Handmade in Devizes says the badge on the pump. Well they must be very busy little hands; this Wiltshire brewer produces around 200,000 barrels a year – and most of it, apparently, is the impressive 6X brew.

‘Waddies’ Victorian tower brewery is the very epitome of English ale brewing. Originally founded in 1875 by Henry Wadworth, the present brewery was built ten years later and has stayed in family hands. It even boasts one of the country’s very few remaining coopers to work on the traditional wooden casks.

Yes indeed, this is brewing heritage in a glass. And it’s pretty blinking good beer too. Brewed with pale and crystal malts together with cane sugar and no less than four varieties of English hops: First Gold, Fuggles, Goldings and Progress, 6X is a copper coloured  ale with a complex flavours of soft malts and hop bitterness.

Wadworth owns more than 250 pubs and is one of the few brewers that still retains dray horses for deliveries. Fortunately, to the relief of the discerning imbibers at Pen-y-Bryn, these days the beasts don’t have to struggle the 200 plus miles with their regular tipple.

Daniel Thwaites have been brewing at Blackburn in Lancashire for 200 years, and have some 455 pubs of their own. This is a well-hopped refreshing session bitter combining bitterness and nutty flavours, with a lingering bitter finish. Thwaites Bitter benefited in our pubs from Interbrew's decision in November 2003 to relaunch Boddingtons (qv) with a new recipe and an increased abv, up .3% to 4.1% from 3.8%. This resulted in several of our freehouses looking for a new session bitter, despite Interbrew's insistence that Boddies remained a session beer even at 4.1% abv (our customers disagreed.) The upshot was that Thwaites Bitter now has a permanent listing at Pen y Bryn, the Pant yr Ochain, the Dysart, Glasfryn and the Fox.