Sorry about the headline. I couldn’t resist. It refers to me being invited back to run beer tastings as part of the Eden Project’s Harvest event which culminates this Sat (5th Oct) with a beer festival.

Here’s what I took along for people to sample.

Vedett Extra Blond (5.2%) is my guilty pleasure! A pilsner style lager from the same brewery that makes Duvel. It’s lovely and refreshing with a decent hoppiness, a light, lemony-citrus flavour and a rich tea biscuit maltiness.

I used Williams Bros Fraoch (5%) to illustrate the bit where I talk about ‘life before hops’. The audience were surprised a hopless beer could have so much character and a few non-beer drinkers were converted by its lovely floral character and aroma. Drinking it made me want a plate of haggis, neeps and tatties though – which I discovered (at a Williams Bros hosted dinner at the European Beer Bloggers Conference earlier this year) matches Fraoch so well.

My third beer was St Austell Clouded Yellow (4.8%). An old fave of mine, I never tire of its lovely banana and clove aroma and vanilla sweetness. Again, it is another brilliant brew for converting beer sceptics.

I rounded off with Moor Beer Confidence (4.8%) a ‘hop forward’ red ale featuring Chinook (from the USA) and Galaxy (from Australia). Who needs Dutch Courage when you have Confidence?! I hadn’t tried this beer before – but I’ve never tasted anything other than brilliance from Moor Beer so was happy to take a punt when they didn’t have the Amoor porter I’d got planned.

It didn’t disappoint. A lovely aroma of nettle and geranium translated into a grapefruit bitterness balanced by a little caramel. My audience said they could smell everything from mango and passion fruit through to peaches and autumn fruits and there were many nods of approval at brewer Justin Hawke’s suggested food match: duck.

I am supping Confidence as I blog from the train to London and would love a plate of duck or some pulled pork to pair with this beer!

Thanks to all who came to my tasting and to the brewers whose beers made it possible.