THE 300-acre Dunham Massey estate with its magnificent Georgian Hall, former home of Lord Stamford, is situated in the Cheshire countryside to the south-west of Manchester.

Now owned by the National Trust, it has leased out farm buildings in the adjacent village to the Dunham Massey Brewery, set up in 2007 by John Costello, formerly a brewer at the now-closed Walker’s Brewery in Warrington.

A wide range of bottle-conditioned beers is produced in addition to cask beers for local pubs. This week’s feature is Dunham Gold weighing in at an impressive 7.2 per cent abv, just under the government’s “park bench duty surcharge” level.

The bottle required cautious opening, as the beer inside is very lively indeed, producing a mountainous fluffy head with plenty of lacing down the glass, and a distinct haze against the golden colour.

The aroma is big and fruity, with barley sugar, banana and butterscotch backed up by floral hops and a fair old whiff of alcohol. The texture is rich and full-bodied, with alcohol very much in evidence again as a warming glow.

A big, clean, malty sweetness fills the mouth, with some burnt caramel and a generous helping of spicy, zesty hops, followed by a long, peppery, hoppy, bitter finish.

A delicious sipping beer, very reminiscent of a Belgian tripel.