Magificent Seven #7: Summer Lightning

Hop Back Brewery
5.0%
www.hopback.co.uk

In 1988 Public Enemy released the seminal hip-hop masterpiece It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. In exactly the same year, this straw-coloured ale came straight outta Salisbury. And the similarities are still striking: both are strong and bitter, both laid down a template that subsequently inspired hundreds of others, both have since collected numerous awards but neither feels quite as exciting as it once did.

However, this Golden-style beer with its hefty hoppy note is still superbly thirst-quenching on a warm day. And if you’re having a barbecue and your friends won’t try warm ale, it’s robust enough to even survive a short time in the fridge. Or, as Chuck D would have it: Cold Lampin' With Flavor.