Beer of the Day: Hanlons Yellow Hammer

You know a beer has earned a place in your heart when just seeing it on the bar takes you straight back to somewhere special. That’s exactly what Hanlons Yellow Hammer does for today’s judge, Sarah Hall from SALSA.

Sarah spends her working life pretty close to beer. SALSA works with Cask Marque to run SALSA plus Beer, a specialist standard for breweries that checks all the important stuff happening long before a pint reaches the handpull – from ingredients and brewing processes to hygiene, safety, quality and consistency. In other words, Sarah knows there’s a lot that goes into making sure the beer in our glass is as good as it should be. But her Beer of the Day isn’t about standards, audits or ticking boxes. It’s about holidays, family and a pint she’s loved for years.

“My choice is Hanlons Yellow Hammer. I’ve been drinking this for years – back to when they were O’Hanlon’s – on my trips down to Devon. My brother ran a pub for many years in East Devon and whenever this beer was on tap, this was my pick.” For Sarah, its light, fruity, crisp character is now inseparable from those trips: “It is incredibly drinkable, making it a beer I always look out for whenever I’m in the South West. It instantly transports me back to memories of holidays and family visits to Devon.”

And we can see why it became the one. At 4.2%, Yellow Hammer is a light golden ale with zesty citrus and tropical fruit notes and a delicate hoppy finish. Even its name came from drinkers, chosen in a “Name This Beer” competition back in the O’Hanlon’s days. The recipe has evolved over the years, but the affection for it clearly hasn’t – Yellow Hammer remains Hanlons’ most popular beer today.

That’s the magic of a favourite cask beer. It can be beautifully made, perfectly kept and taste fantastic – but somewhere along the way it can also become attached to people, places and memories. For Sarah, Yellow Hammer tastes of trips to Devon and time with family. Find yourself a pint this Cask Ale Week and see where it takes you.