De Molen, NE, Dag & Dauw - £2.70, 7.1 per cent

DE Molen, one of the Netherlands’ standout craft brewers, is known to iterate, change, and adapt its range at a good pace. While this means you can miss the odd limited release, it also means the opposite can come about. Which is why despite being released more than two years ago, I’ve only just gotten around to trying Dag & Dauw: De Molen’s bergamot-infused pale ale.

Pouring deep toffee orange, with amber and copper highlights, Dag & Dauw pours with a thick and robust head of creamy white foam. The aroma is sweet and full, swelling with peaches and cream, orange segments, and crushed pears topped with a dusting of violet.

Full bodied, and medium sweet, the first thing you notice is that De Molen haven’t shied away from the use of caramel malts. Dag & Dauw is richly malty, with sticky toffee, pale caramel, and spun sugar blending to create a solid base for the hops and bergamot to play across.

The candied orange peel notes carry over from the aroma, sticky and intense like a melted ice pop. This is swiftly contrasted with dried limes, bitter grapefruit, and the characteristic tang of bergamot, combined with a measured but assertive salvo of hops. Well balanced in the finish, Dag & Dauw is just dry enough to be drinkable and quenching, but with the weight and maltiness of a more satisfying ale.

Recommended by Michael Bates, Trembling Madness, York