Day 136, Beer 136 - St. Ives Brewery's 'Boilers'

Today's Beer

Name – Boilers

Brewer – St. Ives

Classification – Golden ale

Strength – 4.0% ABV

Verdict - At A Glance

On the eye – Rich, deep and vibrant orange gold.

On the nose – Subtle tree fruit and popcorn.

On the tongue – A rarefied, elegant beer with some delightful citrus and a stunning bitter dryness.

On the subject – With the same entrepreneurial gusto that fuels the creation of so many micro-breweries these days, former licensee Marco Amura decided to ditch the pub and go it alone and is now producing his own beers with the temporary assistance of Wooden Hand Brewery in Truro. There's little doubt in my mind that if enough people discover this beer, it won't be long before he's got a mighty brewhouse all of his own.

On the market – Still only six months old, the reach of this brand is still essentially limited to Cornwall, meaning that Cornish beer lovers get to roll around in a state of permanent ecstasy, whilst the rest of us are forced into buying online.

On the whole – 8.5/10

Full Review

To discover an entirely new brewery is always exciting.

But to discover an entirely new brewery which is producing properly excellent beer is quite something else.

Having spotted a selection of these bottles purely by chance during a recent trip to St. Ives, I quickly telephoned my bank manager and pitched him the idea of my purchasing some. After several hours of heated negotiation, he agreed that I could buy a fifty percent stake in one bottle, with the remaining fifty to be paid back to him via quarterly instalments over the next five years.

I was thrilled to be given the chance, even though I did feel that the final settlement figure of seventy-eight pounds and sixty-seven pence was a little extreme for a single jar of ale.

However, having since opened it and drunk its contents – I think I got myself a genuine bargain

This is a gloriously bitter, dry, citrus-intense beer, with a slick smoothness of body, and a captivating orange zest and wildgrass finish.

There's an understated elegance and composure, a sort of casually aristocratic feel to the drink, the balance is superb, and the overall 'build' is impressively precise.

For a début offering, this is a massively precocious display.

Punchy, immediate, and engaging to the very last drop, its considerable impact is all the more remarkable when you remind yourself this is a relatively low strength beer. At 4.0 % ABV, this is entirely sessionable stuff, and that's just the best kind of reminder to receive when you're reaching the bottom of the glass. If only I'd struck a better deal with the bank, I might have gone on to have one of the best evenings of my life.

I have been blown away by this Cornish golden ale, it's been a real find, and I'd recommended this brewery as one you should rapidly be turning your attention to.

Some beers instantly reveal the promise of their creators.

This beer tells me that Marco Amura is going places.