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Jaapie Imperial Red Ale – ABV 9.4%

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It’s just like a Belgian Red but with everything amplified – fruit, sweetness and alcohol and even banana creaminess. FC Feyenoord would be proud.

Look: Jaapie pours bright red in the glass, with a thin white head that is gone in the blink of an eye.

Aroma: Red berries, sweet malt and lots of fruity esters the yeast.

Taste: All the above plus plums, raspberries and banana creaminess.

Verdict: We are told Jaapie was named after Jaap Valkhoff – a singer Katendrecht on the Rotterdam peninsula where the brewery is based – who wrote the FC Feyenoord club song “Hand in Hand”. We don’t know what you’ll make of the song, but the beer is absolutely terrific.

American Barley Wine – ABV 9%

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Toffee apples, sweet orange and crisp hoppy bitterness: this Torrside bottled beer was rated as one of the best of 2016 – and standards haven’t slipped one bit.

Look: The beer pours a dark, almost brown amber with a thin white head.

Aroma: Marmalade and toffee apples combine in an enticing aroma

Taste: There’s lots of resinous pine bitterness the insane levels of hopping.

Verdict: Enjoy this now to get the best of the hops, or keep it a while to mellow and mature those toffee fruit flavours into something wonderful and complex. Its up to you, but we’re sure you’ll enjoy it either way.

Sandanista! IPA – ABV 7.4%

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A crisp, dry IPA with loads of bitterness an “avalanche” of eight hops such as Apollo and Ahtanum, plus zesty lime, orange and juicy mango and pineapple.

Look: Sandinista pours dark golden and slightly hazy with a pillowy white head.

Aroma: Lime, mango and pineapple and bitter notes

Taste: Adding to the tones the aroma you also get pine needles and zesty orange peel.

Verdict: This is lovely, crisp, easy drinker with a huge hop burst said ‘avalanche’ – which includes Citra, Centennial, Crystal, Cascade, Bobek, Summit, Apollo and Ahtanum.

50K IPA – ABV 9.4%

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Pine and tropical fruits riding a caramel wave – this is bold, bitter and seriously hoppy.

When we think of Brouwerij Kees we tend to think of darker beers; Imperial Stouts, Quads and complex barrel aged beers. In contrast, 50K is a seriously hopped Imperial IPA.

Look: Be careful when pouring this one if you don’t want to end up with a lot of sediment and hop residue the bottom of the bottle. It will taste great either way, but we suggest drinking this one sooner rather than later to get the best all those hops.

Aroma: Pine resin, grapefruit and caramel, with subtle notes of peach and apricot.

Taste: A high level of bitterness the hops with pine and tropical fruits, set against a sweet caramel body with some added spiciness rye in the grain bill.

Verdict: If you like big, bold bitter IPAs then this is going to really do it for you. This one tastes like a million – well, at least fifty thousand – dollars.

Mooi & Meedogenloos Imperial Stout-Quadrupel – ABV 10.2%

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The complexity of the malts in this beer signifies a Quad; but the colour says ‘Stout’ – all the same, fruit, toffee and floral aromas are strong and welcome.

Look: It certainly starts out looking like an Imperial Stout, dark black with a nice brown head and good lacing.

Taste: There isn’t much in the way of aroma with this beer, but first impressions on tasting are of a rich dessert Stout but then you notice the higher level of carbonation and the complexity of the malts which introduce some Quad-like qualities.

Verdict: Is Mooi & Meedogenloos (Beautiful & Ruthless) a Stout-ish or is it really a Quadrupel-ish? Depending on the batch the label might say one thing or the other, but the beer is always somewhere between the two. Instead of deciding, we’re just going to sit back, enjoy the beer and contemplate the question.

Tip: You’ve got almost 5 years on the best before date with this beer, but we can’t help thinking that if you wanted to keep it for longer it would age beautifully.

Dag & Dauw IPA with Bergamot – ABV 7.1%

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Dag & Dauw, De Molen’s seasonal IPA with bergamot is subtly perfumed and beautifully citrusy with sweet lime, pine and refreshing grapefruit crispness.

Look: Dag & Dauw – translation ‘Day & Dew’ – pours a hazy brown in the glass

Aroma: Notes like a citrusy IPA with lime and a touch of perfume.

Taste: There’s pine, grapefruit and peach the hops, with a creamy malt body and more of that perfume the bergamot.

Verdict: It would be easy to overdo the perfume in a beer like this, but De Molen have got the balance just right. So if you thought bergamot was something you only found in hotel toiletries, its time to think again.

Treacle Toffee Stout – ABV 10%

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Indulgent yet drinkable, Steam Machine’s milk stout does exactly what it says on the keg: there are big, sweet molasses notes with a creamy, caramel finish.

Look: A brown-black pour with nice carbonation and a thin creamy tan head. Treacle Toffee is clearly an imperial milk stout – which is a good thing in my book.

Nose: Dark roast malts and bold dark chocolate come out all cylinders blazing before before a treacle sweetness follows up.

Taste: Sweet treacle and molasses, fruity and juicy hops, syrup and caramel with a fine velvety finish.

Verdict: Steam Machine’s husband and wife team Nick and Gulen have a brewing background of over ten years; science teacher Nick brings an academic approach to the magic of brewing to create a sweet, smooth, malty treat. Top of the class.

New England Special Double IPA – ABV 8.6%

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This brash, unapologetic New England-style double IPA, with Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic hops, packs a tropical fruit punch.

Look: A golden pour with a haziness that almost approaches a peach-coloured murkiness with a small white foam.

Aroma: Hop-driven with aromas of mango, pineapple, orange, backed up by some light maltiness and yeast notes.

Taste: Sweet and slightly sour, a juicy start dries slightly to a tangy bitter finish.

Verdict: Bold, juicy, unapologetic; sometimes bitter but ultimately agreeable – a lot like a girl New England I used to know.

Great Eastern IPA – ABV 7.4%

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This IPA has a malt-packed menu including Maris Otter, which is balanced by the dry bitterness of late hopping and the tropical juiciness of a paradise island.

Look: Similar to the colouring of the bottle’s label, this pours a lively hazy orange with a thin, just off-white head.

Nose: The aroma is driven by chinook, columbus and nugget hops to give tropical fruits: citrus, pineapple, grapefruit, with hints of pine and some background floral and fruity malt notes.

Taste: More complex than your average an IPA, as coconut joins the juicy tropical paradise party – dare I say I even detect a rum warmth in the alcoholic mouthfeel. Long, slightly dry bitter coating finish and intriguing earthy character.

Verdict: Just like my favorite type of Caribbean party, this leaves you with memories of tropical fruits and takes a long time to finish.

Old Ford Export Stout – ABV 7.5%

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Columbus hops guide this London-born Stout through a sea of full-bodied coffee and dark chocolate, with some roasted barley bitterness, sweet malts and spiciness.

Look: This is borderline black IPA territory: an inky black cola-coloured pour with a creamy brown head.

Nose: A rich malt backdrop hosts espresso, burned toffee, dark chocolate, treacly molasses and a hint of cherry.

Taste: Complex and full-bodied thanks to the Columbus and Simcoe hops. Layers of sweetness, including cherry and forest fruits, sit on top of roasted barley bitterness. Under that comes earthy spice before a long, lingering rich and toasted malt finish.

Verdict: Much like one of my old favourite TV shows, The Big Breakfast, which was filmed in the Old Ford area, this is as full of character as Johnny Vaughan, as lovely as Denise Van Outen – and easily enjoyed every day of the week.