Have a Cuppa Tea?

After water, tea is the most popular drink on the planet. In the UK alone we get through 60 billion cups per year, and we still go through three cups of tea for one cup of coffee. Once a preserve for the upper classes, since the 19^th century it has become a universal drink, crossing different classes. Yet it in the brewing world, tea infused beers curiously remain an elusive phenomenon in a world dominated by coffee infused products which have increasingly flooded the market over the past decade. Since the early 2010’s, tea infused beers have been a source of inspiration and innovation for brewers, Richard Taylor noted in 2014, “Tea-infused beers are on the rise. This could be because brewers have reached the end of the line with coffee, and rummaged around in the brewery cupboard for inspiration (next up; Rich Tea Ale) – but more likely it’s down to the increasing availability of high-level, specialist teas from dedicated sources.”[1] This was somewhat a naïve assumption, as tea-flavoured beers have steadfast remained a rarity since they were first introduced and less than a hundred beers have been recorded in the UK, as using tea as a flavour adjunct. Yet the range of tea blends out there do offer brewers the chance to experiment with various flavours, producing beers that celebrate the humble brew.

 

Most brewers tend to use black tea, which is fully oxidised, dark in appearance with a stronger flavour. These flavours tend to vary across different blends, but they are usually floral and citrussy. Due its robust nature, Black tea can be used across a wide variety of beer styles, such as Pale Ales, Bitter, IPA and Porter for instance. There are a vast number of black tea blends out there, one of the most prevalent is Earl Grey, a flavoured blend first developed in the early 19^th century, it contained an extract of Bergamot (a citrus fruit) in order to disguise the cheapness of the tea leaves. The quality has improved since then, and due to its notable citrussy flavour properties it has become a common source of inspiration for brewers. Marble was one of the earliest breweries to embrace the use of tea, with their Earl Grey IPA (6.8%). First created in 2012, it was developed as a collaboration with Brouwerij Emelisse; described a citrussy smooth IPA, it is produced with Goldings and Columbus hops, during the fermentation process the brewers use timed additions of cold brew Earl Grey tea which is added to the fermenter, which is followed by more Citra pellet hops which help give an added orange and bergamot character. The beer has been described as having a citrussy aroma, a full-bodied creamy mouthfeel with bold flavours of bergamot, balanced by sweetness and a pronounced bitterness, indeed Roger Protz once memorably described it as “the 6.8% beer presses all the right buttons for today’s beers drinkers. For a start, with that strength, it’s close to a genuine 19th-century India Pale Ale. But with Citra and Columbus American hops added to English Goldings, it has a massive charge of citrus on nose and palate.”[2] Originally intended as a one-off release it was sold in 750ml bottles at the time, but it ensuing popularity encouraged the brewery to continue production on the product and add it to their core range. Following its release, it has inspired a raft of other breweries to develop beers brewed with Earl Grey tea, like Vermont Tea Party (3.6%) by Siren Craft Brew, which was brewed using a unique strain of Vermont yeast, along with Earl Grey tea and lemon zest, or the likes of Brewsters’ Begamot Beaut (4.8%) an IPA made with a blend of New Zealand hops and Earl Grey tea, noted for its aroma of Bergamot orange, hence its name. Even major breweries like Adnams have got in on the act when they produced Earl Grey Pale Ale (5%) for supermarket retailer M&S, which was developed using various M&S products including leftover bread and Earl Grey tea. Sarah Chambers notes it was “Inspired by the brilliant work by Toast Ale, Marks and Spencer and the Adnams teamed up to create the first beer using surplus bread for a UK supermarket.”[3] It was released in cans in May 2018, under their ‘Used our Loaf’ brand. While most of these beers tend to Pales or IPA’s, Hammerton brewery bucked the trend with their Baron H (5.8%), a black IPA developed with six different varieties of hops, along with the addition of Earl Grey; it was produced to mark the first anniversary since brewing commenced at their site in Islington. It was named after Baron Howick, who was better known as Earl Grey, which is where the tea blend gets it name from. One of the more successful tea flavoured beers is Earl Grey IPA (3.9%) by Chiltern, which first appeared in March 2016 initially as a cask special, before its ensuing popularity encouraged the brewery to re-release it on a seasonal basis. It is made with Challenger and Goldings Hops and infused with Virunga Earl Grey tea from Birchall Tea; an award-winning tea manufacturer based in Upper Sydenham.  Head brewer Tom Jenkinson was inspired to produce the beer, since he sold Birchall’s teas at his pub, The King’s Head in Aylesbury. He contacted Daniel Graham, MD at Birchall’s and they joined forces to produce this beer. This beer has become one of the brewery’s most successful products, winning a slew of awards including Bronze Award (Slaphead Shield) – Alton 2017 Winter Beer Festival, Gold Medal 2023 – SIBA Midland Independent Beer Awards – Cask Speciality Light Bitter and Bronze Medal 2024 – SIBA National Independent Beer Awards – Cask Speciality Light Bitter. Until recently it was only available in cask, yet last October, they tweaked the recipe and sold it in cans under the name of Earl Grey Pale Ale (3.6%) as part of the small batch brews series.

 

Out of all the tea blends out there, Earl Grey remains the most popular, Des de Moor sums up the popularity of Earl Grey as a common ingredient in tea infused beers, “an Earl Grey IPA works really well because the citrus of the bergamot plays really nicely with the citrus of popular IPA hop varieties. Earl Grey, for me personally, adds a really refreshing finish to a beer and so is a good choice for a crisp, dry IPA.”[4] While the likes of Earl Grey a common preference among brewers, other blends have also been used. Another style of Black Tea commonly used in brewing is Lapsang Souchong, which hails from the Fujian province in China. During processing the leaves are smoked over a pinewood fire, which helps give the tea its characteristic smoky woodfire taste. Given its potent flavours, this type of tea is usually suited to darker ales such as stouts and porters, as the pronounced roasted elements from the malts dovetail appropriately with the smoky notes from the tea. Tea Total (5%) by Elixir, was an early example of this practise, launched in November 2012, it was the brewery’s first keg beer, it was produced at the request of prolific reviewer Craig Garvie, to mark his 10,000^th beer recorded on Rate Beer. An oatmeal stout brewed with toasted Scottish oats in the brew, with smoked malt complemented by the addition of Lapsang Souchong. Later in 2014, Pope’s Yard Brewery pushed it up a notch with LSP (10.2%), described as an imperial porter, this potent mixture was made with five different malts and Lapsang Souchong tea. Mostly About Beer described it as “on the palate it’s tangy with a fruity spiritous edge – stewed dark fruits – plums, blackberries, damsons, and black cherries. It reminds me also of the brandy you get in Kirsch chocolate liqueur sticks.”[5] It first appeared as a limited release, before subsequently joining their main range at the time, for several years it was one of their most notable products. Moreover, the use of Lapsang Souchong isn’t just limited to darker ales, All My Pockets Have Holes In (5.5%) by Toorside, bucks this trend. First produced in November 2019, to help mark the brewery’s 6^th birthday celebrations, it was Belgian style blonde ale influenced by Taras Boulba (4.5%) by Brasserie de la Senne, with the addition of Lapsang Souchong tea adding a smoky counterpoint to the flavours, it debuted in cask at the brewery’s Smokefest event, following this it was subsequently sold in keg and bottles. Rooibos, is another tea blend commonly used in brewing; better known as Redbush tea in the UK, it developed using green tea leaves that are grown in the Cederberg mountains of South Africa. During processing, the leaves turn reddish brown from the oxidisation, which ultimately enhances the flavours and gives off a sweet and fruity aroma. Rooibos has been utilized in a number of beers, such as SameWorking (5.1%) an American style red ale developed by Fyne Ales in conjunction with BrewDog Glasgow as part of the latter’s Collabfest 2014 event. Not all Rooibos infused beers are typecast as red ales; indeed, the likes of Red Bush IPA (5.5%) avoid this convention. Developed by Yorkshire based brewers Doncaster and Elland in 2021, it was a hazy unfiltered IPA made from a mixture of Maris Otter and Munic Malt. Flavouring came in the form of Pilot hops, then 15 minutes prior to the end of the boil it was dry hopped with Aurora hops and 15kg of Rooibos tea. Another load of Aurora hops was then added during the fermentation process for additional flavour. Moreover, The Merchant (5%) by Fyne Ales, is an old ale first brewed in early 2015 then left to mature in the barrel for nine months before Rooibos tea was added to the mixture, adding to the beer’s palette of Autumnal flavours. It was the thirds beer released as part of their Farmhouse Project, featuring unusual ingredients and drawing from local legends of Argyll.  

 

Black and other oxidised tea blends may be popular in brewing, but other styles have also been used. Green tea is delicate and floral, adding subtle flavours due to lack of oxidisation. It is more difficult to brew with, and is less common among beers, although the delicate essences tend to work with lighter ales like Pilsner and golden ales. Birdhouse Tea Beer (4.2%) by Abbeydale was produced using green tea leaves sourced by tea blenders Birdhouse based in Sheffield locally to the brewery. It was slightly hazy in appearance with a pink tinge, brewed with a tea blend that also included hibiscus, jasmine, rose petals and summer fruits.  The beer was initially launched as a cask only special at an event held at the Devonshire Cat, Sheffield on 13^th January 2015; it became a surprise hit and was subsequently re-released on a semi-annual basis. Later the same year, Moor Beer Co. produced Rider’s Revival (3.8%) a hazy pale ale made with Jasmine pearls green tea sourced from Canton Tea Co. It was developed in conjunction with bar Look Mum No Hands, and created to celebrate cyclist Chris Froome’s victory at the Tour de France that year. Meanwhile, Roosters Brewing Co. released High Tea (6.2%), a limited-edition IPA made using a Jasmine tea blend sourced local tea blenders Taylor’s of Harrogate. It was developed with four different hops including Admiral for its citrussy base, and New World hops such as Cascade, Crystal and Galaxy for fruity overtones. It gained a popular following upon its release, and the brewery subsequently reissued it on an annual basis in cans and kegs; appearing as recently as 2023 after a three-year absence. Over on the other side of the ABV scale, in January 2019, Portobello Brewing Co. produced New Who? (2.8%) a table beer infused with green tea, released as part of their Far West Project range of beers; this was later joined by its bigger brother JPA (4.2%) otherwise known as Japanese Pale Ale. Meanwhile over the past decade there has also been a growing a number of beers inspired by ice tea; the refreshing fruitier flavours have been an increasing source of inspiration for brewers. An early example was Ice Tea Ale (5%) by Pilot Brewing, an amber coloured beer developed with Amarillo and Citra hops, along with the addition of bergamot, a blend of Earl Grey and Scottish Breakfast tea and 40kg of lemongrass added to each boil. Richard Taylor described the taste as “lots of citrus peel on the flavour, as you’d expect, the tea imparts an almost caramel sweetness, which balances really well with the zappy citric flavours.”[1] Later at BrewDog’s Collabfest 2016, Abbeydale produced Ice Tea Dead People (4.6%), brewed with El Dorado hops, Sencha tea blend sourced from Birdhouse Tea Co. of Sheffield, and fresh peaches. Initially a one-off product, the brewery re-released it in September 2018; it is currently available on an annual basis to tie with the Halloween season, given the beer’s spooky theme. The production of ice tea inspired beers has continued unabated with the likes of Long Barry Island Ice Tea (7.8%) and Peach Tea IPA (6%) by Newport based brewers Tiny Rebel, or the pair of table beers produced by Vault City, that included Peach Ice Tea Table Sour (3.4%), their first table beer brewed with peaches and infused with black tea. Sold exclusively in cans in May 2023, after its successful launch, it was later joined by Lemon Ice Tea Table Sour (3.4%) that September, which used the same recipe but swapped peaches for lemons.

 

It has become increasingly apparent that various breweries are producing beers with eclectic tea blends, such as Blue Sky Tea (4.2%) by Wigan Brewhouse. It first appeared in 2015 as a one-off, and unusually for a tea infused beer it became a regular part of their range. It was described as a loose-leaf pale ale, brewed with Summit & Mount Hood hops and infused with award-winning Blue Sky Blend Tea blend from J.Atkinson & Co of Lancaster. The blend notably contained cornflour petals, and was added in a muslin bag towards the end of the boil. Moreover, semi-oxidised teas like Oolong have featured in beers, it delicate and unique flavours that vary from fruity, roasted or woody have proved to be a useful adjunct. The likes of Tiny Rebel’s wryly named Can’t We Just Get Oolong (5%) is a notable example, a pale ale flavoured with an Oolong tea blend by local Bristolian company Canton Tea Co.  Oolong tea has also featured more recently in Chaipur (5.9%) by Thornbridge, sold exclusively in cans in October 2022, it was a variant of their flagship product Jaipur (5.9%), made with the addition of Oolong tea, along with a selection of spices including cinnamon, ginger, clove, black pepper and cardamon, that are usually associated with Chai Tea. Flavoured tea blends which tend to include spices, flowers, herbs and fruits have become increasingly prevalent among beers, such as Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (4.2%), by Everards that was brewed with rosehip and apple tea blend which helped give off a rounded fruitiness to the Goldings hops. On 7^th May 2014, Fyne Ales launched two releases at the Holywood 9A, Edinburgh that were made in conjunction with tea blenders Eteaket based in Edinburgh. These included Chai PA (4%) brewed using their Bollywood Dreams chai blend, featuring black tea, niseed, spicy and sweet cinnamon, fiery ginger, black pepper, warming cloves and woody chicory roots. And Blooming Brew (4%) is another tea infused ale by Fyne Ales, made in conjunction with, this beer was brewed with their Sencha tea blend, that included bright mallow and sunflower petals, exquisite rosebuds, sweet vanilla and fresh tangy fruit, which helped give the beer a sweet and floral taste. Richard Taylor described it as “Sweet, cream soda and vanilla, yet switching into a long bitter finish – the whole thing comes over as a liquidised Pez (for those that remember Pez); it’s fascinating.”[1] Likewise, Brew York has collaborated with Hebden Tea on a number of releases, in late 2021 they produced Born Under Peaches (4.7%), a Philly style sour that uses an Emperor’s Seven tea blend, which combines black tea with Sencha leaves, rose blossom, sunflower blossom and sweet peach. This was later joined by Tea (6%) the following year to mark the brewery’s 6^th birthday; produced together with Full Circle Brew Co. as part of their Breakfast Club series of beers, it was memorably described at the time as a Strawberries and Cream IPA brewed with strawberry cream tea fruit tea-blend, and additional lactose for added body and elevation of its berry fruit flavours. Gipsy Hill Brewing Co. have developed a number of tea infused beers using various flavourings and innovative blends, such as Watson (5.4%) a pale ale made in conjunction with Good & Proper Tea Co., that utilized their Lemon Verbana blend. Another release, Rooibos (4.8%) was produced as a collaborative effort between the brewery with Devil’s Peak Brewing Co. from South Africa. Developed as a red ale, brewed with Enigma, Centennial & Summer hops, then infused with 40kg of Rooibos and Honeybush tea. Likewise, the recently departed By the Horns brewery have dabbled with various tea blends with Old Smoke (4%), it was first brewed in 2015, a collaboration with Joe’s Tea Co. using two blends including Earl Grey (Earl of Grey) and Ceylon (Ever So Breakfast Tea). It was brewed with smoked malts along with Goldings and Challenger hops for that traditional English bitter flavour. The inspiration behind this product, was to produce something that would be everything about London and English drinking culture in a beer. The brewery described it in their promotions as underlying sweet smoke malt with floral & aromatic English hop & tea notes brewed on a solid English bitter. The beer was released on 18^th May 2015, sold at Nicholson’s pubs around the county, later that year it won Gold (Speciality Beers) at SIBA SE England competition. Building on its success, the beer later joined the brewery’s core range.

 

Although the range of tea-infused beers out there remain stubbornly small in comparison to other flavour combinations. Many of the examples represent a cornucopia of innovation and creative excellence from the brewers, as they innovate with various tea blends and beer styles. Although the likes of Earl Grey tend to dominate the market, other blends have shone through too like Rooibos, Oolong, Jasmine and Lapsang Souchong to name a few. Many of these products are a result of collaborations between breweries and local tea blenders, such as Fyne’s Ales partnership with Edinburgh company Eketea, or Rooster’s memorable collaboration with local tea company Taylor’s of Harrogate. While some companies have dabbled with limited-edition singular releases like Do It Together (5.2%) by Moor Beer Co., JGC Sups (4.3%) by Lincoln Green, Lady Jane (5.2%) by Kirkstall or More Tea Father? (6%) by Ilkley respectively. There are others like that have produced a number of tea infused beers, like Fyne Ales, Gipsy Hill, Toorside, Vault City, Everards and Brew York; various tea blends have been dabbled with like Tring brewery’s Lapsang Souchong Porter (5.5%) and Earl Grey IPA (5%) respectively, or Doncaster with their flotilla of releases that have included Red Bush IPA (5.5%), Russian Caravan (4%) and Dreaming of Doncaster (5%), the latter being an American style Brown Ale flavoured with a Bourbon Vanilla tea blend.  And while many of beers have either restricted to limited edition or annual seasonal releases, some have crossed the Rubicon and have become core-range products, thus proving potential appeal of tea-infused beers. Although the appeal of tea infused beers remains stubbornly limited, there is no reason why one day a brewery can smash through the glass ceiling and produce a smash hit, as Chiltern and By the Horns this is possible, and in time hopefully, tea-infused beers will be just as popular as their coffee-soaked cousins. So, let’s crack open a bottle, it’s time for a brew.

List of References 

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[1] ‘Tea Beers: Chai-na in your hand?’ by Richard Taylor, The Beer Cast, 8^th May 2014

[2] ‘It's time for tea at Manchester's Marble’ by Roger Protz, Protz on Beer, 26^th January 2015

[3] ‘Brewer Adnams makes beer range from M&S surplus bread’ by Sarah Chambers, Eastern Daily Press, 1^st May 2018

[4] ‘Marble/Emelisse Earl Grey IPA’ by Des de Moor, Beer Culture with Des de Moor, 4^th August 2012

[5] ‘Pope’s Yard Brewery – LSP – bottle conditioned 10.2%’ by Mostly About Beer

A Drink to Ol' Rabbie

Last Saturday was Burns Night, that annual celebration where people around the world celebrate the poems and songs of Robert Burns, one of Scotland’s best-known poets. To mark the occasion a number of pubs were organising their own events from special meals to poetry readings, yet the most unusual event I discovered locally was a Scottish Mini Beer Festival at Two Trees Micro in Watford. The relatively diminutive pub has been operating in the area since 2022, it offers a frequently rotating selection of four cask ales and keg beers/lagers from independent breweries, along with a good selection of ciders and perries, and for the discerning traveller there are a good selection of bottles and cans to take-away. Due to the size of the place, unlike most pubs it doesn’t offer food, yet snacks are available, although you can bring in food from outside. Since opening the pub has gained a following in the local community, winning a slew of awards including Pub of the Year 2023 (Watford & District CAMRA) and Pub of Year Competition 2022 (Watford Observer) for instance. Their Burns Night event was effectively a (partial) tap takeover with beers appropriately from Scottish breweries available on tap, which the landlord had installed on stillage fresh that very day. 

 

Accompanied by my friend Graham, as we entered we were met with a display of bunting that bared the Scottish flag, and on the tables, there were informative leaflets that gave information on the six Scotland based breweries along with tasting notes for the beers that were available that day, and music from Scottish bands and artists were blaring from the loudspeakers. At the handpumps, there were three Scots ales available on cask, and several further on keg as well Whiskies and Scottish themed snacks, although the latter was a bit misleading as there were only Tunnocks Tea-cakes available, complementary with every drink. There were beers of varying strengths and styles available, so appropriately I went for a lighter ale to start off with Orkney Best (3.6%) from Swannay Brewery based in Birsay, Orkney. A light sessionable bitter, the brewers describe it as a lunchtime beer due to its relatively modest strength. The beer is made with traditional British malts and an unusual hop combination of British, German and Polish hops, and over the years it has become one of their most successful products, winning a slew of awards including Champion Beer of Scotland (2012) for instance. To cut to the chase, it was refreshingly light, and rather malty with a slight nutty bitterness rumbling in the background, along with a dash of hops that helped extenuate its lack of strength, but nonetheless the flavour profile was evenly balanced, meanwhile the mouthfeel was biscuity and dry, though the relative lack of a head did it no favours. Overall, I found it decent for a session level ale, nothing too remarkable on the flavour front, but a decent enough drink to help start off the proceedings. For my next beer, I decided to take it up a notch, and went for Jarl (3.7%) from Fyne Ales, which operate from a converted farmhouse in Argyll. One of the best known beers to come out of Scotland in recent years, markedly it was one of the first Scottish beers to use Citra hops when it came on the scene in 2010 and since its launch it has become of the most successful Scottish beers, winning Champion Beer of Scotland no less than three times (in 2013, 2021 and 2022) and other accolades including Bronze (CBOB 2013), Gold – Golden Ales (CBOB 2013), Gold – Cask Standard Bitters and Pale Ales (SIBA Scotland 2017). It’s hardly any surprise it has become the brewer’s flagship product, and can be regularly seen on handpumps in pubs across the UK. The beer had a fluffy off-white head, which helped energize it luscious and creamy mouthfeel. Despite its low strengths, a circus of flavours was immediately apparent, with notes of citrus fruits and grassiness coming through from the Citra hops, whilst the malt bill of Pale and Torrified Wheat helped ground the flavours, giving off hints of caramel and breadiness.  The mouthfeel was verging on the dry, yet it was evidently refreshing, the thick head helped offset some of the dryness and helped bring the flavours to the fore. Understandably I found the beer quite enjoyable, and despite its relatively low strength, it is evident that the brewers have put in the effort to make it flavourful; and as a beer/ food pairing it particularly went well with the Curried Mutton which I purchased from the Caribbean take-away across the road.  

By this time, there was only one cask beer left on tap that I hadn’t sampled yet. I went for Henok’s Mild (5.3%), a recent collaboration between Edinburgh based Newbarns Brewery and Omnipollo from Sweden. A strong dark mild, I was frankly mystified by its range of favours, on the foreground it was filled to the brim with mulled fruits, with notes of coffee and chocolate coming through from the malt, with just a hint of lactose rumbling away in the background. It had a noteworthy roasted bitterness, without it being too overbearing, and it was rounded off with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Unlike the other beers I tried today which are regularly brewed, and available in both cask and bottle, this beer was only sold in cask and likely to be on limited releases, so it could very well be my only chance to sample this rare beast. The beer’s status as a mild rather frankly confusing, it’s complex array of flavours and mouthfeel veered more towards Porter/ Stout territory and its strength was anything but mild, I enquired the landlord about this, and he stated that mild beers tend to use milder hops, though they can still vary in strength. This throws the entire status of Mild into doubt, and further muddies the already murky waters of dark ales, perhaps a conundrum to solve at a later date? Scotland uniquely has its own beer styles, they are historically based around the Shilling system where the strength of the beer would calculate the price per hogshead, this ranged from Light (60/-), Heavy (70/-), Export (80/-) and Wee Heavy (90/- plus). Scotch ales are another name for strong ales and tend to be over 6% abv, they are similar in character to Burton Ales, Stingo and Barley Wine and have a mature, fully rounded flavour with a kaleidoscope of notes and a warming effect brough on by its high strength. The place was starting to fill up with punters as I sampled was 180 Shilling (12%), a recent collaboration between Holy Goat Brewing of Dundee and Newbarns. Produced alongside a selection of four limited edition Winter releases, it is based on a 17^th century recipe for Scotch Ale, in order extract its strength, it is put through the mash tun twice which helps concentrate the wort and produces a high ABV beer without the need of additional sugars. Adhering to tradition, the brewers utilize Chevalier Malt, a once common variety that was commonplace in most beers during the 19^th century, it was discontinued following the introduction of mechanical harvesting processes in the 1920’s, where the relatively small heights of the stems made it unsuitable for harvest.  It has since been brought back following the efforts of Dr. Chris Ridout from the John Inns Centre (that boasts a large selection of heritage malt varieties) who planted a crop, to see how it would fare in modern brewing. Since 2017, a clutch of breweries have produced small batch beers using this malt, and having never tried sampled a beer made with this malt, I was eager to sample it. Due to its high strength, it was only sold in halves and thirds, so understandably I went for the latter. I was met with a cacophony of flavours, including notes of sherry, whisky, oak, brandy, berry fruits and a whisp of marmalade. There was a notable caramel sweetness flowing in the background, whilst the bitterness was subdued and melded with the other flavours to create a unique tasting experience. The richness from the malt was notable, and its high strength helped complement it, yet although it was on the strong side, it wasn’t too overwhelming as Scotch Ales go, and it was akin to drinking a fine wine or a low strength spirit. This beer was a like a trip back in time, a faithful recreation of the Scotch Ales that propagated pubs during the Victorian Age.

 

In retrospect I found this event to be a success, the range of ales available were carefully selected and thorough researched, it was evident that the staff put their effort in to source the best quality examples from north of the border. I sampled a fine range of ales, from sessionable bitters to popular well-known releases, strong dark milds and a Scotch Ale that provided a window into the past. Each of the beers provided a different and unique drinking experience, furthermore none of them were bland and unassuming in any way. I have tried several Scottish beers in the past, but I’m still relatively vague and naive in my knowledge of Scotland’s brewing industry. So, this mini-beer festival not only offered the opportunity to discover more about Scotland’s illustrious brewing sector, it also gave me the unique and rare chance to try these beers on cask, where they would otherwise be seldom available in England. This event proved to be a popular draw for the micropub, attracting a slew of customers throughout the day, let’s hope that the owners put on more themed events throughout the rest of this year as this could be a potentially worthwhile enterprise, I’d definitely drink to that!

Bushey Beer Festival 2024

On the last week of July each year, the Three Crowns in Bushey holds a three day Beer & Cider Festival, a charity event, where for the last few years it has been organised by the Bushey & Oxhey Round Table No 691 and the Ladies Circle. The festival takes place in the pub’s extensive garden, and the beer and cider selection is comparatively small in comparison compared to other beer festivals around, so ever the curious I trekked up to Bushey along with my loyal drinking buddy Ed to see what the fuss was all about. It was a sun-kissed late July day, the weather was increasingly heating up since we were on the precipice of another heatwave, the pub garden was close to full capacity and the barbecue was steaming away, cooking up delectable dishes like hot dogs and Cajun chicken burgers. At the rear of the garden in outdoor bar area resided the drinks selection, only eight beers were on tap with an additional selection of six ciders and perries, yet rather unusually for a beer festival in my experience, all the casks were available, not one was missing or had gone ‘dry’, this brought a smile to my face after my tumultuous experience at the Ealing Beer Festival a few weeks before.

 

All the drinks here are reasonably priced, £2.50 for a half and £5 for a pint, most of the beers came from the Herts/ Bucks region with Tring Brewery taking up most of the selection, which fooled me into believing it was an event sponsored by the brewery. Rather intriguingly though for a Herts based beer festival, there were three beers from further afield, Betty Stoggs (4%) from Skinners based in Truro, Blue Sky Thinking (4.7%) by Pentrich Brewing Co. based in Pentrich and Jarl (3.8%) by Fyne Ales based in Cairndow, thus proving that distance doesn’t matter in this instance. Eager to step up to the plate, I ordered my first tipple. I went for Beechwood Bitter (4.3%) by Chiltern, I’ve had this beer in bottle before but never in cask so I was willing to try it, a classic bitter that is one of the brewery’s oldest beers, dating back to 1982 no less. It is made with a combination of Maris Otter and Crystal malts to give its notable beechwood amber colour, alongside Challenger, Fuggles and Goldings for its distinctive taste. I found the beer to be laced with bitterness, a touch nutty with hints of smokiness rolling around in the background which really suited the beer’s woodland theme, the flavours were well balanced and it was easy to see why this beer has such legendary status. I subsequently decided to go for something lighter for my next round of libation so I settled for Fanny Ebbs (3.9%), a blonde ale, it was named after a philanthropist who owned a sweet-shop in the village of Lilley, Hertfordshire, since it first appeared in 2017, it has been an annual Summer release for the brewery. Flavoured with Saaz and Cascade hops, it had a rather low level of bitterness and mild hints of malt and citrus rolling away, it was far from impressive yet thankfully it was refreshing and a good thirst quencher, perfect for a hot Summers day.

Following lunch, I decided to take a pit-stop from beer drinking and sampled a cider for my half time drink. The selection was dominated by ciders and perries from Lilley’s, based in Frome, located well within the heart of cider country; this company boasts an eclectic range of ciders and perries that encompass all sorts of flavours and styles, from traditional scrumpy to innovative cider and perry mashups that would give the likes of Koppenburg a run for their money. I have sampled their ciders and perries a number of times in the past so I knew what to expect, so I went for their Rum Cider (4%), made from bittersweet and medium apples, its claimed that this cider0 has a mellow and smooth finish with a hint of rum. Although it was rather dark in colour for a cider, I had trouble trying to find traces of rum in the flavouring, and its low ABV did it no justice when it came to forming a distinctive flavour profile. After this experience, I was ready to go back to beer, so I went for the festival special, Isabelle’s Red (5.5%) by Tring. This was a strictly limited-edition one-off drink, only four barrels were made available for the festival out of the 200 litres that were produced by placement student Isabelle. A classic Red IPA, it was made with Rye and Crystal malt to give its distinctive ruby colour, and a combination of Citra, Chinook and Cascade hops for flavour. This beer had plenty of character, it was rich, with lacings of vanilla, toffee, citrus and hints of roasted malt swirling in the background, the mouthfeel was heavy and cloying which helped amplify the flavour profile. By far it was the strongest beer of the festival and the most impressive, a sterling effort from the brewery and let’s hope they re-release it at some point in the future. For my final libation, I followed Ed’s advice and sampled Betty Stoggs (4%), a legendary Cornish beer which he has sampled on a number of occasions during his visits to the region over the years. One of the brewery’s inaugural releases following its launch in 1997, its name is inspired by Cornish folklore, where a woman going by the name would go around the Cornish moors, entertaining the country folk. Yet in the process she left her baby at home, uncared for and one day the Cornish Piskies kidnapped the poor babe. Betty later found her baby in a bed of moss, cared for by the Piskies and vowed to take more care of her child. The beer is inspired by her full bodied and fruity character, it is swathed in malted barley and wheat with a trio of Nortdown, Aurora and whole flower Celia hops to help give its distinctive flavour. It’s a traditional amber coloured bitter, with a light malty back-taste, there were hints of caramel and citrus fruit in the background, perhaps even suggesting an element of marmalade in the mix. Lacings of vanilla and oak helped compliment the balanced bitterness that segued well with the rest of the flavours, the aroma was notably malty and lingering which helped round of the beer to a tee, it was the ideal drink to finish off the proceedings and something I would definitely try on my next visit to Cornwall.

Overall, I found the festival to be a pleasant and enjoyable experience, although the sun was beating down on us and the temperature was climbing, the staff made good effort to keep the beers cool and in good condition, away from direct sunlight. Yet it was slightly marred by the small number of beers on tap and the lack of selection, since it was dominated by sessionable Bitters, Golden Ales and IPA with no dark or strong ale in sight. I enquired to the barman about this oversight, and he rightly informed me that due to the warm summer conditions, a lighter and more sessionable beer selection would be more appealing towards the punters, and this was rightly justified as scores of customers queued up for beers. Moreover, for a pub beer festival its none to surprising why they can only manage a relatively small selection of beers given the limited resources, space and money which they can allocate towards this, and in these trying financial times we should be grateful for what we get. Although this beer festival may not attract the die-hard real ale specialist or a snooty craft beer guzzler, this festival had a genial and community feel to the proceedings, the atmosphere was enjoyable and the beer selection was decent and the ideal backdrop to spending a pleasant Summer Sunday afternoon, if only more pubs could follow this example, we’d all be better off as a result.

Ealing Beer Festival 2024

Earlier this month, I trekked to the depths of west London in search of the elusive Ealing Beer Festival; tucked away in Walpole Park nestled on the edge of town, it was difficult to find without having to rely on my trusty map. Now in its 33rd iteration, beer festivals have been held in Ealing since 1987, when the first one dubbed 'Beers on Broadway' was held at Ealing Town Hall, after a brief detour to Acton in 1989, it came back to Ealing the following year, and despite a few gaps in-between, a beer festival has been held on an annual basis every Summer. Since 2008, the festival has been held at Walpole Park, following the radical decision in the previous year to make it an outdoor event, the area itself is held within an enclosed space within the park grounds surrounding the central bar area, appropriately covered under a circus tent to avoid any risk from potential adverse weather conditions. The tent space is neatly divided in to four bars, along with separate mini-bars for low alcohol, cider & perry, as well as a keg bar; the latter example is a rising feature at CAMRA beer festivals, which I've encountered several times on my travels over the past few years. Although this is a welcome development since a number of independent breweries are now experimenting with keg beers, this is potentially controversial issue as this flies in the face on what CAMRA stands for, giving support to the perseverance and preservation to the UK's extensive cask ale producing industry, so any move towards keg has understandably been met with consternation from some of the membership. Another interesting feature to this was the inclusion of the low alcohol bar, over the past decade low and no alcohol beers have increased in popularity as people (especially the 18-24 age group) has embraced lower ABV alternatives, which is perhaps a reflection on growing health awareness and the decline in the pub drinking culture among the young, as they eschew the time-honoured traditions of the older generations, who would typically head down to the local boozer following a long day at the office.

The festival runs over four days, typically in July and always before GBBF, though since the latter is currently on hiatus this year, it means this festival has by default become the highest profile Summer
beer festival to be held in London this year. The festival primarily boasts beers from London and home counties, in particular Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Berkshire, although examples from breweries based further afield are also represented. Now, the expression, closing the barn-door after the horse has bolted often follows me when I visit beer festivals as I tend to visit them on the final day. This is somewhat ill-conceived and a poison chalice as I often miss out on the more interesting beers on offer, including the elusive limited edition festival specials of legend. So rather predictably on the day I visited with my friend (and fellow real ale enthusiast) Andy, only a quarter of the total beers were still available on tap, this severely put a dent into our plans and we were left with the grim reality of having to scavenge for the last remaining scraps in the barrel, if you pardon the pun. Fortunately, there was just enough choice, to try beers from several different beer styles, which I often aim to do when attending beer festivals. The first beer I tried was Golding Bitter (4.1%) by Kent Brewery, it as rather hoppy with a notable bitterness that hit the tastebuds at full throttle upon first sip, it was complimented with a dry mouthfeel that was counteracted by the distinctive malt forward background that helped extenuate the compelling use of Goldings hops, which the brew is keen to celebrate, despite its low ABV it's ingenious use of flavourings helped make it stronger than its official strength would suggest. Moving on, I quickly noticed that the selection of Stouts and Porters were in low supply, so after sampling a few that were remaining I settled on Choco (5.8) by Stardust Brewery, a chocolate stout by nature it was a veritable celebration of this iconic sweet which would equally appeal to those with a sweet-tooth and fans of darker ales alike. Fortunately, in this case, the beer didn't fall into the trap of those overly flavoured and profoundly sickly pastry stouts that dominate the market at the moment, in this instance the brewers have put out all the stops to make this a memorable drink. Rather appropriately for a stout, it was strong, with potent flavours of roasted malt, hints of chocolate, coffee and berry fruits, with traces of butterscotch running through the palate. On the aroma front, although I could detect a profound whiff of chocolate, there was intriguing vanilla hint going on in the fringes. Moreover, the mouthfeel was heavy and cloying, although it lacked creaminess which would have made the beer more luscious. There was a profound sense of strength going on with brew, which is definitely not the type to be drinking several in a session, unless you intend to get absolutely smashed. For the third brew of the day, I headed 'oop North' to sample Rocket (4.8%) by Manchester based brewery Marble. Named the iconic steam locomotive that carried the first regular passenger rail service (between Manchester - Liverpool) in 1830, as a train enthusiast I was keen to try this. Unfortunately, in my case I encountered neither soot or smoke in the brew, as it was a rather typical northern style best-bitter boasting an amber-gold appearance with a gentle hoppiness, balanced by a sweet-malt background. It was a rather easy-drinking beer despite its strength, although the lack of head put a dent into detecting any excess flavourings that may have been hiding in the barrel. It was far from impressive, as the flavours seemed trundle along at a low speed without hitting the mark by the time it reached it terminus.

At beer festivals, I typically go for at least one strong ale, amidst all the golden ales, porter, stouts and bitters that I typically try. IPA is usually a typical draw, as they are usually more common at festivals than their other strong-armed counterparts, and since it was the final day of the festival there was not much to choose from that at this point, other than an IPA or a low-level imperial stout measuring at 7.8%! With my appetite now on the wane, following a starched filled lunch of dosas and crispy bhajia, I settled for the IPA instead, which came in the form of From the Wave (6.4%) by Iron Pier, a Margate based brewery which I had become familiar with following my research into Kent's extensive green-hop beer industry. Rather predicably for an IPA of this class, it was packed full of tropical fruits, with strong citrussy aromas and flavourings that seeped through the tastebuds, there was a good smattering of hops in the background, although it was evenly balanced with a malty backbone, that boasted hints of caramel like sweetness, which provided a decent counterpoint to the action. Profoundly amber in colour like a tropical sunset, this brew boasted plenty of strength, yet the balance of flavours prevented it from being too overwhelming for the senses. Evening was setting in by this point, and with the last crumbs of energy, I decided to go north of the border for my final libation of the day, and sampled some Hurricane Jack (4.4%) by Fyne Ales. A session style blonde ale, it was more of a light breeze than a hurricane when it came to flavour, it was rather biscuity, light with hints of citrus swirling in the heather, it was lightly hopped and notably refreshing in its mouthfeel. There was not much going with this beer, which proved to be a disappointment, but by this point in the day in my depleted state, I was not too concerned trying to go for stronger and heavily hopped beers, so the brew easily served it’s purpose.  

 

My festival experience was rather mixed, since we attended on the last day, the lack of beers that were still available, severely put a dent on the proceedings, as I was keen to beers from a variety of styles, in particular brown and red ales which had all but run dry by this time. My waning, starch filled appetite was also increasingly having an effect, and with each successive drink, I found it increasingly hard to digest. So, if your new and inexperienced at the game of attending beer festivals, I would advise you attend on the first or second day, as there will be a wider array of beers available to choose from. I also advise against having a big meal before the proceedings, and eat in moderation between drinks, a trusty bag of crips or a protein filled snack is quite advisable, as it doesn't affect the appetite and helps settle the stomach which is crucial if you intend on sampling several drinks over the course of the day. As a location it was bit difficult to get to, and its alfresco park-based setting is a tad-orthodox, so if your seeking comfort I would advise you bring a blanket and a foldable chair along, if you don't want your behind covered in grass and dirt. As a festival I didn't really rate it, although attending on the last day severely put a dent on my judgement with the lack of beers remaining, yet being ever the intrepid explorer, it was a yet another festival to add to my growing bucket list.