I'VE talked about Odell brewing company before, and I've always been very happy to drink their clean, refined beers whenever the opportunity arises.

Their summer ale, St Lupulin, is still one of my absolute favourite beers, but alas in the depths of winter, such delicate, refreshing beers are not always the ideal.

Luckily a new seasonal beer arrived in the store recently, one I previously feared gone; their red ale, now rebadged as Runoff Red.

Pouring dusky, toffee-apple red with a tight, thin head, the light flashes brilliant copper through the edges of the glass. The aroma is nutty with a touch of lemon thyme and parsley, and a subtle pithy bitterness.

Strawberry sweetness, drizzled with honey lead a light-bodied, clean ale maltiness that is at once sweet and refreshing. Lemon sherbet and pine rise to greet raisins and malt loaf and contrast the grain with a crisp, assertive bitterness. Evenly balanced, and refreshing despite its sweetness, Runoff Red is a fantastic midpoint between the breezy pale ales of the warmer months and the heavier toast and caramel of winter ales.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, York