The Leveller Beer (@CenterParcsUK Shopping Mall) By @SpectreUK

We bought this beer from the shopping mall in Centre Parcs, in Sherwood Forest. We've just spent a week there after many years of Cinabar trying to coax me to go. Earlier this year a new spa opened there and knowing I'm a lover of saunas and steam rooms, Cinabar gave the final push. What a spa it is, with four steam rooms; one of which has a tropical shower in it, and three saunas; one of which is high up in the trees so you can admire the view whilst slowly cooking. It is a really good spa with lots of relaxation rooms too, like the Scandinavian Snug room with furry blankets and funky Viking music.

Before the week away Cinabar had shown me a grand list of activities that we could book, so I plumbed for Scuba Diving and also Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting. I wanted to go actual Clay Pigeon Shooting some years ago with Cinabar's brother and father on a stag do, but had shoulder problems from a car accident, and couldn't take the kick from the gun. No recoil here and I was pleasantly surprised to come third out of ten in the competition. The Scuba Diving next day was a really intuitive beginner's course and hour's fun swim underwater. I'd recommend both activities to anyone. Great fun. Not to mention the Crazy Golf and the Parc's fun pool with its slides, deadly rapids and wave pool. The lodge we stayed in the woods was lovely too, surrounded by trees, squirrels, all manner of birds and bread hungry ducks in a large pond nearby.

Anyway, back to The Leveller, which was brewed by the Springhead Brewery in Retford, Nottinghamshire. Brewed since 1990, this 4.8% volume beer was produced with English ingredients in the manner of Belgian Trappist beers. This dark brown beer has a crisp sweet burnt toffee smell to it on opening. In taste dark chocolate malt springs to the fore shoving aside the bitter hops that try to push through before the aftertaste. There the sweet caramel malt lies coating the tongue with that almost burnt toffee flavour as it mixes with the chocolate malt. Mmm… quite the pudding beer, if I do say so… Like the sweet surprise of a good holiday away, though dashed when the bottle is empty and it's time to go back to the humdrum!