There’s something companionable about the question “Do you fancy a pint?” It sounds somehow homely – an invitation to share time and exchange news as much as to have a drink.

In these entertaining and warm-hearted poems, we encounter all kinds of beer – everything from real ale to Mexican Pacifico and from home brew to Guinness. We watch as pints are poured and experience the delivery of the week’s supply of barrels, each rolled down into the cellar in what becomes a skilful dance.

In one poem a village pub on a country lane casts an unexpected spell as soon as the travellers cross the threshold:

“… to pass out of the dark
and into a room of flickered malty brown
like the glint of a full pint glass.”

from ‘The Swan’ by Sally Goldsmith

These are poems to be enjoyed in the company of a quiet pint, or as a reminder of the simple pleasure of entering a favourite pub.