Simple Things Fermentations Brett Spruce 80/-

Starting life as a clean, toffee-rich Scottish Export, this exceptional beer is first infused with fresh locally foraged spruce tips and then introduced to our house culture of wild yeast and bacteria, before being allowed to rest and mature for a couple of years.

Deep copper in colour with an off-white head, the initial aroma is of cola syrup with a distinct fruity tang as the caramel-biscuit base meets citrus notes from the spruce. After the initial couple of sips the woodsy, pine-forest character comes properly to the fore along with sweet caramel malt that reminds us where the journey began. Soft and smooth with tingly bitterness and a long, clean finish; this is as deliciously complex and unexpected as you’d expect.