I'm back to work tomorrow (for one day only), so to ease the blow I'm tucking into "Old Colony" American East Coast pale from @8sailbrewery.bsky.social . I've had this before and am pleased to report it's still fantastic, with the cascade hops doing their thing. #BskyBeer

Banned from B&Q, just for following instructions. Tasted like crap as well.

I've not had the original (despite looking) so can't compare. Real sweetness on the nose with absolute pluminess to taste, both up front and following on. It's a decent and well-balanced beer, but not necessarily one that screams "port infused". From Titanic, "Plum Porter Grand Reserve". #BskyBeer

Well, this is fantastic. From @8sailbrewery.bsky.social , "Smoky Black" porter. Smoke, chocolate, hint of aniseed. Rich and with a thick mouth-feel. A present (with several other beers) from my dad, and a good reminder to support your local breweries! #BskyBeer

*Maple Banger" Imperial Stout from Pohjala. Thick bodied with some sweetness, finishing with woodsmoke. Good stuff. #BskyBeer

Keeping a lid on the units with this alcohol-free Imperial stout from Omnipollo. There is a strong sweetness from lactose, with a peppery finish. It's pretty good to be honest, with a more robust mouth-feel than I was expecting. A pleasant interlude, but one's enough. #BskyBeer

Merry Christmas folks! Started the day strong with Bloody Marys (first one in about 15-20 years); obviously a Buck's Fizz with a fry-up; and then a swift pint of @adnamssouthwold.bsky.social Tally-Ho (7.2%) at The Alma with the added bonus of free ham! Now on the soft drinks for a bit. #BskyBeer

"Cod 'n' Gravy" NEIPA from Pretty Decent. Another fantastic beer for the evening. I'm loving the various hops, they're all playing well together. Unfortunately, Mrs P has lit a smelly candle which is taking the edge off. #BskyBeer

From my special Christmas stash, "Goatfire" from Holy Goat. Sour cherries up front, moving into strawberry and then an almond finish. Absolutely incredible. Merry Christmas, you beautiful buggers x. #BskyBeer

I met up with a friend I've not seen for about 14 years for a spot of lunch, while he's back in the UK. No beers were drunk coz driving, so it's time to tuck into "All Lies and Jest" traditional westie (7%), from Pomona Island. Not sure I've tried them before, but this is top-notch. #BskyBeer

Caramel Crunch: A Melodrama.

Food shopping is being delivered tomorrow, so obviously I need to make room in the fridge. "Rattlesnake" westie from @thornbridge.bsky.social is nicely rounded- and comes with the added bonus of me singing "Rattlesnake Shake" by blues-era Fleetwood Mac to/ at my son. #BskyBeer

I now have a week off, so I'm celebrating with "Pride Pils" from @queerbrewing.bsky.social . The very first beer I had from them was a pilsner collab with Harbour, which blew me away. This is another classic- crisp, a bit of bitterness, and lovely citrus/ green apple stuff going on. #BskyBeer

A beer that looks made for Christmas, with a name to match. "Totem of Skulls" from Holy Goat and Saint Monday. So much going on, but in essence it's a fantastic cherry sour. Goes well with cheese. #BskyBeer

One of my very favourite breweries, @queerbrewing.bsky.social . Every beer is a belter, and "Carabiner" IPA is a hazy delight. Citrus, tropical, and even a hint of blackberries on the tail. I was beyond chuffed to find this in a bottle shop today. #BskyBeer

Thanks for the brewery recommendations yesterday. Alas, neither Beak nor Deya were available 😭. Holy Goat, Queer Brewing, Pohjala, Omnipollo, Pretty Decent, Pomona Island, and Titanic.

The return of a favourite from @thornbridge.bsky.social , "Halcyon" Imperial IPA. Dry, loads of grapefruit and lemon peel. A must for fans of the style. Even Twat Stevens is impressed.

I sold some stuff, and want to spunk the proceeds in my nearest bottle shop. I'm lucky in that I enjoy all styles and ABVs, from Impie stouts to AF lagers; so I'm looking to #BskyBeer buddies to recommend breweries or beers to look for. Quality over quantity. (Gratuitous pic of mediocre beer.)

I'm finally tucking into "Masham Ale- from the Union" (or as I'm calling it, the Masham Mash-up). This is a collaboration I've been waiting for forever, between @thornbridge.bsky.social and Theakston. Unmistakably "Union", wonderfully complex at every stage. Perfect winter beer. #BskyBeer

"Green Mountain AF" from @thornbridge.bsky.social is an absolute cracker. There's never a bad time to have a good AF beer, but at this time of year it's also a great idea to mix up your sessions with a few alcohol-frees. If you're a fan of hazy IPAs, this is an easy choice! #BskyBeer

My second @thornbridge.bsky.social delivery of the month- the subs case with a few extra "Masham Ales" chucked in. Theakston Best Bitter was my go-to pint 37 years ago, so seeing a collab between these two made me very happy. #BskyBeer

Possibly my final of the night, La Chouffe Blonde. A beer that I used to avoid simply because I saw it everywhere but knew no-one who'd drunk it. Friends here and from "the old place" made me want to try it, and I've never looked back. It's a great beer to enjoy from time to time. #BskyBeer

"Looper" hazy IPA from Full Circle. Smooth, stone fruits and tropical shenanigans. A decent beer, and the penultimate from my Sainsbury's 4 for 3 stash. #BskyBeer

Not really a Christmas beer, but it is in a Christmas glass and I'm well known for ruining parties with inappropriate comments, so "Buzzkill" from Mad Squirrel will do. It's a while since I've had a NEIPA. This isn't the best I've ever had, but it's fairly decent. #BskyBeet

Nothing to see here.

I spent six hours driving to and from my parents' house today, listening to "Empireworld" by @sathnam.bsky.social . It's an absolutely cracking listen/read; and objectively it's incredibly balanced and -well- objective. Highly recommended.

I was in Bas Vegas for work today and heroically managed to multitask by popping into Sainsbury's for their 4 for 3 beer offer. A classic beer served in a classic (but wrong) glass. #BskyBeer

A huge step up in terms of quality vs the other Christmas beers I've had so far. Bags of guava on the nose, matched with flavour and a bit of a bitter finish. From @thornbridge.bsky.social "Guava Christmas" pale ale. Light, sessionable, tasty. #BskyBeer

This Christmas beer starts with strong sweetened roasted flavours up front which seem to fade to hints of lebkuchen. Whether that's right or wrong I'm not sure- I've been mainlining Tic-Tacs in the car in lieu of lunch, so my taste buds may be in trouble. Fine for £1.50. #BskyBeer

I did my annual Santa gig at a local school today, so what better day to start on Christmas beers... This is very sessionable. Not much going on to be honest, but I'd give it 5/10. A reasonable utility guzzler. #BskyBeer

I delivered some Bystander Intervention Training to 25 people (mostly women) today. Someone asked the women in the room how many of them had experienced some form of sexual harassment. Every woman had.

This year's Christmas special is pretty dark

I finally picked up a Veteran's Railcard, giving me 30% off trains including peak travel. This means that it's occasionally viable to get the train to work; which in turn means I can grab a pint in a plastic from Manningtree Station Buffet. "Rocking Rudolph" is ok, not awesome. But it's here. Now.

A friend died this week. Hadn't seen him in decades, or spoken to him in years; but here we were in Amsterdam in early '94. I spunked my student loan that weekend.

My last beer of the evening is from @thornbridge.bsky.social : Jaipur X, the imperial rendition of (yeah, you've guessed it) Jaipur. I always enjoy this when it appears; but take a moment also to admire the artwork on that can! #BskyBeer

The last from my Kirkstall stash, and it's fairly bonkers. "Infinity Dragon" is great in its own right, but also something about the flavours feels like it would go perfectly with a tequila chaser! Alas, I have no tequila. #BskyBeer

Next from Kirkstall is their Mango IPA. It's obviously packed with mango flavour, but also has a touch of saltiness which works really well. An absolute belter. #BskyBeer

I've had quite the work week. 11k run on Mersea built into some site visits on Tuesday (beat that for multitasking); a visit to the Essex/ London border on Wednesday featuring a wander around some woods; and today, Harlow's Green Wedge where I took this.

I had mixed feelings going into this, but I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it works. A bit more gherkin than posh sarnie, and all the better for it. Kirkstall's Cucumberjack cucumber pale. #BskyBeer

Next up is "Galaxy single hop IPA" from Kirkstall. This has better carbonation than the last one, and I'm generally a fan of Galaxy hops. A good beer. #BskyBeer

Tonight's #BskyBeer is "Superdelic" New Zealand hazy IPA from Kirkstall. It's a single hop (that being Superdelic, which explains the 'tm' on the can). Pleasant enough up front, but the more interesting flavours come afterwards.

A wallop of greatness from @thornbridge.bsky.social , "Pamela" Colombian Coffee Porter. Cold coffee bitterness with a complex sweetness that mellows the coffee just enough. #BskyBeer

Quite the week: spying on chickens; data-ing stuff aw tae f; taking part in a police emergency response exercise; and planning for a terrorist attack. Good to finally switch off with Altstadt from Kirkstall. Part of their Small Batch Series, I'd describe it as "biscuits". Looks great, tastes better.

No pub today, apparently. Instead I have Nectar Honey Pale Ale from Kirkstall Brewery. Beautifully smooth- I'd be interested in an imperial version, because I think that would be legendary. I've not had many Kirkstall beers before, but I'm really pleased with this mixed case via Brewser. #BskyBeer

Sticking with #Stouturday, "Mini Crunch" from Vault City. Captures the chocolate and honeycomb flavours as promised, making me want a Crunchie. #BskyBeer

Next #BskyBeer , "Dark Matter" by @northernmonk.bsky.social and Wiper & True. An impie, loads of coffee bitterness. Perfect #Stouturday pick me up!

Picked up some decent beers from Morrisons. Exclusive to them is Pink Grapefruit Jaipur from @thornbridge.bsky.social . The grapefruit is quite prominent, but the Jaipur flavours are retained. This is a good beer in its own right, and a must if you like Jaipur. #BskyBeer

I had one of those wonderful work wanders yesterday. Great to walk 10k in the fresh air and get paid to do it.

Next #BskyBeer is from Polly's. Not sure if I've tried them before, but definitely will revisit based on this, "Lupo Capisco" pale ale.