WE first started getting Sonnet 43’s beer on our bar a year ago, but it’s only recently we’ve found space on our shelves for their bottles.

Situated in Coxhoe, Sonnet 43 take their name from Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poem How Do I Love Thee?, being situated in the poet’s native region.

Alongside some imaginative limited brews (a strawberries and cream pale stands out), the brewery’s base range extends beyond the usual remit of pale, bitter, IPA and stout.

Alongside their bourbon milk stout (4.3 per cent) Sonnet 43 also produces a California Common – or ‘steam beer’ – a fruity amber lager in the style of Anchor’s popular brew.

Pouring a deep rusted umber with a tight, white foamy head – crystal clear, this doesn’t appear to be bottle conditioned. The aroma is oat cream, granola and redcurrants, with a sprinkling of nutmeg. Some raisiny crystal malt and treacle also shows as it warms up.

Medium sweet; fruit-cake and burnt sugar vie with treacley soda bread and cinder toffee.

Wheat bran and dry, bitter cocoa powder come out in the finish, tempered by a honeyed walnut fruitiness. The archetypal fresh sap and resin hop finish is here. Peppery on top of the moderate carbonation, this is a very accomplished version of the style, and a great transition beer to get everyone in the mood for autumn.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, York