Rail Ales

There’s always been a close relationship between the brewing industry and the railways, after all it was the development and rapid expansion of the railways in the mid-19th century that helped the brewing industry to expand as it became easier to transport beer to all parts of the country, which in turn boosted demand and production. So, it would come as no surprise when breweries got in the habit of naming their beers in tribute to the railways that made their nationwide industry possible. There are a number of beers produced in the UK that have been named or inspired by the railways, some of these beers are regulars in their ranges such as Little Sharpie (3.8%), an award-winning Golden Ale produced by Humpty Dumpty Brewery, or seasonal specials such as Going Loco (3.9%) by Tring Brewery, a bitter that is only sold in January and February. Some of these breweries have devoted their entire range (or a large part of it) to being named after the Railways, The Beer Engine, a microbrewery based in Newton St. Cyres has a number of Railway themed beers including Piston Bitter (4.3%), Sleeper Heavy (5.4%), Golden Arrow (4.5%), Luggage Porter (4.4%) and Pullman’s Progress (4.2%) for instance. Whilst, Bewdley Brewery based near the River Severn in Bewdley have a number of their beers named after classic locomotives of the steam age, including 2857 (5%), Sir Keith Park (4.3%) and Jubilee Ale (4.5%) for example.

Occasionally breweries have been commissioned by railway companies, museums and heritage railways to produce limited edition beers sold exclusively at their premises, for example Hop on Board (4%) by Rudgate Brewery which was originally brewed for Virgin Train’s east coast services, is currently only sold on LNER trains that took over from Virgin several years ago; the National Railway Museum in York sells two beers sold at their shop, including Flying Scotsman (3.8%) and Mallard (4%) both brewed by Half Moon Brewery respectively; whilst the Swanage Railway, a heritage railway based in the Isle of Purbeck, exclusively sells the appropriately named Swanage Railway Ales (3.6%), a blonde ale produced by Hobsons Brewery. Sometimes, breweries based near railway land have named their beers in tribute to the nearby industry, Five Points Brewery based in Hackney which is based near the Lea Valley rail lines, produced Railway Porter (4.8%) a smoky porter that is reminiscent of the steam hauled locomotives that used to traverse the very same rail routes a century before; or Hartlebury Brewing Co. based in a former railway yard at Hartlebury Railway Station near Kidderminster have produced a number of railway influenced beers including Off the Rails (4.2%) and the much missed Old Rusty (3.8%) respectively. Rail themed beers however a not limited to the UK, in places like the US, Canada, Brazil and Poland for instance, there have been beers inspired by the railroads such as Hooscac Tunnel (6.3%) and Steel Rail (5.3%) produced by the Berkshire Brewing Co. based in South Deerfield, MA; or the curiously named Rail Ale Nut Brown (5%) produced by Howe Sound Brewery based in Squamish, Canada. There are a vast number of railway themed beers that are currently available in cask, mini-keg, can or bottle that can be found in the UK, here's a comprehensive list:

Brewery	Name	Style	ABV
The Beer Engine	Rail Ale	Pale Ale	3.8%
The Beer Engine	Piston Bitter	Bitter	4.3%
The Beer Engine	Sleeper Heavy	Strong Ale	5.4%
The Beer Engine	Whistlemas	Strong Ale	6.5%
The Beer Engine	Golden Arrow	Golden Ale	4.5%
The Beer Engine	Leaves Online	Bitter	3.9%
The Beer Engine	Luggage Porter	Porter	4.4%
The Beer Engine	Old Iron Horse	Strong Ale	5.2%
The Beer Engine	Pullman’s Progress	Brown Ale	4.2%
The Beer Engine	Silver Bullet	Pale Ale	4.0%
The Beer Engine	Spring Return	Bitter	3.9%
The Beer Engine	Ace DPA	Session IPA	4.2%
The Beer Engine	Amber Warning	Bitter	5.0%
The Beer Engine	Request Stop	IPA	5.0%
Bewdley	2857	Golden Ale	5.0%
Bewdley	Jubilee Ale	Bitter	4.3%
Bewdley	Sir Keith Park	Pale Ale	4.5%
Brunswick Brewing Co	Railway Porter	Porter	4.3%
Buntingford	92 Squadron	Bitter	4.5%
Caledonian	Flying Scotsman	Bitter	3.5%
Delphic	Level Crossing	Best Bitter	4.2%
Donzonko	Train Beer	Pale Ale	4.5%
Five Points	Railway Porter	Porter	4.8%
Fourpure Brewing Co.	Last Train	Stout	5.1%
Half Moon	Flying Scotsman	Bitter	3.8%
Half Moon	Flying Scotsman Centenary Ale	Pale Ale	4.2%
Half Moon	Mallard	Golden Ale	4.0%
The Hartlebury Brewing Co.	Off the Rails	Golden Ale	4.2%
Hepworth	Iron Horse	Best Bitter	4.8%
Hepworth	Pullman	Bitter	4.2%
Hobsons	The Manor	Bitter	4.2%
Hobsons	Railway Sleeper	Brown Ale	5.0%
Hobsons	Swanage Railway Ales	Blonde Ale	3.6%
Humpty Dumpty	Branch Line Bitter	Bitter	3.9%
Humpty Dumpty	Cheltenham Flyer	Pale Ale	4.6%
Humpty Dumpty	Little Sharpie	Golden Ale	3.8%
Humpty Dumpty	Railway Sleeper	Brown Ale	5.0%
Irwell Works	Steam Plate	Best Bitter	4.3%
Isle of Purbeck	Full Steam Ahead	Session IPA	4.8%
Marstons	Saddle Tank	Bitter	3.8%
Papworth	The Whitfield Citrabolt	Golden Ale	3.8%
Purple Moose	Welsh Steam Ale	Golden Ale	3.6%
Rudgate	Hop on Board	Golden Ale	4.0%
Settle	Mainline Bitter	Bitter	3.8%
Stonehouse	Station Bitter	Bitter	3.9%
Stonehouse	Sunlander	Session IPA	3.7%
Tring	Going Loco	Bitter	3.9%

Beer Review: Exeter Darkness

Name: Darkness

Brewery: Exeter

ABV: 5.1%

Style: Stout

Location: Exeter, Devon

Colour: Jet black with beige colour, one finger head.

Aroma: Distinctly fruity, some winey notes, a touch of alcoholic strength and a whisp of coffee like bitterness is discernible in the background. 

Taste: Thick and cloying mouthfeel, rather heavy and morerish. The flavour is charecteristically 'roasty and toasty' for a Stout, the use of several types of malt grains including Chocoalte Malt in the mix, makes the malt quite pronounced and noticable. There is also a hint of chocolaty fruity sweetness coming through the background, which is fortunately not too overpowering. 

Verdict: A well balance Chocolate Stout, the combination of several different malts gives it chance to shine and take centre stage, whilst the sweetness is not too potent to overshadow it. What lets it down, is the lack of a distinct chocolaty element, since the chocolate malt has to compete with the other malt grains. You wouldn't think it's a Chocolate Stout at first, without reading the label. 

Rating: 8/10

Green Hop Season

For a few short weeks between September– November, if you’re down in a pub in Kent, Surrey, Sussex or parts of the West Midlands such as Herefordshire and Worcestershire, the chances are you’ll come across a Green Hop Beer. This type of beer is derived from the use of freshly picked green hops which are brewed within hours of being harvested. Timing is critical as Beohha’s Brewhouse notes “green hops, however, must be used as quickly as possible after picking, and at the most within 48 hours. Otherwise, the green hops quickly lose their unique fresh flavour and the moisture in the hops can give rise to mould.” [1] They are also difficult to brew with as Green Hops hold more water, so a greater yield is needed, “in general, four to eight times as many wet hops are needed by weight as dry hops” Beohha adds. Most breweries tend to avoid brewing with green hops for this very reason as they are not economical to produce. Yet for those breweries who do produce these beers, they are known for their unique floral, piney and grassy aromas, yet as a brewing compound Green Hops are quite delicate and onerous to get right, Diane McMartin mentions “fresh hop beer takes advantage of the volatile aroma and flavour compounds within the hop cones that normally would disappear as they’re dried.”[2] Due their unique flavour profiles owing to the use of fresh green hops in the brewing process, in general Green Hop Beers showcase the distinct and unique flavours of the various hop varieties out there, as Kent Green Hop Beers, the official guide to the beers in the Kent region puts it “the beers have a characteristic fresh taste because the hops used contain many of the oils that are normally lost when hops are dried.”[3] McMartin notes that the hop flavour in these beers tends to be softer than beers made with dried hops, indeed Green Hops aren’t known for their bitterness and are primarily utilized for their aroma, so sometimes a portion of recently dried hops are sometimes used, to add bitterness. Ben Kraus, head brewer at Bridge Road Brewers in Beechworth, Australia sums this up “the flavour you get with most wet hop beers is very subtle and nuanced; that’s part of what happens when we use these wet hops – we get access to these more delicate flavour and aroma profiles.”[4] Kraus notes that these Green Hop Beers tend to showcase the hop varieties and capture the volatile aromas and flavour characteristics that are present for a brief period after harvesting. It’s quite common for breweries to produce successive Green Hop Beers derived from various hop varieties each year, for instance Wantsum Brewery have produced beers derived from different hop varieties including the likes of Ernest, Goldings, Fuggles, Bullion and Nelson Sauvin; whilst Bexley Brewery have released the likes of Hukins Challenger (4.3%), Hukins Ernest (4.3%) and Hukins Bullion (4.4%); and most prolifically of them all, Ledbury Real Ales have released over twenty Green Hop Beers since 2017, derived from a vast number of hop varieties as diverse as Pilgrim, Chinook, Pioneer, First Gold and 93/50, an unusual dwarf hop variety. Due to the subtle flavour profiles of these hops, they are seldom brewed to a higher strength of 5% ABV or over. Although Green Hop Beers originated in the UK, they can also be seen across the world in places like the US, New Zealand and Australia who produce their own examples usually under different names such as Wet Hop Beer or Fresh Hop Beer respectively. While this beer style is seasonal and is only available for a very limited period, there is an affection among drinkers for Green Hop Beers. To understand more about its appeal, we need to look into hops in more detail, and the development of Green Hop Beers as a beer style.

 

The Hop plant is a member of the Cannabaceae family, which also includes Cannabis. Beohha notes “when you look at the hop buds, they look very similar to miniature cannabis leaves and almost appear as if someone decided to make marijuana into rabbit food!” Indeed, its close relatives include the stinging nettle, elms, bog myrtle and hemp. Hops tend to grow in flood plains and fens, and can be found in temperate parts of Northern Europe, although it has been to known to grow as far north as Scandinavia, along with parts of the Mediterranean. Hops are a perennial plant than can live up to 20 years or more, yet Ian Hornsey notes “although classified as a perennial, only the rootstock that has this characteristic, since the aerial parts die back following the flowering season.”[5] Hornsey adds that hops can climb up to a height of 6m and is dioecious, which means it contains male and female organs on separate plants. Hops flower between July – August and towards the end of the period they are ripe for picking, Hornsey states “from a brewer’s point of the view, the useful part of the hop plant is the female cone which contain all the required compounds.” These compounds include the bitterness, aromas, flavours and mouthfeel that are necessary for the brewing process, furthermore hops are a natural preservative which helps lengthen the freshness of a beer.  Hops are usually dried after harvesting and can last for a year or more if stored correctly. Moreover, Hops have a preservative element that enable beers to stay fresh for longer and maintain it’s flavour profiles without going off too soon, it was this feature that propelled the production of hopped beer in the first place. Although hops have been used in brewing as far back as 822AD, it wasn’t until the 14^th century when brewers fully capitalised on the use of hops in brewing, as Susan Vertberg notes “this balance tipped in favour of hops when it became possible to export hopped beer.” [6]  With the increasing prospects of foreign and overseas markets opening up, it made economic sense to use Hops in brewing rather than other herbs like Bog Myrtle and Gruit, since Hops enabled beers to keep fresher for longer which was essential for long distance exports. Hop cultivation first arrived in the UK in 1524, when Dutch farmers established the first hop garden in the Maidstone area. Despite initial setbacks, hop growing soon grew rapidly in the UK and by 1655, Martyn Cornell notes “hops were being grown in at least 14 English counties, including Somerset, though Kent accounted for a third of the total crop.”[7] Hop cultivation soon spread to the West Midlands, in places like Herefordshire and Worcestershire, by the 19^th century Cornell notes that hop fields been seen as far north as Scotland, and in parts of Wales, although the industry in those parts ultimately declined, and today hop cultivation is primarily consigned to the south-eastern counties of England and parts of the West Midlands. During the height of the hop industry in the UK, several varieties of Hops became dominant including Goldings, a long-established variety that was first grown in Kent during the late 18^th century; Brambling, an early variety of Goldings, first discovered in 1865, named after a hamlet near Canterbury; and Fuggles which was developed by Richard Fuggle of Brenchley, Kent in 1875. Although the hop industry in this country has vastly dwindled in size from its height in the late 19^th century, today there are 34 British Hop varieties currently growing in hop-fields situated around the UK, each with their own unique characteristics, which enables brewers to showcase the flavours and aromas of these hops through the production of Green Hop Beer.

The earliest recorded example of a commercial Green Hop Beer dates from 1992, when Wadworth Brewery released Malt ‘n’ Hops (4.5%) which they developed conjunction with Trevor Holmes from Brewlab. Brian Yorston notes that Holmes “came up with the concept after a visit to a hop yard where he wondered what a beer would taste like using fresh hops.”[8] Malt ‘n’ Hops was brewed using freshly harvested Early Bird Goldings Hops, using a combination of dried hops (kilned on the previous day) and wet hops picked on the day of brewing. Since the brewery was not local to a hop field, Yorston describes the breakneck process where a Wadworth employee would collect the hops at 6am that morning and return to the brewery in Denvies ready for brewing at 9:30am, where he notes “the fresh green hops are added in two stages. A proportion of hops is added 15 minutes from the end of the boil whilst the rest are added to the hop back (hop tea) prior to wort addition.” This beer proved to be a game changer and soon other breweries around the UK were brewing and releasing their own small batch Green Hop Beers for local festivals and pubs, including Hop Nouvelle (4.1%) by Teme Valley Brewery which was launched in 1997 and continues to be sold seasonally to this day, making it the longest running Green Hop Beer still in production within the UK. Word about this new beer style soon spread to US, one of the earliest notable examples was Harvest Ale (6.7%) a punchy wet hop IPA by Sierra Nevada Brewery that was first released in 1996, the inspiration for this beer came about from a meeting between brew-master Steven Dresler and hop merchant Gerard Lemmens. Dresler recalls “he explained to me that in the United Kingdom sometimes small breweries would do special wet hop beers for festivals and that they would get hop aroma and oil qualities that were just off the charts, compared with kilned hops.”[9] Inspired by this, Dresler developed his first wet hop beer later that Autumn using a combination of wet Centennial and Cascade hops, which the late Michael Jackson (of CAMRA fame) described having a touch of malty sweetness, followed by a surge of cleansing, resiny, zesty flavours with an astonishing late bitterness; the beer continues to be sold till this day in cask and bottle, although under a different name as Northern Hemisphere Harvest Ale. 

 

Since the early 2000’s, the rate of Green Hop Beers released by breweries has vastly increased. Breweries based in the traditional hop growing regions of the West Midlands and the south east have produced their own examples, including the likes of McCann’s, Goachers, Northdown, Ledbury Real Ales, Musket, Hobsons, Canterbury Ales, Gadd’s, Mad Cat, Gun, Tonbridge, The Hop Shed, Shepherd Neame and Wantsum to name a few. Some of these breweries have their own dedicated hop-fields, such as Green T.E.A. (4.2%) by Hog’s Back Brewery based in Tongham, a variation of their flagship Tongham T.E.A. (4.2%) that uses fresh green Fuggles Hops harvested from their hop garden situated a few hundred yards from their brewery. Due to the limited seasonality of Green Hop Beers, they have rarely gained honours on the festival circuit; occasionally though, there have been award winners, such as Green Hop Best (4%) by Larkins Brewery in Chiddingstone, which was first produced in 2013, and is sourced from hops on their own nearby four acre hop-field. It has managed to carve out a reputation in the local region and gained the coveted “Champion Beer of the Festival” award at the Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival in 2014. Another example is Southdown Harvest (5%) a premium bitter by Harvey’s Brewery in Lewes which is based on a recipe that use three different types of hops and malts in the mix in order to produce a biscuity, tangy like bitterness. The beer has won multiple awards, scooping a Silver at the International Beer Challenge 2021, and a Diploma at the British Bottlers Institute the same year. The writer Emma Inch described it as an ideal food pairing with roasted vegetables, stating “the green hop grassiness provides brightness to lift the dish, and just enough hop bitterness to cut through each spoonful of that creamy dip.”[10]  Occasionally there have been cases of breweries situated outside the traditional hop growing regions who have released their own Green Hop Beers, such as Mr Fuggles (4.5%) produced by Atlantic Brewery in St Columb, Cornwall; Fuggle Rock (4%) by Red Rock Brewery in Burlescombe, Devon; Harvest Muse (4%) by Small World Beers in Shelley, West Yorkshire; and Organic Green Hop Pale Ale (3.6%) by Futtle in St Monans, Fife. Moreover, a number of breweries around London have produced Green Hop Beers, including the likes of Green Hop (3.7%) by Five Points in Hackney; Walthamstow Green Hopped Pale Ale (4.6%) by the East London Brewing Co. in Lea Bridge; Hukins Bullion (4.4%) and Hukins Ernest (4.3%) by Bexley Brewery in Erith. Mark Dredge notes “the base beers are typically pale ales; light in colour and without too much malty backbone so the hops take centre stage and really show off their fresh aromas.”[11] Green Hop Beers tend to be brewed as Bitters, Pale or Golden Ales, although on some occasions they have appeared as IPA’s and darker ales, a notable example being Green & Black (4.2%) by Cantebury Ales, which is a rare example of a stout brewed with Green Hops.

Although Green Hop Beers are limited their seasonality and their brief availability between September – November. They can be found in a number of real ale pubs in the West Midlands and the south-eastern counties; a slew of beer festivals also showcases these beers including the Faversham Hop Festival and Canterbury Beer Festival in September respectively, and the Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival in October. Although the majority of Green Hop Beers that are produced are only sold on cask, a number of breweries in the UK also sell these beers in bottles and cans including the likes of Five Points, Moor, Harvey’s, Wantsum, Teme Valley, Musket, Gadd’s, Bexley, Hobsons, Goody Ales, Bexley, Cellar Head and East London Brewing Co. for example, which enables drinkers to sample them at any point in the year. Overall, at this time of year, sampling a Green Hop beer is a memorable opportunity that is not to be missed, indeed as Mark Dredge rightly describes “it's only once a year, in a short timeframe, that green-hopped beers can be brewed, making this the ultimate seasonal beer and celebration of the English hop harvest.” So, if you happen to be down a pub situated in a hop growing region at the moment, visiting a brewery or browsing an extensive range of beers at a beer festival, why not sample a Green Hop Beer and savour those distinct hop flavours, along with the fresh, piney and grassy aromas that are unique to green hops utilized in the brewing process.

References

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[1] “Brewing a Green Hop Special Bitter” by Beohha’s Brewhouse, 25^th January 2021

[2] “Fresh Hop Beer” by Diane McMartin, Gastro Obscura

[3] “About Kent Green Hop Beer” by Kent Green Hop Beer

[4] “Fourteen Years of Fresh Hop Beers” by Will Zibell, Crafty Pint, 16^th March 2022

[5] “Brewing” by Ian S. Hornsey, Royal Society of Chemistry Books, 1999

[6] “From Herbal to Hopped Beer” by Susan Verberg, Brewery History Society, December 2020

[7] “A Short History of Hops” by Martyn Cornell, Zythophile, 20^th November 2009

[8] “Green Hop Beer” by Brian Yorston, Brewlab, 14^th August 2020

[9] “The Fresh Flavours of Wet Hop Ales” by Heather Vandenengel, All About Beer, 14^th November 2014

[10] “Southdown Harvest” by Emma Inch, Harveys

[11] “Autumn ales: the season of fresh hops” by Mark Dredge, The Guardian, 5^th October 2012

The Three Little Trings

No this is not a homage to the fairytale “The Three Little Pigs”, this is just a play on the title in reference to the small batch brews that Tring Brewery releases every year. In the past several years now, the Brewery has pushed the boat out and has engaged in producing innovative beers far removed from their main range. It began with the likes of Death or Glory (7.2%) a dark and sweet Barley Wine first brewed in 1994; and has continued from strength to strength with brews likes Shonks (4.5%) a pale ale with smoked German malt that emulates a Rauchbier, Lunardi’s (4.2%) a fruity pale ale that is flavoured with oatmeal which helps give it a smooth edge, and Alchemist (4.5%) a traditional keg conditioned lager. All of these beers are sold in 330ml bottles which reflects their small batch status, and are generally recommended for connoisseurs, rather than merely for sessional use. Eager to try some of their small batch brews, I took home a trio of beers following a tour of their brewery. These included Ashwell’s (4.5%), Dagmal (5%) and Raven King (5.5%). I was intrigued to find out how each of the three beers favoured in taste, aroma and appearance, so I subsequently set about to try all three, to assess their performance. 

ASHWELL’S (4.5%)

Style: Pale Ale

Colour: Hazy pale yellow, with one finger off-white head

Aromas: Earl Grey Tea, Hops and a touch of Citrus

Flavour: The taste is distinctly lemony and bitter. A touch of sour notes coming from the hops. The underlying background of Earl Grey Tea comes through, albeit in a subdued manner that lets the balance down somewhat. 

Rating: 6/10

DAGMAL (5%)

Style: Stout

Colour: Jet black, with one finger tan coloured head 

Aromas: Expresso coffee, chocolate and a snifter of roasted malt

Flavour: Profound coffee notes come through immediately, and linger long after the first sip. Equally sweet and bitter, the use of lactose sugar makes the drink too sickly sweet, and overshadows the roasted coffee elements. Oatmeal helps give the drink a thick and cloying mouthfeel, some lacing is present from the head. 

Rating: 5/10

RAVEN KING (5.5%)

Style: IPA

Colour: Hazy yellow-orange, a sunset like hue, with a one finger off-white head

Aromas: Hops, Citrus, Tropical fruit like Papaya, Pineapple, Guava and Lychee

Flavour: Distinctly boozy, cloying and heavy. Tropical fruits are quite distinctive yet do not add unnecessary sweetness. Dry, bitter and rather hoppy, the taste notes from the Mosaic and Citra Hops are quite evident. A quaffable example of an IPA.

Rating: 8/10

Overall to sum up the three beers, Ashwell’s showed signs of promise with its lemony and hoppy flavours, although it needs a touch more strength from the Earl Grey Tea to bring out more of a flavour profile; whilst the use of lactose sugars in Dagmal’s let the drink down and outshone the roasted coffee notes that were supposed to characterise the drink, it is a needless addition to the brew and would have worked just fine if it was less sweet. Out of the three beers, Raven King won hands down with its boozy and tropical carnival of flavours stealing the thunder from the other two, the use of hops really brings the drink out to the fore and helps propel its flavour profile, it is a quaffable and distinctive example of an IPA, and one to recommend. 

The Art of Blended Beers

Old Crafty Hen is quite an unusual beer, it consists of a blend of Old Speckled Hen with the legendary 5X. It is curious mixture for a beer, Old Speckled Hen (4.8%) is a session beer created by Morland Brewery in 1979 to commemorate 50 years of car production at the MG car factory in Abingdon, near where the brewery was based. On the other hand, 5X (12%) is an elusive beast of a beer developed by Greene King Brewery, it is unique among beers in this country as being one of the few long matured oak aged old ales, as Des de Moor notes “following primary fermentation it’s matured for at least a year in two old oak vats holding 100 barrels (16,366l) each, retained by the brewery for the purpose, before being blended with younger beer for release.”[1] 5X has only been used in blends, and has never been commercially released in its unblended form. It has been used in several beers from Greene King including Strong Suffolk (6%) which is a combination of 5X with Best Pale Ale, and Suffolk Springer (6%) which curiously uses a younger version of 5X in the mix. Following the acquisition of Morland Brewery by Greene King in 2000, several years later in 2008, Old Crafty Hen was released. It has been held with high acclaim from beer drinkers and critics, it has been described as having “a bitter sweet aroma mixing dark fruits and toffee with a punch of malts.”[2] Whilst others have mentioned it as being a touch spicy “with hints of sultana and fruit cake, the oak ageing gives the merest hint of vanilla.”[3] Des de Moor adds “the almond and walnut notes and slightly buttery firm malt of Old Speckled certainly show through, matching well with the 5X character.”[4] He describes the beer as having a slightly sour taste, with the slightly stewed malt taking on a chewy and dry mouthfeel.

Old Crafty Hen is a rare example in this country of a blended beer, which is the process of mixing young ale with a stronger old ale. What makes the drink more unique is that it utilizes beer matured in oak vats, which is an uncommon practise in the UK brewing industry. Indeed, Greene King have openly been influenced by the likes of Rodenbach Brewery in Belgium, whom exclusively specialise in brewing blended beers utilizing the same techniques, including the iconic Grand Cru (6.5%), a blend of “young” beer (33%) with an older beer (67%) that has matured in oak vats, Classic (5.2%) which consists of a higher yield of young beer (75%) mixed with old ale (25%) to produce a milder brew, and Fruitage (3.9%) that features a blend of young ale with old ale and 7% cherries. Grand Cru was developed by Eugene Rodenbach who was inspired to develop this beer after studying the production of Porter during a trip to England. Blended beers were once commonplace in pubs in this country during the 18^th and early 19^th centuries. Drinks like Half & Half and Three Threads dominated the scene, the latter consisted of a mixture of stale, mild and pale ale which in turn created a strong brew that measured around 7.5% abv. The origins of three-threads are not as innocence as it seems, as Martyn Cornell mentions his article on the subject, it was a tax fiddle. Following the war with France after William II overthrew James II from the throne, the authorities increased the taxation of beer duty; this particularly applied to barrels of “strong” which increased to 3s 3d pence per barrel, whilst barrels of weaker ale known as “small” only increased to 1s 6d per barrel. The total tax on beer equalled to only half a pence per gallon, which meant strong beer paid the same tax as small beer. This flaw in the system allowed brewers and retailers as Cornell describes “to take a barrel of extra-strong beer and two of small beer, on which a total of 7s 3d of tax had been paid, mix them to make three barrels each equal in strength to common strong beer, which should have paid tax of 14s 3d in total, and save themselves 2s 4d a barrel in tax.” [5] The development of blended beers had unscrupulous beginnings, mired in tax dodging and fraud, and despite the efforts of the excise authorities to fine offenders £5 per mixed barrel, this practise continued. Not only was it a tax dodging exercise, Ted Hausotter from the Homebrewers Association rightly mentions “in the distant past, old beers were blended with new to help make them drinkable, smoothing over sourness from spoilage and harshness from oxidation,” there were many instances of this occurring in pubs across areas like London and this was having an adverse effect on the brewing industry. In a bid to counteract this scourge, Cornell notes “the London beer brewers worked on their brown beer, hopping it more, lengthening the storage times, improving the ways they stored it.”[6] In the process Porter was born, which is often erroneously linked in being inspired by blended beers like Three Threads and Twopenny Ale, a myth first propagated by an article published by the London Magazine in 1802, which claimed that Porter was first developed by Ralph Harwood, who conceived the idea of making entire butt beer (drawn from a single cask) that united the flavours of ale, beer and twopenny. There’s no evidence to support this claim, when in actual fact Porter was developed to compete with the unscrupulous practises engaged by publicans.

 

Through the development of the likes of Porter and improved brewing technology, the prevalence of beer blending declined in this country. However, the practise didn’t completely die out, as Andy Hamilton (not the comedy writer) points out popular blends like the Black & Tan which comprises of 50% stout with 50% pale ale, with the heavier stout poured on top of the lighter ale to create a two-tone drink, and Mixed (otherwise known as ‘Boilermaker’ in the West Midlands) which consisted of a shot of whisky added to a pint of beer, became quite popular in pubs during the 20^th century.[7] Moreover, other mixes were also popular including ‘Brown & Mild’, ‘Burton & Bitter’, ‘Lager & Light’ and ‘Mild & Bitter’ which was given the nickname “a pint of twos” in parts of East Anglia.[8] Indeed some pubs had their own unique blends, Lee Middlewood mentions that the Black Horse in Hertford gained a reputation for mixing “its draught Abbot Ale and its strong bottled companion St Edmund’s Ale (both stronger then). A mix of the two ‘Abbot and Eddie’ was a fearsome cocktail.”[9] This pub was owned by Greene King at the time, so it’s possible to assume that this in turn influenced the brewers at their brewery in Bury St Edmunds to subsequently develop blended beers like Strong Suffolk, Suffolk Springer and Old Crafty Hen.

 

Far removed from its unscrupulous origins, the process of blending beer has become a legitimate practise for breweries. In Belgium, the beer style known as Gueze has become widely adopted by breweries across the country, which is a type of Lambic beer that is created by blending young (1-year-old) beer and old (2- to year-old) aged lambic beer, which is then bottled for a second fermentation, in order to develop and enhance its flavours. In more recent times, breweries have been engaged in producing their own innovative blends. Runaway Brewery in Manchester have recently released a selection of limited released blended beers such as their Tropical Stout (8%) which consists of a blend of two different oatmeal stouts that have been oak aged in Tequila and Rum barrels respectively. Meanwhile at Duration Brewing in King’s Lynn, they recently produced Fermata Friends (6%) in collaboration with Burning Sky Brewery, which features an intriguing mixed of oak aged beer blended with a Saison, and topped up with grapefruit and peppercorns that intensifies the drink’s tartness. Meanwhile, across the pond over in the US, Firestone Walker is well known for their extensive range of blended beers including their flagship Double Barrel Ale (5%) which gets its name from the development process, where the wort is fermented into types of barrels, one in stainless steel, the other oak; then blended together before bottling.  Whilst, Tideland Brewery produced Tideland (5%) which consists of a mixture a 15 month barrel aged Imperial Stout with a low ABV young Stout to produce a beer as they describe as having the thick complexity of an imperial stout without the high alcohol content. Meanwhile Lamplighter Brewery has gone back to tradition and developed Three Threads (9.5%), a hefty beast of a beer that consists of a blend of port barrel-aged Barleywine Ale, bourbon barrel-aged Porter, and a young India Pale Ale, to create a rich and full bodied beer as they proclaim, which embraces tradition whilst mixing it with modern innovation.

 

These recent examples are a classic instance of old traditions meeting modern innovations. Nowadays a whole palette of beer styles can be blended together ranging from IPA, Barley Wine, Stout, Old Ale, Pale and Ruby Ale for instance, topped up with additional flavourings such as fruit, herbs and even wine in some instances. Blended beers have now become a legitimate part of the brewing industry as brewers continue to seek new innovations in flavour.  Although Ted Hasoutter notes “most of those blends are done under near-laboratory conditions using pipettes to get exact ratios, by some of the most refined and experienced brewers and blenders in the world.”[10] This scientific form of blending beers which borders on chemical engineering is far removed from the comparatively haphazard efforts of the home brewer, as Andy Hamilton describes “unlike most brewing practices there is no real set way to blend a beer and getting a good blend takes time and effort, it’s really a matter of trial and error and is more of an art than a science.” It’s all to do with getting the correct measurements and proportions of beer, even if it means a lot of it would go down the sink. Overall, the process of blending as Max Brynildson head brewer at Firestone Brewery states “is a relatively simple process that gets the creative juices flowing and lets you play around with beer; there are no hard and fast rules—it’s a free-form art that all comes down to taste.”[11] Thankfully there are many recipes out there that home brewers can get their hands on, as Beer Cartel points out in their article on blended beers[12] there are a number of blends to try at home such as the ‘Black Forest’ which consists of Stout and Kriek, ‘The Pale Russian’ which features a mix of Pale Ale with Imperial Stout, or the curiously named ‘Smoked Pumpkin’ which includes a blend of Pumpkin Ale and Rauchbier for instance. The possibilities are endless, as Brynildson adds “the longer you brew and the more comfortable you get with your materials and your brewing process, the more you realize that there’s so much variation in raw materials.” The modern phenomenon of blending beers is a world away from its lawbreaking beginnings in the 18^th century when brewers and publicans alike sought ways to dodge the high taxation in beer duties for strong ale. We have now come full circle, so the next time you sip a pint of Old Crafty Hen just pause and reflect what has gone into this developing this delicious brew, as there is history in that pint.

References

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[1] “Greene King Old 5X” by Des de Moor, Beer Culture with Des de Moor, 25^th March 2013

[2] “Moorland Old Crafty Hen” BrewedAwakeningBeerBlog, 2^nd August 2020

[3] “Two English Hens – Old Speckled Hen and Old Crafty Hen”, The Brew Club, 22^nd April 2009

[4] “Greene King Suffolk Springer, Morland Old Crafty Hen and Strong Suffolk” by Des de Moor, Beer Culture with Des de Moor, 17^th June 2010

[5] “The three-threads mystery and the birth of porter” by Martyn Cornell, Zyltophile, 5^th June 2015

[6] “The origins of porter (and a bit about three-threads)” by Martyn Cornell, Zyltophile, 22^nd November 2010

[7] “Blending Beers” by Andy Hamilton, The Other Andy Hamilton, c. 2014

[8] “Porter Myths and Mysteries” by Martyn Cornell, Brewery History Society, 2004

[9] “The Black Horse, a Pub with Rugby at it’s heart” by Lee Middlewood, Hertfordshire Pints of View, pages 20-21, Issue No.306, Spring Edition 2023

[10] “How to Brew: The Art of Blending Beer” by Ted Hausotter, Home Brewers Association

[11] “The Art of Blending Beer” by Tom Wilmes, Beer & Brewing Industry Guide, 23^rd February 2015

[12] “10 Beer Blends to Try”, Beer Cartel, 1^st January 2018