CityLife

Lashings of ginger beer

Crown and Kettle

MY summerlong search for alcoholic ginger beers shows no sign of running out of toothsome examples. I am a long-time admirer of the Little Valley organic beers brewed by Dutch master Wim van der Spek up in Cragg Vale above Hebden Bridge, but somehow had missed his Organic Bottle Conditioned Ginger Pale Ale.

I chanced upon it in that beer-savvy supermarket chain Booth’s (though Sainsbury’s, too, is showcasing some fabulous, quirky bottled real ales at the moment).

The Little Valley avoids sweetness, which is a must, and is perhaps a little light on the ginger compared with frontrunner Manchester’s own dear Marble Ginger but it is a zesty, citrussy refresher with the right ginger prickle to it. All Little Valley’s beers are Soil Association approved and this is their first Fairtrade accredited one.

The Crown and Kettle, Ancoats, Stalybridge Station Buffet and Whalley Range’s Hillary Step are pubs/bars that regularly stock Little Valley’s Range (littlevalleybrewery.co.uk, a case of 12 x 50cl bottles costs £29.95 inc p&p).