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Tucked away at the end of an unassuming alleyway, Visit Nottinghamshire have long considered the Hockley Arts Club to be something of a hidden gem – treasured by savvy, in-the-know locals and overlooked by everyone else, the sort of place a friend might smugly introduce you to - but in truth it’s one of Nottingham’s worst-kept secrets these days.

Nottingham’s association with great beer goes way back. In 1752 its celebrity was cemented in a popular ballad, the chorus of which boldly declares ‘no liquor on earth like Nottingham Ale’. For Tryanuary we wanted to share a few of Nottingham’s brilliant breweries continuing our rich heritage, and where to sample their tasty tipples.

On the hunt for something to drag us well and truly out of our drowsy, post-Christmas slump, Visit Nottinghamshire headed to Zaap Thai Street Food, hoping to find a warm welcome to chase away the cold, and strong, fiery flavours to banish the January blues.

Castle Rock Brewery certainly have plenty to celebrate this month. Not only did they win the Sustainable Tourism Award at the Nottinghamshire Hospitality STARS Awards, but the Canalhouse scooped the prestigious Tourism Pub of the Year Award. We can’t resist dropping by for a chat; the Sustainable Tourism Award is arguably the most important of all and we’re intrigued to know how they did it.

We meet with Liv Auckland, Brand and Communications Manager, and Pete McWilliam, Head of Property, Maintenance and Technical Services.

We took a trip to Redsmith Distillery to find out more about the award-winning gin crafted here in the heart of Nottingham and get an exclusive taste of the new Outlaw Gin.

We met up with creator Wayne Asher at the small but perfectly formed distillery in Sneinton Market, where he regaled us with tales about how he took his first steps in the world of spirit making, a far cry from his former career in aerospace and aircraft engines. Following a stint as plumbing and heating engineer he was looking for new challenge and began searching for a project which would bring him joy, and a product which could bring joy to others. Inspired by a documentary on Sip-Smith distillery in London and their pioneering work with HMRC to legalise small scale distilleries, he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve.

Ahead of the Robin Hood Beer and Cider Festival opening on Wednesday (17 October), we grabbed five minutes with the festival organiser, Steve for some quick fire questions – he’s a busy man!