Over the past four years, the craft beer movement has gained momentum on the Maltese islands, with a few small local breweries created some fine tasting brews. I asked a group of three friends dubbed 'The Beer Tasters' to offer some tasting notes on their favourite craft beers brewed locally.

Stretta Transatlantic Pale Ale

Stretta Craft Beer has created the Transatlantic Pale Ale with traditionally floor malted UK Maris Otter and US super hop Mosaic® "to create liquid magic". As the label says, here's a rich malted pale ale with a massive hop kick. Out of all the beers tasted by the Beer Tasters, this is the unanimous favourite.

Andrew: It's wheaty and bitter with notes of dark fruit. The fruit even hits the nose before you taste it!

John: It's highly floral and the malt tastes fine. This is the best one.

Ben: It's quite high in alcohol compared to the other beers at six per cent, and this seems to give it a unique balance. It's a good beer.

Phoenix Raw Beer

This micro-brewery was created by husband and wife team Alessandro and Federica who hail from Italy. They currently produce four beers - the Robust Rabat Ale, Rubin Double Ale, TAR Robust Porter and Blonde Floral Ale.

Andrew: If you like dark ale, the TAR Robust Porter is worth trying. A lot of black beers are strong and tart, while this is slightly sweet with a toffee flavour, offering the taste of molasses. The addition of coffee beans gives the beer an added flavour of complexity.

Lord Chambray

With 11 beers now under their portfolio, this Gozitan brewery has made serious strides. The first brewery of its kind in Malta, it was founded in 2014 by the D’Imperio family (from Italy), who first visited Gozo in the late 90s and immediately fell in love with it. There are two beers that catch the Beer Taster's attention the most - Blue Lagoon and San Blas.

Lord Chambray Blue Lagoon

Named after the picturesque bay in Comino, this rich in flavour and deep in character Belgian-style wheat beer offers hints of coriander and notes of orange peel.

John: It's light on the wheat with a slight bitterness.

Ben: I find nuances of floral.

Andrew: It's creamy and light - I find it smoother and easier to drink than wheat beer.

Lord Chambray San Blas

The San Blas is a full-bodied English IPA brewed with a blend of hops to obtain a more aromatic and appealing aroma of tropical fruits and orange flowers. True to its name after the bay in Gozo, it's deeper and more golden in colour than most beers.

Andrew: It's tart, fresh, and light. A good summer beer.

John: The bitterness is soft. If you're into hoppy and tarty beers, this is the one.

Ben: It has a hoppy beer style within the broader category of pale ale.

The Brew Bar & Grill

A fairly new concept when it comes to brewing homemade beer, The Brew is set up in Gzira and produces five different variants of freshly crafted beers. The outlet also has its own kitchen, with a menu that pairs with the range and versatility of beer. The Beer Tasters went for the crafted beer tasting to try the five beers: Dark, Golden Ale, Valletta 2018, The Matese Brew, and Honey.

Ben: I like the complexity of the Valletta 2018 - this is my favourite.

Andrew: Agreed. It's very hoppy with nice tart.

John: My favourite is the Golden Ale. Golden ales generally tend to be wheat beers, but this isn't.