Old Dairy Brewery - Fresh Hop

It is my ingrained sense of local pride that lead me to The Offy in Whitstable, an off license that has a corner devoted to local beers, there were representatives from Ramsgate and Maidstone, Canterbury, Faversham and Whitstable itself. After a lengthy conversation with an ale loving veteran who I managed to discourage from buying Canterbury Jack, I settled on Gadd's Dog Bolter and the subject of this review, Rolvenden's own Old Dairy Brewery and their green hopped ale. I have had Old Dairy before and I've always been impressed with their standard if never completely wowed by them (it takes a lot to wow me nowadays,) but it is still obvious to me that they are more than competent of consistently making a high standard of beer.

Fresh Hop, as it suggests, uses fresh hops and, after talking with, who I assumed was, the owner of The Offy, is entirely seasonal. Apparently they only get this beer in for a couple of weeks of the year before it's gone again, so I am both happy and sad I got it. I'm happy because I love the exclusivity of it but if I really like it then I won't be able to get it again until next year. Upon pouring the pint and reading the bottle I was already half of the way to being swayed towards Fresh Hop, it's unpasteurised on top of being fresh and it pours a frisky, cloudy, light brown beer that looks a whole lot like wheat beer.

Now, I don't know if it's just me but I've noticed that one or two of the old dairy repertoire, including this one, have very smooth, fatty, milky qualities to the texture which are both endearing and intensely satisfying. The fact that the beer looks a little milky can't be a coincidence surely?

What you get, when you finally stop analysing and start drinking, is a smooth, milky, body and biscuit sweetness followed by a slightly bitter finish. Old Dairy Brewery are in a talent pool of Kentish brewers that include the likes of Hopdaemon, Whistable Brewery, Gadd's and Goachers, which makes competition tough because they are all well accomplished brewers but if Old Dairy Brewery keep making stuff like this then they well soon get the national recognition they deserve. I, for one, recognise this as a bloody lovely pint that I would quite happily whittle away an evening with. It just sucks that I have to wait a year to have another.

Food Suggestion: I like the idea of something sharp with this, some sort of fresh lemon cookies or some pancakes with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar.

Drink this if you like: This really reminds me of the delicious Helles style beers I had in Munich, it's the freshness with a little bite that really makes it sing. If you like a GOOD Czech Pilsner then I reckon you'll like this.