Hop Monster (3.7%) is the latest session bitter from Alan Hinde’s Redruth, Cornwall-based Coastal Brewery, although it could equally be the nickname of the man himself. As he proved with his original Angelina brew (4.1%) this time last year, the man is a master of the hop and Hope Monster is a brew full of taste that belies its modest ABV. Willamette and Mount Hood are the hops in question, and this delicious, citrussy, light and envigorating brew could be a frontrunner for Star beer of the year in the months to come. (Last year’s, in my opinion, was the original brew of Angelina, a cask of which dispappeared withinsix hours on a January Saturday in 2007, thanks to some eager Cornwall CAMRA members who were having a meeting in the pub.)