East Green … no it’s not a new BBC soap opera, although, yes, it ought to be a cross between Paddington Green and Eastenders – perish the thought!

No, it’s a delightful new “carbon neutral” beer from Suffolk brewers Adnams’. I’ve known about it for some weeks, and yesterday Noreen managed to buy me a couple of bottles in Waitrose. I know I’m an Adnams fan, but even so this has to be one of the best handful of beers I’ve ever had!

In the words of the bottle: “light golden beer [..] subtle citrus and grassy hop aromas […] a dry and refreshing beer with well balanced bitterness.” Yep that’s spot on. It is light, golden and pleasantly hoppy; just the right touch of bitterness for me (ie. not too much). For those who know their beer it is a cross between Adnams’ Bitter and Shepherd Neame’s “Whitstable Bay”.

Here’s what Adnams’ website says about East Green:!

East Green is a pale blonde beer that began life as an effort to produce an environmentally responsible beer that had flavour and integrity in equal balance. We wanted to design a beer that uses a minimum amount of energy without compromising on quality. We use 100% Maris Otter pale ale malted barley which is grown and malted in East Anglia, we also use Boadicea hops, which are grown in Suffolk’s only commercial hop yard. We chose Boadicea as not only is it available locally but it is also an aphid resistant hop. Aphids, as anyone who has a hop plant growing in their garden will know, love hops, and so aphicides are sprayed during the season to rid the plant of aphids. Boadicea is naturally resistant to aphids and so this cuts down on the amount of pesticides that have to be used. All that aside, I also think it is a great hop. It has a fantastic grassy lemon quality that works so well with this beer. We use the hops at 3 stages during the brewing process in order to maximise the flavour we get from it.

Yep, that’s one stunning beer. Well done Adnams’ Master Brewer. Just keep brewing it please boys!