Darren Nugent caught the brewing bug while he was working in Liverpool and starting tasting Real Ale. So, he learned a LOT more about it before leaving his job in marketing and setting about creating a microbrewery in home village of Carrickmore in County Tyrone.

He called it Pokertree after a tree in the village he used to hear stories about as a child. It was said the Devil used to sit under the Pokertree some nights playing cards.

He’s just launched his Treacle Oat Stout to join the his Golden and Red Ales.

They’re all handcrafted in small batches. Every brew is open fermented and bottle conditioned in the traditional way. That means there’s live yeast working its magic in every single bottle. That makes for superlative depth of flavour and an amazingly long shelf-life. Naturally, they’ll also go really well with food.

Darren’s mission in life is to banish beer blandness for ever. He’s well on the way!