The Black IPA Gold Rush - Part 2

The year 2013 proved a bountiful harvest of success for Black IPAs, early that year Bowness flocked in with Swan Black (4.6%) which the brewery noted as a deliciously Black IPA that has a start-to-finish hoppy magnificence; rich chocolate sweetness along with subtle citrus and grassy notes. This beer subsequently joined their core range where it continues to be sold in both cask and bottle. In February, Saltaire Brewery released Kala (6.2%), described as having smooth roasted character and a big American hop presence, it was showcased at the Bradford Beer Festival that month; initially available in cask and bottle on a limited basis, its ensuing popularity led it to being added to the brewery’s core range and go onto win a number of awards.[1] Meanwhile, Great Heck Brewing debuted Black Jesus (6.5%), a potent mix brewed with large quantities of premium American hops and special dehusked German roasted malt. Villabone noted it as “burnt, hoppy, fruity, it’s all there. The taste, or aftertaste is of burnt or roasted coffee, but leaving a slight metal taste. It starts light and fresh, piney, fruity, then the second journey is the dark, roasted malts, coffee part. The carbonation is slight. The aftertaste is dry, and it stays.”[2] It became of one of their best-selling products, winning a multitude of awards including World’s Best Label at World Beer Awards 2014 and Huddesfield CAMRA Oktoberfest 2016: Silver (Strong Bitter of the Festival). Meanwhile, the Hop Studio produced Obsidian (5%), brewed with an abundance of Galaxy, Chinook, Centennial and Columbus hops, at a beer tasting event held at St. Lukes Church, Leeds that May, judges sampled both Scottish and Yorkshire beers. Hop Studio’s new Obsidian Black IPA beat Fyne Ales’ Vital Spark 69-20 votes. In July, Elland released Black Eden (4.2%), an alternative version of their pale ale Eden (4.2%), using the same hops (Cascade & Chinook) but with added Wyerman’s black malt to the brew. The following month, Real Ale Craft Beer collaborated with Sharp’s to produce Black Rock IPA (4.2%), a limited-edition release, it was initially brewed as a pale ale before dark malt was added later in the mashing process. Head brewer Simon Howe described it at the time, “this new brew, a blackened IPA, has a strident citrus and pithy bitterness in the finish, it’s dry and moreish. Black Rock IPA is full and hoppy with an alluring look. It has an intense citrus hop and sweet fruits taste which is set to thrill cask beer drinkers with the flavours of warmer climes.”[3] Sticking to the collaboration theme, on 13^th October 2013, Brewdog released 12 beers produced through collaborations with other UK breweries, three of which were Black IPAs from the likes of Arbor Ales, Fyne Ales and Buxton. On the awards front, Conqueror 1075 (7.3%) won SIBA National 2013 – Best Bottled Beer (Silver), Black Jesus (6.5%) was awarded beer of the festival in Selby, Stewart Brewing gained another gong for their Black IPA (5%) winning International Beer Challenge 2013 – Silver, for the second consecutive year, and Raven (6.6%) continued to build on its growing number of awards, winning three that year including World Beer Awards 2013 – World’s Best Black IPA, Great Taste Awards 2013 – 2 stars, and The Dublin Craft Beer Cup 2013 – Silver, respectively. As another fruitful year came to a close, Tempest Brewing Co. released the appropriately titled In the Dark We Live (7.3%), an Imperial Black IPA which the brewery described as a hybrid beer - IPA by attitude, porter by appearance, very complex hop character compliments the rich and dark malts. Featuring a dizzying flavour profile of Mosaic, Simcoe, Columbus hops blended with Golden Promise, Munich and Caraf malts, it became widely sold across Europe, including countries like Spain and Italy. As 2014 began, Brains announced a collaboration with Jonny Garrett from the Craft Beer Channel where they developed Black Mountain (5%) released through their newly launched Brains Craft Brewery.[4] Flavour and aroma were on high on the cards, Summit and Apollo hops were initially brewed, then it was dry hopped with Citra, Amarillo, Summit, Apollo and Pacifica for added flavours and aromas. It also featured a complex malt bill, including Premium Ale malt for body, along with Munich, Crystal and Extra for additional caramel and roasted flavours, rounded off with Chocolate Malt for colour. Once described as a battle between hops and malt, Simon Martin elaborated “after them nice vinous almost grapey malts with the coffee, chocolate and caramel, the hops come back into play.”[5] Later that month on the 23^rd, Mad Hatter Brewing debuted Hare of Darkness (7.4%), it was described as a hoppy winter ale and an even stronger 8% bottled version was later produced, sold in 330ml bottles.  In this instance Black IPAs are also quite versatile, as Sophie Atherton adds “Black IPA is also a year-round brew. Appropriately dark in winter months and refreshing in summer thanks to their massive hop character.”[6] Sticking to the puns, Blackjack Brew Co. released Black Maria (5.8%) in cask and bottle, named after a slang word for a police van that used to transport prisoners, appropriately in tribute to its US links, the beer was steeped in Columbus hops. Beer Manchester memorably noted it as “medium to full-bodied, the slightly spiky carbonation helps the hop flavours stay to the fore in this. There is a distinct background note of bitter roast coffee which remains throughout, daring you to have Another mouthful. But the fruitiness draws you back in.”[7] Meanwhile, Brecon upped the ante with Mind Bleach (10%), which the brewery noted as a Little Voice in the Head remover! Black as Sin, immensely aromatic and dangerously drinkable; this robust brew would become one of their most successful products, winning a slew of awards in the ensuing years. At the time, ‘Peaky Blinders’ was fast becoming one of the most popular shows on TV, Sadlers cashed in on the popularity with Peaky Blinder (4.4%). Ale Be Seeing You described it as “the first sip reminds you it's an IPA with a big hit of citrus but more orange than lemon as it's not bitter at all.  The roasted malts jump in next together with some sweet treacle and liquorice and ending on a slightly dry note.” Initially created as a one-off release, it quickly became popular with punters, which prompted the brewery to add it to its main range, incidentally it was later sold at the Black County Museum where the series was filmed. With the slew of Black IPAs appearing on the market, this prompted Roger Protz to issue a withering response “a final word on IPA: if you’re tempted, please don’t brew something called Black IPA. As the great American brewer and beer writer Garrett Oliver said on the subject: “Don’t get me started”. In other words, which part of India PALE Ale do you not understand? Black IPA is absurd and an insult to history.”[8] In response to his controversial comment, Steel City Brewing developed Protz Pleasure (5.3%), created as a wry dig directed at Protz, the bottle label and pump clip even featured a transcript of Protz comments where he labelled Black IPAs as an oxymoronic name that doesn’t exist. Later that June, Protz was more favourable towards Black IPAs when Hawkshead collaborated with supermarket retailer Booths, featuring four limited released beers sold as part of their Beer and Cider Festival which took place in its 29 stores from the 18 June – 15 July. One of these beers was Booths Black IPA (4.6%), which Protz described it as “Booths Black IPA is dark in colour but surprisingly light and refreshing on the palate, with aromas of tropical fruit and resinous pine,”[9] perhaps his opinion on Black IPAs had shifted? By this time, Black IPAs were being produced across the world, including countries like Sweden, Ireland, Spain and the Czech Republic; Brewdog bridged that gulf when they developed CapDog (9%), produced in collaboration with Swedish craft brewery CAP, initiated as part of their Development Fund 2014 to help up and coming breweries. Moreover, innovation was also on the cards, when Staggeringly Good released Extinction (5.7%) which was released in two versions, red cap for smoked and black cap with scotch bonnet chillies, if that wasn’t hot enough, in 2018 a special version brewed with Carolina Reaper chillers, making it one of the spiciest beers ever made.

 

2015 continued with the spate of releases, in March, Salopian unveiled Aphelion (5.5%) in both cask and bottle. Noted for its minimalistic bottle/ pump clip design, it was initially brewed for a Wetherspoons Beer Festival with English hops, however it wasn’t deemed hoppy enough so it was tinkered with and subsequently dry-hopped with US hops for added flavour and aromas. Described as a beautifully balanced black beer, with hints of mocha, dark fruits and ripe berries replete with piney aromas, its flavour profile confounded some, the Ormskirk Baron described it as “the weird thing about this beer, that its essentially a Porter, so its got that warming, slightly chocolaty, slightly sweet flavours and then its got this severe, really in your face hop, and very piney, which coats your tongue. Its almost like two beers in one.”[10] Meanwhile, Three Fiends Brewhouse based in Holmfirth (deep in Summer Wine country) debuted Dark Side (5.3%), the brewery described it as being brewed with a mix of American hops which, with chocolate malt, gives it a smooth chocolatey start, leading to an increasingly bitter finish; sold in both cask and bottle, it remains to this day part of their regular range. Vocation joined in the fray with Divide & Conquer (6.5%), CAMRA described it as having roast malt aroma and taste giving way to a hoppy and vinous mouthfeel, with a smooth and slightly sweet finish. Simon Martin poetically described it as slap round the chops from the hops, elaborating “that big bold rash punch in the face bitterness that you get from this beer. It’s big, its grapefruity, there’s some mango in there, and then you’ve got this big cat rasping on the curtains of the inside of your mouth of bitterness, it’s clawing at you. It’s great and that’s how I like it.”[11] If that wasn’t strong enough, Buxton came out with of their strongest beers yet, with the appropriately named Battle Horse (10.5%), meanwhile, on the more sessionable front Elgood’s released in bottle Cambridge IPA Dark/ Black (4.7%) a dark coloured variant of their established Cambridge IPA (4.7%). Unlike most Black IPAs that take influence from the US, this beer was based on a traditional English IPA recipe. Postcard Publications described it as “this beer pours almost black due to the addition of roast barley.  It has a fruity aroma and a smooth roasted tasted.  This is something of a hybrid beer, not quite a stout but more than a bitter.”[12] In June, Abbeydale unveiled their Signature series of beers that featured recipes from brewers and their pubs, one of these releases was Black Majik (6.3%) which came out in September, produced by Jonathan Stevens, it was described as a generously hopped Black IPA with upfront bitterness and chocked full of flavour. Later that same year, Greene King (one of the UK’s largest independent breweries) unveiled Black IPA (4.5%). Brewed with Simcoe and Citra hops for a lip-smacking finish, this was perhaps a sign that Black IPAs were finally hitting the mainstream. Later that November, Cardiff based brewer Mad Dog released It’s All Propaganda (5%), a Black IPA brewed with dark malts but curiously without any roast flavours, it notably featured an unusual hop combination of Kazbek from the Czech Republic, and Sorachi Ace from Japan. This unusual flavour profile confounded reviewers, Alcohol and Aphorisms described it as “the finish especially feels quite roasted stout like, sure, but the first sip is more than malt base mixed with fresh lemongrass and a kind of lemon milkshake creaminess, followed by a nice hop punch. You are always very much aware of the darker set of notes, so your tastebuds feel slightly confused as it tries to reconcile a lemon-creamy notes with bitter chocolate and hoppiness.”[13] As 2016 crept into view, change was afoot as the rush to produce Black IPAs had started to trail off. In March that year, St Peter’s launched their crafted range, a unique selection of craft ales and ciders, showcasing the skills of the brewers. One of these initial releases was Crafted Black IPA (7%), which Steve Groves, head brewer at St. Peters described it as “the Rioja of Black IPAs”, despite being heavily hopped like a traditional IPA, it had a sweeter flavour that cut through the bitterness. The Brewer’s Journal noted it as “the 7% beer offers a hint of “raisins, sultanas, sloes and damsons and has an aroma of dark chocolate with vanilla notes” according to the brewery,” this beer would go onto win a slew of awards over the next two years. On 26^th August, Staggeringly Good debuted Dawn Stealer (5.2%), heavily hopped with Amarillo, Cascade and Chinook, it also featured a mixture of Pale and Carafa Special No.3 malts. It was described as having notes of dark berries with rich noted malts. The same month, St Albans based brewery Farr Brew released Black Listed IBA (4.5%), which they initially brewed the historic pub Ye Olde Fighting Cocks based in the same town. It was brewed with three types of malt and along with a combination of British and American hops for a smoky, well-rounded and punchy flavour. This beer proved popular enough for the brewery to reissue it in both bottle and can on a regular basis. The following month, Wily Fox debuted their Black Pearl (4.9%) in cask, made with Carafa Special malt along with a mixture of American and Slovenian hops, it was notably described as a hop symphony of jet black velvety smooth, intense coffee and chocolate flavours; it quickly gained a popular following and was subsequently sold in bottle and keg; subsequently at the SIBA North West Awards 2017 it was awarded Gold (Small Pack Premium Bitters & Pale Ales). Yet by the time of its release, the clamour for Black IPAs had started to wear thin as new styles like NEIPA, Milkshake IPA and Hazy IPA were emerging into view and becoming popular. Jonny Garret puts this into perspective “New England IPA removed the classical IPAs bitterness, and offered the nostalgic, comforting flavors of childhood candy. The new style’s opaque, golden color also meant it was Instagram-ready, just as the app’s popularity was climbing.”[14] The rush of releases had all but subsided to a trickle, fulfilling Garrett Oliver’s prophecy that Black IPAs were just a passing fad. In the ever-changing commercial landscape Black IPAs were drowned out in the rush to produce paler IPAs that eschewed astringency and bitterness, instead focussed on glossy, colourful and sweet flavours, favoured by a new generation of drinkers.

 

The brief popularity of Black IPA coincided with the ‘IPA of all Colours’ movement during the early 2010’s, where a wide range of IPA’s ranging from Red IPA, DIPA, Brut IPA and Triple IPA for instance, became momentarily popular with consumers. As soon as this period of rampant innovation in craft brewing ceased, so did the appeal of Black IPA. Garrett sums up the demise of Black IPA as a buzzword for a failed trend, he adds “Black IPA is also shorthand for experimentation and passion without the influence of commercialization. It’s an embodiment of that old craft cliche: that brewers brew what they like and are just delighted when it sells. To some, the disappearance of the style could be seen as the end of that era of innocence.”[14] Yet, New Trail Brewing argues “despite this, the style has maintained a loyal following and continues to be brewed by those who appreciate the unique interplay of roasted malts and high-hop flavor.”[15] The evidence can be clear to see, over the past decade there have been a number of successful Black IPAs that have come on the scene like Kviek (6.5%) - Artefact Brewing, which gets its name from the use of Kviek yeast in the brewing process, since appearing on the scene in February 2021, it has won multiple of plaudits including two great taste awards, SIBA National 2021 – Gold (Imperial IPA), SIBA National 2022 – Bronze (Imperial IPA), SIBA East 2024 – Bronze (Speciality Keg IPA) and more recently SIBA National 2025- Gold (Speciality IPA) for instance. Likewise, Black Tiger (4.8%) following its debut in March 2023, has become popular with punters, later that same year it received Untappd Community Awards 2023 – Bronze and more recently SIBA Wales & West 2024 – Gold (Specialty IPA category). It was subsequently shortlisted for the final competition at Liverpool BeerX which took place last month. Building on their popularity, these beers have found their way into the respective brewery’s core ranges indeed there are a number of regularly brewed Black IPAs out there, including After Dark (4.8%) – Kelchner’s and Trawler’s Dread (5.4%) – Tenby Harbrwr, even more established family brewers like Hook Norton have jumped onto the bandwagon with the likes of Crafty Fox (4.8%), initially a cask only beer when it first appeared in 2018, it was sold in bottle from 2020 onwards and is now a frequent fixture on their books, described as a beer that looks like a stout, but tastes like an IPA, it features a hefty mixture of five hops and double roasted malt[16], which Simon Martin recently described “that’s a proper Black IPA, with small hints of a hoppy stout.”[17] And the likes of Elusive Brewing regularly pump out Black IPAs including Vortex (5%), Midnight Oregon Trail (5.8%), Stand Up and Be Counted (5.2%) and Alone in the Dark (5.8%) over recent years. Black IPAs have even made their way onto supermarket shelves, in May 2022, Black Sheep launched Cry Wolf (5%) which was retailed across Tesco stores, which the brewery notably described in their promotions as “a fierce bite of roasted malt fused with the gnarly, tropical bitterness of new world hops.”[18] All Hail to the Beer described it at the time as “it’s pithy bitterness with little hints of sweet pineapple, then bang, bitter roasted malt, coffee which is quite intense.”[19] Later that October Painting Shadows (5%) – Loch Lomond,  was sold in cans across the UK at Lidl superstores as part of their month long beer festival, along with several other their products including Odin’s Beard (5%) and Southern Summit (4%) respectively. And last October, Badger debuted Outland Black IPA (5%), retailed as part of the brewery’s Outland range of ‘mainstream craft’ beers produced exclusively in cans, which since launching in 2023, the Beer Guild notes “the Outland brand is now listed with four of the ‘Big 5′ multiple grocers (supermarkets) in a total of 2,200 stores.”[20] They have also gained a number of awards through this range and it has vastly increased their profits.[21] Even as recently as February, the likes of Chiltern released the wryly named Malt-easer (5%) as part of their small batch brew series, combining the punchy aromas and flavours of new world hops (Amarillo and Eureka) with complex dark roasted malts including Carafa Special, oats & roasted barley. These examples prove that Black IPAs isn’t just a preserve for craft breweries, as it finds it way further into the mainstream. Coming full circle in early 2023, Abbeydale belatedly rebranded Black Mass (6.66%) as a Black IPA, despite for years commentators have quoted it tasting like an IPA, despite not being marketed as one. This unexpected pioneer continues to be an ambassador for the Black IPA movement in the UK, recently winning gongs including SIBA Independent Beer Awards 2022 – Gold (Regional Bottle/ Can – Speciality IPA), SIBA North East Beer – Gold (Speciality IPA) in both 2023 and 2024, and more recently Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2025 – Silver (Barley Wines and Strong Ales). Despite fading from prominence a decade ago, brewers continue to brew Black IPA, Jeremy Furzy sums this up “no matter what we call it, it appears the black IPA is here to stay — and I think this should be a celebrated development. It has thrust itself onto the craft beer landscape because it offers the best characteristics of several different ales in one beer.”[22] Since they first appeared on the scene in the early 90’s, Black IPAs have showcased the very best hallmarks of the brewers’ skills and despite all the criticism and tribulations these beers have faced, they have triumphed over adversity, and continue to thrive through the hoppy darkness.

List of References

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[1] Kala (6.2%) has won a multitude of awards including International Dark Beer Competition 2017 – Championship Winner, International Brewing Awards – Gold (Dark Beer 5.8%-6.9%) and World Beer Awards 2017 – Silver.

[2] Great Heck Black Jesus 6.5%, Villabone beer and testing Blog, 17^th May 2014

[3] Sharps Black Rock IPA, Beer Menus

[4] Jonny Garrett, Brewing Our Black Mountain IPA, The Craft Beer Channel, 21^st January 2014

[5] Simon Martin, Black Mountain Black IPA By Brains Craft Brewery & The Craft Beer Channel, Real Ale Craft Beer, 23^rd January 2014

[6] Sophie Atherton, Why I love… Black IPA, A FemAle View on Beer & Pubs, 17^th July 2017

[7] Bottled Beers – July 2015 – Pt 2, Beers Manchester, 11^th July 2015

[8] Roger Protz, Beer: the future is flavour, Protz on Beer, 26^th February 2014

[9] Roger Prtoz, Craft beers head for Booths summer fest, Protz on Beer, 19^th June 2014

[10] Salopian Aphelion, The Ormskirk Baron, 2^nd June 2015

[11] Simon Martin, Vocation Brewery Divide & Conquer Black IPA | Yorkshire Craft Beer Review, Real Ale Craft Beer, 26^th January 2016

[12] Craft Beers: Enjoy Elgood's Beer, Postcard Publications

[13] Tasting Notes: Mad Dog: It’s All Propaganda, Alcohol and Aphorisms, 17^th December 2016

[14] Jonny Garrett, Darkest Before the Dawn — The Unlikely Return of Black IPA, Good Beer Hunting, 6^th April 2021

[15] What is Black IPA? New Trail Brewing

[16] Crafty Fox (4.8%) features an extensive array of ingredients, five hops are from the UK and the US are used (including Willamette, US Cascade, Mosaic, UK Chinook and Amarillo), along three types of malt (including Pale, Double Roasted Crystal and Carafa), an impressive scoresheet for a Black IPA.

[17] Simon Martin, Hook Norton Crafty Fox Black IPA Review , Hook Norton Brewery , Oxfordshire Real Ale Review, Real Ale Craft Beer, 18^th November 2024

[18] Cry Wolf: Our New Black IPA, Black Sheep Brewery, 30^th May 2022

[19] Black Sheep – Cry Wolf Review, All Hail to the Ale, 11^th September 2022

[20] Outland embraces the dark side with the launch of Black IPA, The British Guild of Beer Writers, 21^st October 2024

[21] The brewery has also sold cans of their Outland beers at various music festivals.

[22] Jermey Furzy, The Birth and Rise of the Black IPA, Medium, 15^th April 2015

Autumn Almanac

As the leaves change colour and the nights draw in, the changes in our preferences of beer comes in with the change of season. Gone are the light bodied, refreshing pale ales of the those long hot Summer days gone by and instead our preference shifts to darker, fuller bodied and stronger ales. Autumn traditionally is a time to bring in the harvest, and to prepare for the long Winter ahead, this is also reflected in our choice of beverages, in particular beer. Mark Dredge once summed this up “Autumn beers are all about evoking the richness of the harvest, spices, orchards and smoke to a backdrop of hearty reds and browns.” Up and down the country brewers have experimented with autumnal ales with varying degrees of success, whilst the majority play it safe with bitters and red ales, occasionally there have been examples that have strayed from the norm and in turn challenged the very notion of what we deem an Autumn beer.

 

Around this time of year, when we come across an autumnal themed beer in a pub, we usually associate it with amber coloured bitters or red ales that are reasonably sessionable, yet profoundly malty in flavour with strong hints of berry fruits and a noticeable bitterness on a back end. A classic example of this is Autumn Red (4.4% - Twickenham Fine Ales), a spicy red ale with fruity undertones, notes of caramel, roasted malt and a floral aroma from the use of Willamette hops. The elements that go into this beer from the colour to the flavour is typical of what we associate with Autumn beers, even its namesake (Autumn Red) is commonly used by other brewers, with the likes of Portobello and Caledonian utilizing such a name in the past. The use of malts such as a caramel and rye malt play a large part in this, from the likes of Cooper Beech (4.4% - Chiltern) with sweetish and malty flavour profile with hints of burnt orange to Old Goose (4.5% - Evan Evans) that uses rye malt and late boil WGV and Goldings hops to help give its distinct fruit and chocolaty flavours. The likes of Canberra (4% - Windsor & Eton) takes this even further, it is produced with a complex grain bill of five different malts along with New World hops (including Sauvin and Galaxy) and along with a dash of maple syrup, to add to its elaborate cast of flavours. Likewise Autumn Bank (4% - Small World Beers) similarly has a complex charge sheet, a copper red Autumal brew developed with a trio of hops, including Chinook, Cascade and Columbus, that help gives the beer its hoppy edge along with hints of pine and fruitiness, whilst the malts impart notes of caramel and biscuit. Whilst the likes of Charter (4% - Bishop Nick) a ruby ale notable for its bold flavours of blackcurrant, chocolate and warming spices, that stem from the trip of British hops used in the mix including Bramling Cross, Cascade and Olicana. Even more recently released examples like Autumn Ways (4.2% - Hook Norton) and Selby in Autumn (4% - Jolly Sailor)  have cottoned onto this classic formula, producing ruby ales with a multifarious blend of hops that help impart distinctive flavours including orange zest and spices, imparted with a distinct roasted bitterness that help echo the spirit of the season, as people traditionally look for  stronger and more robust flavours as the weather turns colder, while they compensate for lack of sun.

 

In this mad rush to produce seasonal autumn-themed ales, it has come to no surprise that the bigger brewing giants of the scene have muscled in to get a slice of that commercial pie. Sold on an annual basis since 2008, Bonkers Conkers (4.1% - Greene King) has become an established favourite in the brewery’s varied repertoire; a deep amber-brown coloured beer highly reminiscent of a Conker, it is developed using an elaborate array of ingredients that include five different hops (Admiral, Pilgrim, Goldings, First Gold, Fuggles and  Bramling Cross, along a trio of malts including Pale Malt, Crystal Malt and Amber Malt. Despite its sessionable later, the array of ingredients have created a flavourful beer that the British Guild of Beer Writers once proclaimed “Bonkers Conkers is a complex beer, ideal for the start of the autumn months, with fruit aromas set against biscuity malt that adds body and warmth to the beer. There is also fragrant notes of blackcurrant, lemon and orange, in this brilliantly crafted cask ale.” The brewery says it an ideal food pairing with hearty stews and pumpkin pie, for a while it was even sold bottle to cater for this market. Meanwhile, the likes of Late Red (4.5% - Shepherd Neame) have become an established seasonal favourite at the brewery’s fleet of public houses across the south-east. Sold between September – October, it is a definitive example of what we deem an autumnal themed beer, pale and gently kilned crystal malt help give its distinctive crimson-red hue, whilst time-honoured British hops (including Cascade and Goldings) are thrown into the brew, which are then triple hopped to help give its distinctive edge. This elaborate development process has gained plaudits from the industry, Beer Today notably described it as “complex and full-flavoured, this seasonal ale forges a balance between rich, dark malt flavours, and a citrussy hop finish.” Like their contemporaries at Greene King, this elusive seasonal number is exclusively sold at their tied pubs, although it has appeared at the odd beer festival and even infrequently appeared in bottle form, for a chance to savour it the year round. The same can be said for Red Fox (4.3% - Fullers) which has been ticking by as back as 1999, tawny red in colour with a tuft of a tan-coloured head much like the distinctive markings of its foxy namesake. The beer has been invariably described as sweet and profoundly malty, with a fruit aroma that wafts through its creamy-rich mouthfeel. This is made possible through it elaborate array of ingredients, that include four different malts including Crystal 400, Pale Ale, Chocolate, Pinhead oats and Golden naked oats, along with a dash of Challenger hops thrown in for good measure.

 

Occasionally though, brewers have strayed away from the classic formula that is deemed a typical Autumn beer. For example the likes of Dark Nights Porter (5% - Jolly Sailor) is a notable outsider, it uses a mixture of chocolate and brown malts for flavour, with hints of coffee, and a dash of Fuggles hops, and rather unusually for an autumnal beer it is even sold in bottle. Speckled Wood (4.5% - Great Newsome) is another example of an un-characteristic dark Autumnal beer, combining bitter notes of dark chocolate with soothing aromas of honey, whilst north of the border, Cairndow based brewery Fyne Ales have recently released Wulver (4.5%) an oatmeal stout inspired from the legendary creature of Scottish folk-law, a kindly wolf-headed creature known for its strength and generosity, which is reflected in its distinctive flavour-profile which combine a mellow creamy mouthfeel imbued with a distinctive roasted malt background comprised from five different malts. Although we tend to associate autumnal beers as sessionable, there is the odd example that bucks that trend like Bonfire Boy (5.8% - Harvey’s); produced traditionally for the Bonfire Night celebrations, its genesis was inspired by the incident in 1996 when the local fire service helped rescue the brewery from a major fire.  In tribute to there endeavours, later that year they released Firecracker which was subsequently renamed under its present guise. The beer is the perfect embodiment of Bonfire Night, with its deep dark-amber colours, a fully malty palate and its distinctive smokey aftertaste that comes through the small quantity of black malt used in the mix. Daniel Etherington described it as “It’s a smooth, full-bodied beer, confident in its 5.8% strength. It’s one of those beers that feels really substantial when you roll it around in your mouth, almost like eating an autumnal stew followed by a hot fruit pudding.” The beer has won a slew of awards over the years including Beer of the Festival – Worthing Beer Festival 2015, and Gold – Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival 2018 and most notably South East Sussex CAMRA: Beer of the Year 2019, and although it only seasonally sold in cask during November, it is available in bottle all year round. Meanwhile over on the end of IBU chart, there have been instances of pale and golden ales produced and marketed in this style, like Mythicale (4.3% - Rudgate) pale gold in colour, it combines tropical summer fruits with subtle autumnal spices,  whilst across the Pennines the likes of J.W. Lees and Cloudwater have recently teamed up to produce Berry Falls (5%), a dark-gold ale made with a combination of Brewer’s Gold and Jester Hops, with a blend of berries that help impart a balanced bitterness to the concoction along with delicate floral notes and a refreshing twist. Moreover, established examples like Equinox (4.3% - Everards) which has been sold seasonally since the early Noughties, is a classic golden ale with a subtle hop character and distinctive hints of mature fruits coming through on the backend, it gets its name since it is traditionally released around the Autumn Equinox when day and night is at equal lengths. Meanwhile, recently the likes of Toffee Apple Ale (5% - Hog’s Back) have sent drinkers into a whirl of confusion by bending the boundaries between beer and cider, through producing an ale that is brewed with fresh apples from the orchards at Thatcher’s Cidery; deep amber in colour, it has been described by a brewery as a well-rounded bitter with rich caramel overtones, which seemingly echo the experience of eating a toffee apple by a roaring bonfire.

 

Autumnal themed beers come in all manner of guises, colours and styles. Although they are traditionally seen as sessionable amber-red coloured ales with a rich malty and hop-forward palate, there are a number of darker coloured, pale and stronger examples out there to sample. Yet they all share one common theme, taking advantage of well-rounded flavours of warming spices and fruits that help echo the spirit of the season. Indeed, Autumnal themed beers are a direct descendent of the legacy of the stronger, darker and more fuller bodied beers that breweries traditionally produced such as Burton Ales, that would appeal to punters as the weather got cold colder. Yet despite all these, Autumn Beers are a woefully small bunch, only a cluster of breweries around the country produced these beers, and even then they are usually limited to be sold locally or being sold through brewery tied pubs, owned by the likes of Fullers, Shepherd Neame and Greene King for instance. Furthermore, since these beers are seasonal, they are normally available for only a short period, which makes finding them as difficult as locating a rare sighting of the lesser spotted Woodpecker. Yet, fortunately some breweries have taken advantage of their popularity with drinkers and have gone to the lengths of releasing bottled versions on limited release, given drinkers the opportunity to sample these beers long after the leaves have fallen. Overall, whatever your tipple is this Autumn, should you manage to sample one of these beers out there, hopefully you’ll be able to experience Autumn in a glass.

The Return of Table Beer

On 1st May this year, Harvey’s announced that they would be renaming the following beers Mild (3%) and IPA (3.4%) to Dark Mild (3%) and Sisters Table Beer (3.4%). The latter move was significant, as Harvey’s became the first major regional brewer to include a table beer in their range, which up to that point over the preceding decade was the preserve of microbreweries and small-scale independents. When pressed on the decision for the name change, the brewery’s marketing manager Zoe Prescott noted, “the decision to transition to the Table Beer style name is rooted in evolving consumer tastes. Table Beers offer a light, easy-drinking experience with an ABV ranging between 2.8% and 3.8%. This adjustment better aligns Sisters Table Beer with contemporary preferences, while our Wharf IPA continues to cater to those seeking bolder, hoppier flavours.”[1] This change in consumer tastes has facilitated the resurrection of Table Beers in recent years, yet the move by Harvey’s could widely be seen as a marketing strategy to encourage higher sales for their session level beers. When describing session beer, Martyn Cornell humorously quipped “it’s an important plank in British pub culture, the 4 per cent abv or less drink that enables the British pub goer to down multiple pints during the evening without falling over.”[2] Table Beers are not a specific beer style as such, they can range light blonde to dark with a gentle to moderate hoppy bitterness, traditionally they were brewed between 1%-2.5% ABV although there have been examples as high as 3.8%; indeed it could be argued that Table Beers are no different to the likes of Session IPA’s, Mild, AK, Bitter and Blonde Ales, which are generally brewed between 3-3.9% ABV, around the same level as your average Table Beer. Could the likes of beers like Hooky (3.4%), Trinity (3%), Lighthouse (3.4%), or Courage Light Ale (3.2%) be considered examples of Table Beers since they more or less fit into that category even-though they are not marketed a such, the recent marketing decision by Harvey’s has further diluted the chasm between Table Beer and other types of Session beers, are we on the precipice of a sudden rise of existing beers jumping onto the Table Beer bandwagon. Indeed it’s growing popularity could be seen as the next big thing to lure drinkers to beer, just like Golden Ales did back in the 1980’s, indeed, Taylor Laabs writing in 2017 just as the Table Beer craze was yet to take off in the UK, noted “table Beers are the next big variation of Session IPAs and Ales, as they provide all of the punch you’d expect from a hoppy session with an even lower alcohol content that borders on light beer status.”[3] To understand more Table Beer’s recent return to prominence, we need understand more about its history and how brewers produce such a low strength beer, without having to compromise on flavour.

 

The origins of the Table Beer are rather intriguing; indeed, it was another name for small beer which was generally brewed to a lower strength. It has been around since medieval times, and became quite popular in era before clean drinking water became commonplace in the population, as Table Beer was safter than drinking the unsanitary water that flowed through many towns and cities, often infected with all sorts of bugs and raw sewage. Brew Your Own notes “originally table beers were brewed to be consumed by the whole family with each meal (including breakfast). Beer was safer than water, but low alcohol was necessary to avoid both dehydration and perpetual drunkenness.”[4] This type of beer had a utilitarian aspect to it, as its low strength meant it could be drunk by a wider cast of the population, Ron Pattison notes “in the days before easy access to clean drinking water, Small Beer was the everyday drink of young and old. It was seen as a necessity, not a luxury.”[5] Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing noted “it was very much the drink of the working classes. Rustic table beers were sustenance for a life of toil, sweat, and tears. All were to partake, including servants when the upper classes later embraced table beer.”[6] Over time, table beers had become quite popular and became a mainstay in Europe and colloidal America, in the UK it had become so widespread that even well-known educational establishments like Eton College and Cambridge University were brewing their own table beers for their scholars, up until the 18th century small beer was the most commonly known drink in the general population, breweries generally developed Table Beer from a process was known as Parti-gyle, which consists of the second runnings from the brewing process, another method is to split the batch, dilute the first runnings, and the remaining mixture boil for longer, in order to produce a stronger beer, although sometimes other unscrupulous methods were used in the production of small/ Table Beer as a means of dodging tax such as brewing from unmalted barley. Its appeal was additionally helped by it’s low wholesale costs, in 1782 a barrel of table beer would only be taxed for 3 shillings per barrel, whilst a barrel of strong would be taxed at a comparatively high 8 shillings per barrel, so there was good economic sense for its prevalent usage. Yet by the 19th century, Table Beer was on the decline, as clean drinking water became increasingly available, the demand for small beer plummeted, and to make matters worse, Pattison notes “officially, the classification “Table Beer” disappeared in 1830, when the tax was shifted from finished beer to malt and hops. Though low-gravity beers continued to be brewed under the name of Table Beer, they gradually dwindled away in the second half of the 19th century.”[5] In the light of the tax changes, the big London brewers abandoned the production of table beers as there was no longer a tax incentive to brew weaker beer, although one intriguing outlier was Scotland, where table beer was brewed at a greater rate than their stronger equivalents and generally had a good reputation, brewers like William Younger and Maclay were still brewing table beers into the early 20th century. The reason for its demise, Pattison adds “ultimately, Table Beer was killed off by the rise of low-alcohol alternatives; first in the form of Dinner Ales and Light Bitters, beers of 4- to 4.5-percent ABV, which boomed in popularity from the 1860s on, and then by the drop in strength of standard beers after World War I.”[5] And what was once a popular and widespread beer style, it’s decline could either be seen as a tragic or an important stepping to stone to the development of latter-day beer styles like Bitter, Light Ale or Mild that were prevalent during the 20th century. The eventual resurrection of Table Beer would come from an unexpected source. 

 

The Kernel Brewery was set up in Bermondsey by former cheesemonger turned brewer Evan O’Riordan in 2009, operating from railway-arches initially using a four-barrel kit, he utilized the skills he had gathered as a cheesemonger and transferred this knowledge to brewing beer. Innovation was key to this drive, with early releases including Imperial Brown Stout (10.1%) borrowed from an 1856 Barclay Perkins recipe, India Pale Ale Black (6.5%) that blurred the boundaries between IPA and Porter, and Pale Ale Citra (5.1%) the first of many experiments with different types of hops. The early rumblings of a revival for Table Beer came from across the pond, during a visit to the US, brewer Phil Lowry sampled a 3% version of American Pale Ale by 21st Amendment Brewery. Upon his return to England, he developed Trinity (3%) at Redemption Brewery, which at the time was marketed as a session IPA. Spurned on by their success, Riordan produced Table Beer (2.9%) later that same year, which they subsequently described as an attempt to brew a low alcohol beer that did not suffer from lack body or character, yet full of hoppy aromas and a balanced bitterness. Lily Waite noted “though not the first low-ABV pale ale to emerge in the London scene, it’s regarded as a lodestar: a beacon of refreshment, balance, and flavour, to which brewers have long aspired.”[7] Yet it’s eventual success was slow to take off, as Riordan later remarked “Pale Ale was our most popular beer, and it took a long, long time for Table Beer to even pass IPA. Like, five years.”[7] Today, the beer has become of their best-known and flagship releases, as part of their core range, yet its eventual success was attributed by a change in consumer tastes. However, during the 2010’s these beers were seldom to come by as breweries continued to elude this style, and any low ABV was always marketed as a different style; one exception was Little Lenny (2.7%) released by Brick Brewery in 2015, it was promoted at the time as a Table Beer. They built on this in early 2018, with Peck (3%) which debuted at the Deptford Craft Beer Festival that March. Going on general release the following month, it was described at the time as having a distinct hop character despite its low strength. By the late 2010’s, the fortunes for Table Beer were changing, as drinkers were moving to lower alcohol beers, indeed between 2018-2020, sales of lower ABV beers rose by 381% in the UK, Nicole Kobie noted “Siba's annual survey shows 41 per cent of retailers expect to see the no-alcohol and low-alcohol category grow this year (2020), and one in three 18-24 year olds opting for alternatives.”[8]  The growing target audience, was also partly attributed to a growing trend for healthier lifestyles, which the brewers took to their advantage. In 2017 Small Beer Co. was established, they broke new ground at the time for being the first brewery to exclusively brew lower alcohol beer of up to 2.8%, with a remit to produce lower ABV beers that did not compromise on flavour. Up until that point, low alcohol beers were criticised for being thin, bland and lacking in taste, yet Small Beer’s founders James Grundy and Felix James sought to turn that around. Formerly working for distillers Sipsmith they utilized their experience and skills towards brewing, Phoebe French noted “with James’ experience in beer, the pair have “reworked the entire brew process” allowing them to naturally maximise flavour and minimise alcohol.”[9] They saw a gap in the market with potential for consumer demand which they subsequently took advantage of, and their growing success prompted other breweries across the UK to produce and market their own Table Beers. 

 

The growing craze for Table Beer in the UK started around 2019, that year the newly launched Futtle Brewery released Organic Table Beer (3.2%), whilst the East London Brewing Co. produced Table Beer (3.4%) initially as a one-off green hop beer but proved popular enough that they subsequently re-released the following year as a regular part of their range, the same year Wildcard Brewery launched their Table Beer (2.7%), made with fresh Australian Enigma & Vic Secret hops that helps give it a unique flavour profile of citrus and tropical fruits, it was one of their first beers that helped put the brewery on the map for their innovations, it would also go onto win awards including Champion Beer at SIBA SE Keg Competition 2020. Towards the end of that year, Five Points Brewing Co. were in the process of developing their Micro Pale (2.8%), initially planned as a cask only release, due to onset of lockdown in Spring 2020, the brewery decided to sell in bottle instead and it was put onto general release in May that year. They boldly claimed in their promotions although it was micro in strength, it was not micro in taste; it was packed with Cascade, Chinook and Vic Secret hops along with a mixture of Oats, Caraphils, Munich and low colour Maris Otter Malt, for that distinct flavour profile. The reason for this uptake in production for Table Beers, the British Guild of Beer Writers mentioned at the time “low and no-alcohol beverages continue to be a growing trend in the UK, where last year an IWSR survey found that 65% of alcohol consumers aged 25-34 were making a conscious effort to cut back on their intake.”[10] Later the same year, Burning Sky released Tail Crush (3%) their first Table Beer, whilst Edinburgh based brewery Newbarns resurrected the Scottish tradition of Table Beers with their release Callister (3%), which they described as a modern take on the style, interestingly they used Golden Promise, a heritage barley grown in Scotland in order to replicate the traditional taste. Another example influenced by Scottish brewing heritage was Siphonaptera (3.8%), first released in July 2021 by Glasgow based nanobrewery Epochal operated solely by Gareth Young; generously hopped with Saaz hops it was on the stronger end of the scale for Table Beers, its aroma has said to contain hints of overripe lemon tea, honeysuckle, beeswax and violets, while the flavour is airy, light with a refreshing bitterness. One of the brewery’s first releases, uniquely made using his barrel ageing method which he does for all his beers, one writer noted “his beer is fermented with a multi-strain yeast, cleansed to rid them of excess yeast and then allowed to mature to completion in oak barrels with a handful of whole-cone hops. The finished product is naturally carbonated in the bottle.”[11]  The same year saw the likes of Pango Table Beer (2.8%) by Fauna, which they named after the Pangolin, one of a number of animal themed beers from this Arundel based brewery; Table Beer (3.1%) by Brick Brewing, which utilized Simcoe hops, Rustic Table Beer (3%) by Burning Sky, matured in steel tanks then dry hopped with Kazbek hops for added flavour, subsequently an 8-month barrel aged version of the beer was also developed. The year ended with the release of Restoration Table Beer (2.8%), by Abbeydale, one of the first Northern brewers to release a Table Beer, finally putting to rest the suggestions that Table Beer was limited to breweries in London and the South. The year 2022 saw a flurry of releases, early on Black Iris debuted Cheese Riot (3%), inspired by Belgian style Saisons, a pale beer made with adjuncts of coriander and rye along with Talus and Citra Cryo hops that adds to the flavour profile. A light and sessionable beer, named after the Cheese Riot of 1766, incidentally the brewery stated that this beer goes well with cheese. In February, Brockley Brewery released Table Beer (2.8%) made with a combination of light malt with a mixture of Simcoe, Chinook and Citra hops. The mixture of flavours helped give the beer some added force despite its low ABV, imparting a bitter and citrussy flavour along with a creamy mouthfeel. In June, Whiplash produced Ephermeral (2.8%), it was made with Hersbucker Hops, noted for their subtle spice notes and fermented with Belgian yeast strains, basil and fresh lemon peel are added to the latter stages of the maturation process before canning. The same month, Fierce Beer in collaboration with Mash Gang produced Ocean Drive (1.9%) described as a fruited West Coast IPA, this features Citrus, Cascade and Chinook hops, blended with mango, pineapple, lime and grapefruit, blurring the lines between beer and fruit juice; other releases included Small Wonder (2.8%) by the Goodness Brewing Co, which was heavily influenced by East Coast IPA styles; Scoff (3.5%) by Drop Project, which the brewers claimed packed some serious flavour despite the low ABV, and A Comforting Embrace (3%) by Queer Brewing that blended a combination of Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and Ekunot hops blended with oats and wheat for a smooth body. They followed this in 2023 with Softboi (3%) that uses US hops such as Chinook and Strata in the mix. Meanwhile in January, Brick Brewery added Table Beer (3.3%) to their roster, their first release of the year it used a combination of Enigma and Galaxy hops. The following month, long-established brewer Hook Norton jumped on the Table Beer bandwagon and released Lock Steady (2.5%), an easy drinking pale ale as part of their brewer's choice range, made in conjunction with their 175th anniversary celebrations. With the Summer months approaching, in August, Chiltern Brewery released Barely There (1.8%). Although not advertised as a Table Beer as such, uniquely for a beer in this class as its partly produced using the parti-gyle process, in this instance it is created by utilizing the second and third runnings of their much stronger beer Bodger's Barley Wine (8.4%), the residual worts were run through the copper boiler again, where a combination of hops including Goldings, Bulion, Cascade and Olicana were added to the mix before it was fermented. Meanwhile, later the same year, Manchester based brewer Cloudwater released Meadow (3%) that utilized highly aromatic hop varieties like Citra and Mouteka to compensate for the low ABV and give a flavour profile of tropical and citrussy tasting notes. Already in the first half of this year, there have been several releases, January saw the likes of Table Looper (3.8%) – Full Circle Brewing Co. come onto the scene, a collaboration with Wolf’s in Sheep’s Clothing, it’s a milder version of Looper (6.4%) which utilizes the same recipe yet brewed at a lower ABV, meanwhile the following month, Gravesend based brewer Iron Pier debuted Table Beer (2.9%) which utilizes a complicated setup featuring a quarom of hops, where Idahoe 7 and Vic Secret are used during the boiling process, whilst Mosaic and Simcoe are added later during the dry hop stage. This allows for more flavour to be extracted, giving it more depth despite its low ABV. Also released the same month was Table Beer (2.5%) by another Kent based brewer Brewing Brothers, noted for its high-level oat grist that gives the beverage more body and depth. 

 

This brings us full circle to the recent release (or rebrand) of Sisters Table Beer (3.4%) by Harvey’s back in May. It’s release fully puts into context that many of the Table Beers released over the past decade are no more than Session IPA’s or Blonde Ales in disguise as they tend to be pale in colour and are heavily influenced by stronger beer styles like East Coast IPA, to the point some examples try to mimic the IPA flavours by adding a flurry of various hops into the mix. Rather noticeable all these beers are produced using the single-gyle process which means that they are produced from a single parent mash, whereas traditionally Table Beers were produced using the parti-gyle process from the second or occasionally third runnings. Such historic methods would be frowned upon and disowned by most commercial brewers nowadays, which explains why most modern Table Beers are disconnected to their historic counterparts. The modern production of Table Beer, is based on the remit on producing beers that although lack in strength, compensate with bushels of flavour. The home brewers organisation Brew Your Own state “in order to produce a table beer that resembles beer rather than malt-seltzer, a brewer must take the recipe and brewing techniques for session beer and push them further: Finding ways to extract the compounds that contribute body, aroma, and color while minimizing carbohydrates; or loading up on high-protein grains to boost protein and body, mashing at a remarkably hot temperature to create mostly unfermentable dextrins.”[4] They suggest using a flavoursome malt base like Maris Otter, Vienna, Munich, or dark wheat. Use high protein grains like oats or rye, a low-attenuating yeast strain or one that produces a high amount of glycerol, French saison strains are good example. Use calcium chloride rather the gypsum to help give it body, along with lactose for added body and sweetness. Potent and aromatic hops like Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc, Citra or the elusive Nelson Sauvin are useful adjuncts, as they add to a distinct and characterful flavour profile, occasionally they are also added to the dry hop for additional flavour, before dispensing. According to Brew Your Own, due to the low ABV, various technical problems can occur, there is little hop and malt character to hide flaws, the miniscule amount of malt can lead to a lack of backbone in its flavour, and produce a thin, watery and bland mixture. This is a problem that has afflicted brewers over the years when producing Table Beers, Lily Waite underpins this as “without particularly bold flavours or a high ABV, Table Beer has little to hide behind. Sweet malt flavours dodge and duck through bright, fresh hop character reminiscent of pine and citrus fruits, but with an intensity of flavour you'd expect from a beer a couple of percent stronger. It does have a fullness of body, achieved through high mash temperatures and oats in the grist, which greatly contributes to its characteristic balance of flavour and drinkability.”[7] It should be lauded that brewers up and down country have put in the effort over the past decade to produce Table Beers with high calibre of ingredients and production processes in order to make flavourful products, from the barrel ageing efforts with Siphonaptera (3.8%) to the continental influences of Cheese Riot (3%) which uses adjuncts of coriander and rye. Yet by sticking to the same IPA style formular they risk trapping themselves into a doom loop that would risk innovation and the ability of borrowing from a wide array of other beer styles like Porter, Bitter, AK or Mild. The Small Beer Co. is perhaps unique to this formula as it essentially produces Table Beers influenced by a whole range of beer styles, therefore brewers should be adapting from a number of styles not just IPA, just like the Table Beers of the distant past once did, otherwise one day Table Beer would just be another byword for Session IPA, which would be an opportunity lost. 

List of References

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[1] ‘Harvey’s rings the changes in its core range’ by Darren, Beer Today, 2^nd May 2024

[2] ‘How old is the term ‘session beer’?’ by Martyn Cornell, Zythophile, 20th May 2011

[3] ‘Craft Beer’s Next Step from Session: The Table Beer’ by Taylor Laabs, 23^rd June 2017

[4] ‘Brewing Table Beer: The challenges of making a 3% ABV beer’, Brew Your Own

[5] ‘Table Beer – History in a Glass’ by Ron Pattison, Beer Advocate, June 2013

[6] ‘The Evolution of Table Beer’, Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing, 27^th September 2013

[7] ‘A Series of Fortunate Events — How The Kernel Brewery’s Table Beer Came Into Being’ by Lily Waite, Pellicle, 30^th October 2019

[8] ‘The big rise in small beer is the beginning of the end for hangovers’ by Nicole Kobie, Wired, 8th August 2020

[9] ‘Ex-Sipsmith Gin duo launch ‘first’ brewery dedicated to ‘small beer’’ by Phoebe French, The Drinks Business, 27^th November 2017

[10] ‘Five Points taps into low-ABV market with new 2.8% Micro Pale, The British Guild of Beer Writers, 27^th May 2020

[11] ‘A Taste of the 1800’s’, I Might Have a Glass of Beer, 22^nd August 2021