NEW regimes, which are often forced on us by the new year, usually involve a deep dive into what's really good for us.
There's no use dramatically reducing our calorific intake by nibbling on a lettuce leaf in a bid to shift the festive girth. We need to be full, but only full of good stuff that will stop us wanting to fill up on the bad stuff.
Slow release stuff like oats are ideal. We're told to pile on the pulses too – beans and lentils, that sort of stuff.
It has a high degree of logic about, but then you find yourselves disappearing down a rabbit hole (not for carrots, mind you) and find that nuts are good for you too, but too many of them aren't and certainly not the ones that are coated in salt or chilli - or both - and washed down with a nice pale ale.
Peanuts are probably the go-to nut for beer drinkers, but then the truth is, they aren't a nut at all. The peanut is closer to a legume, which is the same family as beans and pulses and that sort of thing.
What's this all got to do with this week's beer? Well, a little bit.
From peanuts we get peanut butter and from there it's a short hop to Peanut Butter Cream, an imperial stout from Beer Hut featuring, yes you've guessed it, peanut butter.
It's a 10.3 per cent beast of a beer that pours a jet black colour in the glass and sports a thin, tan head.
There's a whiff of bready malt and hints of coffee. On the palate, you get those sweet flavours of the peanut butter with a bit of a nutty edge and hints of chocolate – not far off a Snickers, I suppose.
The 'cream' element brings a smooth mouthfeel but this is still north of 10 per cent, so there is a bit of a boozy kick to it which are tempered only slightly by hints of vanilla.
There's a slight smoky finish to it, which does take the edge of the sweetness, but it's still a bit of a sipper and not just because of the strength.
There's a richness to the flavour which means you can't go nuts and sling it down in a few gulps. This one must be savoured.
January is a long month and the lentil stew can wait.
