STEADY ROLLING MAN

BEER REVIEW: 443

BREWER: Deya, Gloucestershire, England

STYLE: Pale Ale

ABV: 5.2%

VESSEL: 500ml tin

DATE OF POST: 3rd April 2026

 

SAMMY SAY’S…

Steady Rolling Man steps onto the stage with confidence, dressed in pink and blue, guitar man on the label looking like he’s about to slide into a twelve‑bar groove. The whole package hums with blues energy. The name ties it all together, like a well‑placed turnaround that tells you exactly what kind of tune you’re in for. It’s a strong first impression, the kind that makes you nod before you’ve even taken a sip.
The nose opens with tropical grapefruit, bright and lively, but with that sour edge that keeps things honest. It’s the kind of aroma that doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. Expected, sure, but delivered with enough clarity to feel like a clean guitar line cutting through the mix.
Then the drinking begins, and the beer settles into its rhythm. Bitter‑sweet grapefruit leads the melody, steady and sure. Nothing overly complex, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s balanced, confident, and full of presence, like a bluesman who knows one good note played right can say more than a dozen played fast. The mouthfeel is spot on, carrying the flavour with a smoothness that keeps the whole thing rolling.
As you move through the glass, the beer keeps its promise. It’s an ode to its blues inspiration, not by being flashy, but by doing exactly what it sets out to do with heart and precision. A solid groove, a clear voice, and no wasted motion.
Steady Rolling Man earns its place in the setlist. A beer that plays the blues the way they’re meant to be played: simple, soulful, and steady.

Sammy’s Rating: 78%

 

JYMI SAY’S…

A beer that took the British craft scene one step further forward. A beer that comes with an undeniable reputation for being an absolute cracker. A beer that was soooooo successful that it is now uncool to like it in some beer nerd circles. That is testament to how good it was / is.

Now, I have consumed SRM before. I had two pints about 4 years ago in a lovely lil bottle shop / tasting room in Bridport called The Pursuit of Hoppiness. Glorious.

I also had one pint of SRM around a year ago at The Audley in Mayfair, and it only cost me £7 which I thought was a bit of a bargain seeing the location, beer and today’s prices!. Again, glorious.

But they are the only times Steady Rolling Man has passed my lips, so never before from a tin.

Time to pop the top and see what we got…

Well, it certainly is soft as proclaimed buy our brewer Deya, on the tin. It is like, REALLY SOFT, and I’m not just talking about the utterly divine pillow soft mouthfeel. No, softness creeps into every corner of this Pale Ale. There are without doubt tropical tones to this beer but guess what? Yeah, they’re soft. There is also an element of pine that again comes across as… soft.

Steady Rolling Man is insanely drinkable and would work very very well as a session beer, though you would have to be mindful of the 5.2% situation the further you got into the evening. This brew is so delicate and easy that I can fully understand why it inserted itself into British craft beer history. OK, SRM doesn’t necessarily explode with flavour but this time around I’m kinda glad that it doesn’t as it would take away from the majesty that it possesses.

Fantastic.

Jymi’s Rating: 85%

 

MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 81.5%

MOB review next weekend: OLD SESSION HEN by MORLAND

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017

Bluesky: @museonbooze.bsky.social

Instagram: muse.on.booze

museonbooze.com

M O B 2026

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