15 of the best British beers to sip and savour any time of year

We love the fact that this family-run Yorkshire brewery uses water from the Yorkshire Dales, and this gorgeous ale, made with aromatic Goldings hops, is absolutely divine – and it’s worth nothing the brewery recently bagged 12 medals at the World Beer Awards. This golden ale, available to buy direct from the brewery’s website or from high street supermarkets, is wonderfully drinkable and packed with fabulous flavours – there’s a hint of fruitiness alongside biscuity notes which make this a brilliant beer for autumn and winter. We recommend taking Black Sheep’s brewers’ advice and pairing with a Sunday roast.

There’s always something cool happening at Twickenham Brewery, where one of the most recent offerings was a honey-flavoured beer borne from a collaboration with Kew Gardens. But it’s the Naked Ladies ale which had us at hello – a hop-tastic bottle of fabulousness which is both mellow and full of flavour. Bonus points for the packaging too – the image depicts statues which stand in the centre of Twickenham. And don’t just take our word that it’s one of the best – it’s previously bagged the CAMRA Champion Beer of London award.

This gorgeous ale, in a can with a label which reminds us of a Salvador Dali painting, was an instant hit. We were initially weary at the mention of watermelon, but somehow the size of the hit is perfect – a delicate nod to the fruit rather than a full-on whack. And it’s the real deal – good old fashioned watermelon juice, rather than artificial flavouring. In short, it’s a fantastic ale which – unusually for an ale – has a depth which makes it a brilliant option for any time of year.

This beer, sold by a range of supermarkets is wonderfully aromatic, which is largely due to the fact it’s double dry-hopped (this is when hops are added late in the brewing process in order to ramp up aromas). We also loved its gorgeous golden hue – not something which affects the taste, admittedly, but we love a beer which doesn’t just taste good, but looks good, too. The bold flavour profile is anchored by notes of citrus, with a fabulously spicy warmth which makes this perfect for autumn and winter. Head brewer Dan Gooderham’s top tip? Pair it with something spicy. “Many Asian dishes balance heat with acidity, and the bitterness of Adnams Double Ghost IPA cuts through the spice, while its mango flavours complement the acidity,” says Dan.

Hazy IPAs are also known as New England IPAs, and are known for their low bitterness and full-on aromas. Double Barrelled’s Kitchen Disco, which you can pick up at Waitrose or buy direct from the brewery, is without a doubt one of the most delicious hazy IPAs we’ve come across – we’re not huge fans of fruitiness in IPAs but the Kitchen Disco changed our minds, thanks to its precision-engineered combination of peach, pineapple and passionfruit notes. The best bit? Notes such as these often feel forced, but this isn’t the case with the Kitchen Disco, thanks partly to the use of El Dorado hops, known for their subtle pineapple aroma.

Gone are the days when gluten-free beers were overpriced and overly sweet – and this gorgeous IPA is a case in point. A quick note about this particular beer, which is brewed with glutenous cereal. However, the addition of an enzyme (known as Brewers Clarex) during the conditioning of the beer, denatures the gluten without affecting the taste. And that taste is outstanding – a drinkable, hoppy concoction livened up with hints of grapefruit and tropical fruits, and the perfect partner for spicy dishes (Purity’s brewers recommend coconut & red lentil dahl). We’d also like to flag that we were seriously impressed with Purity’s Point Five pale ale, a low alcohol (just 0.5 per cent) tipple with delicious notes of peach and citrus.

You’ve probably heard of Perth-based Innis and Gunn – you’ll find its beers in most high street supermarkets and it’s a brewery known for its innovation and a love of cask-ageing. We were somewhat weary when we read about its full-bodied flavour – don’t get us wrong, we love a beer which packs a punch, but often these beers can be overpowering. Luckily, this wasn’t the case with this fantastic lager, which relies on Naked Golden oats for an ultra-smooth finish. The balance of hoppiness and citrus notes is also spot on, and make this one of the most drinkable lagers we’ve come across – and one which, according to Innis and Gunn’s head brewer Dougal Sharp, is the perfect accompaniment to fish and chips.

We’ve flagged this beer’s higher ABV but in an era when stronger beers have become more popular, it’s only slightly above average. It’s definitely full-bodied and aromatic but still perfectly balanced – we were sceptical about the mention of floral notes but these pair wonderfully with the tropical aromas, and there’s also a fabulous maltiness which adds bite without being overpowering.

This delicious ale, made by 186-year-old Stockport-based Robinson’s Brewery, packs a serious punch in terms of both alcohol content and flavour profiles, but is deliciously moreish – it’s rich and malty with plenty of dark fruit notes (we also detected notes of liquorice, but perhaps that’s just us) and has a sultry port wine finish which makes it perfect for quaffing during the festive period. It’s also an ale which has racked up an impressive awards haul, including World’s Best Ale, World’s Best Design and Champion Winter Beer of Britain.

Yes, 12.3 per cent is a really, really high alcohol content but while many other beers with similar ABVs are (in our opinion) simply undrinkable, this one is surprisingly moreish. This is partly due to the strength of the flavours going on in this beer – the dark fruit, chocolate and vanilla notes initially came as somewhat of a shock, but it’s a hat trick of flavours which somehow just works. A word of warning – this gorgeous stout is technically a limited edition run, so grab your can of inky-black goodness sooner rather than late.

Sour beers are all the rage at the moment, and we’ll admit this is one of the very few we’ve liked. Actually, make that loved. This is largely due to its unbeatable freshness, more specifically fresh raspberry juice and fresh basil. We’re also huge fans of the can’s design – we reckon it would like great as wallpaper, but perhaps that’s just us.

Signature Brew is a brewery with music at its heart – its London HQ doubles as a music venue and many of the beers are collaborations with bands. Their Low-Fi alcohol-free pale ale is one of the few alcohol-free beers we’ve actually enjoyed drinking. With delicate pine aromas and the citrus aromas courtesy of Simcoe hops, it’s a light, aromatic tipple which will appear to traditional beer lovers as much as it will to those who prefer their beer alcohol-free.

Family-run, Sussex-based Lakedown Brewing Co is a seriously sustainable enterprise – the brewery is solar-powered and the beers are made using local spring water. The brewery’s developed a reputation for easy-going beers which prove you don’t need a high ABV to max out the flavour.  “We only brew the beer styles we like to drink ourselves,” says head brewer Rob Johnson. “All our beers are easy drinking and fresh, focusing on mid-to-low ABVs rather than following the trend for really strong beers.” Take Kicking Donkey bitter, which has a heavenly maltiness backed up by gorgeous biscuity notes. This is a bitter with a wonderful lightness – something we’re putting down to the use of Pioneer hops, famous for their grapefruit and herbaceous aromas.

These days, beers are finely tuned works of art which, all too often, are tweaked and perfected a little too enthusiastically. This is why we’re fully in favour of the full-bodied rawness of this unfiltered beer from Camden Town Brewery. On this occasion, the yeast – typically used to reduce the build-up of byproducts of the fermentation process – has been left in, resulting in a beautifully bigger flavour profile which will appeal to purists.