By Jeff Evans, chair of The International Beer Challenge

Stroud Dark Skies, 8%
Stroud Brewery is 20 years old in 2026 and this is an impressive beer with which to kick off the celebrations. Dark Skies is an imperial stout brewed – like all the Gloucestershire company’s output – with organic ingredients, then aged in oak whisky casks. The flavours are bittersweet: the bitterness comes largely from the roasted grains and the drying, tangy oak; sweetness from the molasses-like maltiness, chocolate and gentle caramel notes. The whisky influence is evident too, but in a more subtle way. Such flavours are typical of what you’d expect from a powerful beer of this style, but this one doesn’t taste particularly strong. It’s slighter in body than many other imperial stouts and has an airy, mouth-filling carbonation that allows it to slip down rather easily, just leaving a faint, comforting warmth, like the last ember of a once-raging bonfire.

Thornbridge/Theakston Masham Ale, 6.5%
They’re having some fun at Thornbridge with the historic Union fermentation set acquired from Marston’s. This time around, they’ve given the Union treatment – with all its complicated yeast-handling wonders – to a beer created by Theakston Brewery. The deep amber Masham Ale is named after Theakston’s hometown in Yorkshire and has been around for many years as a seasonal offering. However, this bottle-conditioned collaboration will hopefully become a permanent fixture and encourage both parties to work together more often. It’s a gem of a beer, a thoroughly British strong ale that does full justice to the quality of the malts and hops involved. It’s robust yet balanced; chunky but never heavy. Alcoholic fruit cake defines the full, bittersweet palate, with raisin and a little candied peel zestiness to the fore. It then ends with a satisfying, leafy Fuggle hop finish that offers more than a suggestion of fig roll. A joy.

Windsor & Eton Solero Supernova, 4.7%
In between the darker beers, a ray of winter sunshine squeezes through in the form of this bright and playful, double dry-hopped pale ale from Windsor & Eton in Berkshire. The can describes the beer as hazy, but it actually pours a mostly clear straw colour and is probably all the better for that, as the beer is crisper than expected, allowing all the juicy hop notes to shine. Pine and mango are the dominant flavours in the bittersweet taste, which is not thick or chewy as some beers like this can be, making it very gluggable for the abv. The finish is then very dry, becoming more bitter as the hops take a firmer hold. A quick shout-out too for the brewery’s Scumbag Maggot (8.5%), a hugely complex whisky cask stout released for Christmas that may still be available, if you’re quick.

Wye Valley Nightjar, 4.2%
The latest nitro stout to hit the shelves comes from Wye Valley. The Herefordshire brewery already produces the outstanding bottle-conditioned Wholesome Stout but, like other brewers, it has spotted a growing market among drinkers who prefer the softer, creamier effect that added nitrogen delivers. Nightjar, as befits its name, is almost pitch black in colour and pours with the distinctive nitro whoosh, taking time to swirl and settle in the glass. The texture is typically less gassy and prickly than nitrogen-free beers and the flavours are bold and forceful, dominated by coffee, bitter grains and an almost burnt roasted note, all offset by a soft bed of sweetness from the paler malt. The finish is creamy at first, then very dry and bitter with roasted grains and coffee lingering. A robust and punchy addition to the growing range of canned stouts.