With its pale, smooth straw colour born from marris otter, lager and crystal malts, malted wheats and citrus hops, Davenports IPA original bitter sounds like an ale-enthusiast’s dream. But those already diving out of the door and heading to the Dog and Duck should stay put, because Walsall firm Enoch Evans has decided to give some away.

Under the leadership of IT guru Ben Palmer (inset), an active supporter of the Campaign for Real Ale, the firm has been profiling a different beer every month before putting a crate of the bitter up for grabs on its website. ‘We wanted a fun angle to highlight the personality of the business,’ says managing partner David Evans. A law firm with the personality of a brewery? Surely not.

Nevertheless, the social responsibility element has not been lost on the firm: a kindly reminder to ‘please drink responsibly’ appears at the bottom of the page. Obiter hopes this is not due to some ill-advised quaffing in the past...