I recommend it heartily, although my enjoyment of it stems mostly from the fact that whenever I’m there it feels like I’m on holiday. Either way, regardless of how much you like the place, the one thing you can’t knock is their local ale (actually not that local, as Sally lives in Somerset) which is the aforementioned Doom Bar bitter.

The way I approach English ales is much the same way as I approach wine: I know a bit, but not a lot – I’m not a connoisseur, but I have good instincts. To me, it’s about the name of the beer, and what the logo on the tap looks like. For instance, if the logo is some amazing piece of work which was clearly expensive, then it puts me off – it doesn’t come off like a small-time producer churning out barrels that have care and attention to them. Similarly, if it just looks shit, it’s hardly appetising. The name is the most important thing though, and I’m not going to drink a pint called ‘Monkey’s Armpit’ or something like that. No, I prefer something more enigmatic – something that catches the eye – and ‘Doom Bar’ certainly does that.

All this aside, the only factor which really matters with a drink is how it tastes – I’m the first to admit I’ve got it wrong before, and some of the nicest ales I’ve had have had awful names and boring logos – such is life, I suppose. Doom Bar tastes very, very nice. It’s 4% so it doesn’t get you too intoxicated, which is a good thing because it’s a very more-ish beer. It’s one of those sneaky ones with subtle flavours that makes it very easy to drink, and lingers behind just long enough to make you want another. According to the online profile, it’s been up for a few awards in recent years, and this doesn’t surprise me.

The bad news: I’ve only seen this in the south-west of England. I have no doubt some supermarkets around the country will sell it bottled, but I’m yet to find one. And, as I live in Gloucestershire these days, I’d say that getting this on tap anywhere further away from Cornwall than Somerset is unlikely. But that’s one of the things I love about ale in England – each county has its own treasures, which means you keep on tasting new beers all the time.

If you find yourself somewhere in the South-West and come across this beer, have a pint – it’s great.