Cotleigh Brewery

The smell hits you first when you walk into Cotleigh - proper yeasty, malty, alive. This small Somerset brewery sits just outside Taunton and it's the kind of place where you can actually watch the whole operation from grain to glass without feeling like you're being herded through a tourist attraction.

It's a working brewery, not a museum. You'll see the copper vessels doing their job, the fermentation tanks lined up like soldiers, and staff who clearly know their stuff and don't mind explaining what's happening. The beers themselves - well, they've been brewing since the 1970s, which is no accident. Local drinkers have kept them going for good reason.

Best for ale enthusiasts and anyone curious about the actual craft rather than just the Instagram shot. If your kids are young, they might fidget - there's not masses of interactive flash here, it's genuinely about the beer. That said, families who enjoy a slow afternoon and are happy with a brewery visit as part of a larger day out will find it worthwhile.

Check their website before you head over - opening hours and whether you need to book a tour aren't always obvious. It's well-positioned if you're based at Waterrow Touring Park, only a couple of miles away, making it an easy afternoon detour rather than a cross-county mission.

Worth the visit? Absolutely, if you actually care about beer. Otherwise, it's a bit niche.