IF the weathermen are to be believed, today will see us enjoying glorious sunshine as temperatures reach the giddy heights of the mid-20s throughout Yorkshire.

Now just pause for a second and listen very carefully. Can you hear that noise in the distance? The one that sounds like a barrel of oven trays rolling down a cobbled hill?

That, my friends, is the sound of a million barbecues waking from their long hibernation and being wheeled out of garages up and down the nation.

The road-cracking cold of last winter is now a distant memory and it is time to pull an England shirt over your belly, invite some friends round and fill the air with the fragrance of charcoal.

But before you head to the supermarket for a crate of Carling, let me point you in the direction of a few bottled brews which we think go perfectly at any discerning beer-lover’s barbecue, and all of which were available at our local Sainsbury’s.

First up I cracked open a Dandelion Flavoured Organic Ale (4.5per cent) from the Badger Brewery. The label promises a light, golden ale with a herbal, grassy aroma and I can’t argue with that. Served chilled, this would be perfect for a summer afternoon and I suspect would go down very well with the lager drinkers too.

This is probably the nearest thing you are going to get to capturing that quintessential summer aroma, freshly cut grass, in a beer.

Next I went for a Blue Moon (5.4 per cent) by the Blue Moon Brewing Company in Colorado, USA. The beer is brewed using oats and is spiced with coriander and orange.

The orange aroma is obvious on the first sniff and the beer itself has a strong marmalade background in the taste. It’s interesting stuff and very much in the Belgian tradition.

This would go down well with a plate of ribs covered in sweet sticky sauce though I don’t think I would drink it throughout the afternoon because of the strong flavour.

Serve this one chilled with, as recommended on the label, a slice of orange.

Finally we went for a bottle of Punk IPA (six per cent). Produced by Brew Dog, this beer is looking for trouble. The attitude is clear from the outset and the brewer doubts we are even sophisticated enough to appreciate the work and the natural ingredients that have gone into the drink.

“Just go back to drinking your mass-marketed, bland, cheaply made, watered-down lager and close the door behind you,” the label sneers at us.

I badly wanted to dislike this just because of the strop on the bottle – alas I loved it. After the previous two drinks the grapefruit bitterness of Punk IPA was a bit of a shocker but the taste soon settled down into a wonderfully complex drink and one which was worthy of a bottle or three throughout a warm afternoon.

Beer festival

IF YOU can’t be bothered with the barbie this weekend, get yourself along to the Judges Lodgings in Lendal which is holding a three-day beer festival throughout the weekend.

Beers and ciders will be on offer from the Lodging’s specially constructed bar which is being built just for the event.

The festival begins at noon each day and goes on into the evening. Details on 01904 638733.