It was with no small degree of trepidation that I poured my first glass of ‘Old Prickly’ – the Snuffly Hedge Grog from the Hobsons brewery of Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire. Brewed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, the ale was lighter in colour than I thought it would be. And there was a pleasing aroma as I took a deep breath.

I love a good beer, so why be worried?

Because I have been somewhere very similar before. Have a look at my piece on hedgehog whisky to see why … and you might understand why. In fact in the blog entry I was a little polite to the drink. On revisiting it I can attest it to be one of the foulest excrescences – rarely have I seen anyone finish even the the merest dampening of a glass without a grimace.

So what would the beer hold? On its arrival I was excited ….

That is a strange photograph – I was not that red really … concerns about my exposure to the sun were unwarranted, though possibly I was just flushed with excitement …

But the contents of the lovely bottle?

I needed an occasion – so used the invitation to our dear friends Gerry and Lucie for dinner as enough of one – and it was the day before Lucie’s birthday – so I poured – apprehensively ….

That photo is unflattering too – the cold of the drink caused condensation that might be mistaken as a cloudy beer. It was not. Light and clear it was the perfect way of concluding the first hot day for a long long time. I could easily drink a lot of this – which is a bit of a risk in a beer … a little fizzier than I would choose, but a perfect way to celebrate the summer.

The really great thing is that this is not a beer restricted to those who have dedicated many years to hedgehog research, rescue and conservation. You can all join in the fun … and 5p is donated to the BHPS for every bottle sold.