Cheerful beers for warm spring days

Can you smell it? Freshly cut grass, a whiff of warmth in the air from the sunshine (that’s often mixed with a few showers this month) and, above all, the promise of warmer days to come – a sense of triumph that we’ve emerged from the first quarter of the year unscathed. With these little victories in mind – and the fact that Britain’s national drink is one that’s often used for celebrations – there’s one beer that epitomises good vibes for me this year.

Good Lager (4.5% ABV) is a top-class beer from Kelly and Bob, founders of Good Chemistry in Bristol. British craft lagers do not stray far from the norm – a straw-coloured pour with the usual malty breadiness, clean, crisp and moderately bitter – but Good Lager is not the norm. It’s a Vienna lager, meaning that – true to the beer style – this little fella comes with an added extra: a cheeky hint of honey-like sweetness with every mouthful. On examination of the stats on the groovy can, there’s a 30 per cent sweetness, balanced by 28 per cent bitterness. That delicate ratio, alongside the creaminess of the beer (and it being gluten-free), makes Good Lager one that would sit perfectly alongside your Easter lunch, especially if you’re serving roast pork or chicken. Being a vegan beer, it would also pair well with a roasted root veg or aubergine bake with a lemon, herb and apple sauce. And, when it comes to sustainability, the brewery has challenged itself and triumphed. Good Lager has achieved a 60 per cent reduction of the embodied energy of the beer by changing its production processes, using British malts, switching the strain of yeast used for fermenting, and using recyclable packaging. There’s so much to enjoy!