Abbot Ale has centuries of history behind it, despite the fact it was first brewed only in the 1950s by this rapidly growing super regional brewer of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

The town has a fascinating past, being originally founded by no less than King Canute, who built a monastery in 1020 to commemorate King Edmund, who had reigned over East Anglia some 200 years earlier. Edmund had failed to turn the tide of Danes that swept over the country - so Canute knew how he felt.

Moving swiftly on, the Greene in King dates back to the turn of the 18th century when Benjamin Greene opened for business on Westgate. It merged with the rival King brewery in 1887.

So, although a bit of a new boy itself, Abbot Ale is nevertheless rich heritage. And it is quite a beer. Only English hops are used – Challenger, Fuggles and Northdown – together with Halycon and Pipkin pale malts, amber and crystal malts. Traditional brewing methods produce a beer rich in fruit and malt counter balanced with the long bitterness.

At five per cent it might be have been a better bet to throw at those rampaging Vikings than poor old Edmund and his boys. Without doubt it’s a bit of a religion for the Greene King disciples at the Hare.

Greene King, which can properly be termed a “super-regional” since its acquisition of Morlands and Ruddles, has been brewing at Bury St Edmunds, in the heart of rural Suffolk, since 1799. They now own 1,680 pubs in East Anglia, the Thames Valley and South-East England, including our own Hare in Tunbridge Wells. IPA, or India Pale Ale, has been brewed for over 100 years, and was originally for export to ex-patriots during the days of the Indian Raj. Because hops have a preservative effect on beer, an unusually large quantity of hops were used to ensure the beer remained in good condition during the long sea voyage to India. It was a taste that soon caught on in Britain, and currently IPA is Britain’s fastest growing cask ale. The fresh hoppy taste and distinctive aroma come from a combination of two varieties of English hop-Challenger and English First Gold. Added to pale and crystal malts they produce a bitter–sweet flavour with a long, dry finish.

Greene King IPA received deserved recognition when it won the Bitter category at the Great British Beer Festival 2004, and it came second to Pale Rider (qv) in the overall awards. It has a permanent listing at The Hare in Tunbridge Wells, and is a regular guest at the Armoury, Pen y Bryn and Glasfryn.