A little piece about our: Hoppy Beers
Preface
We recommend trying our beers to find out what they taste like: they vary from batch to batch and over time, and the experience also depends on you, and the circumstances of their consumption. And so what follows is not tasting notes but some general information that may help to understand the beers’ flavours and composition and why and how we brew them the way we do.
Table, Pale Ale and IPA
The variations in recipe come principally from changing the hop varieties used in the beer (these are the primary points of focus of our pale beers, which are all named after the hops used therein). These changes depend on what we have (hops are seasonal), and on the whim or preference of the brewer: a different person brews each day, on rotation, over the course of a week or two. All of our beers go through secondary fermentation, which contributes additional yeast character and other aromatic and flavourful by-products.
The main aim for our pale beers is to showcase the hops: we try to keep the yeast character minimal, so a clean ferment with a yeast strain that has a subtle character is important, as is a steady, unintrusive grist base (we use Maris Otter).
The challenge with the Table Beer, is to give the beer as much mouthfeel and texture as possible, because it is so dilute at around 3%. We have a very high mash rest temperature of 74°C (with our IPA, it is 67.5°C; our Pale ale is 68°C): this is to denature some of the enzymes so that we create plenty of long-chain sugars, which the yeast is unable to ferment. These unfermentable sugars, along with the secondary fermentation (in the bottle or keg), add mouthfeel and texture to the finished beer. With our Pale Ales and the Table Beer we want to have some dextrins left and gentle to medium carbonation.
The higher alcohol content of an IPA gives the beer a richer body and a perceived sweetness and so we try to lighten the body of the beer and reduce its actual sweetness by using low colour pale malt and mashing at a lower temperature (resulting in fewer unfermentable sugars), with the aim of creating an even balance between sweetness and bitterness.
We add hop flowers at five minute intervals towards the end of the wort’s boil (the quantity depends on the beer and the alpha acid content of the hops). We dry hop the beer around 3 days before it is put it into the bottle or keg. All our pale beers are then primed with a sugar solution and conditioned for 10-14 days in order for them to carbonate and for the secondary fermentation to work its magic.
Table Beer ~3%
Malt: Maris Otter, oats.
Hops: vary from batch to batch
Yeast: American ale yeast
A light pale ale (around 3% abv.) made with malted barley and rolled oats. Our first batch was brewed in 2012 as an attempt to create a low-alcohol beer that did not suffer from being thin-bodied or lacking in character, and was inspired by the cask tradition rather than that of American pales. The full body is achieved using an elevated mash temperature and oats in the grist, alongside a slightly lower carbonation. Like our pale ales, hop aromas are the focus, with bitterness in balance. We aim for a pale golden colour, real body, sweet malt flavours, a fresh hop character and a clean, refreshing bitterness alongside an intense flavour that belies its low abv.
Pale Ale ~5%
Malt: Maris Otter
Hops: Vary from batch to batch
Yeast: American ale yeast
Our pales are dry and light-bodied to better showcase the individuality of the hops in both aroma and flavour. As with our other beers, a basic recipe is followed, with each batch utilising different hop varieties from around the world based on seasonality and availability.
India Pale Ale ~6-7%
Malt: Maris Otter
Hops: vary from batch to batch
Yeast: American ale yeast
A stronger, fuller beer, and with more hop intensity than the pale ale, but aiming to keep all elements in balance: no cloying sweetness, just the necessary bitterness and a malt bill muted enough to allow the hops to shine. As with the Pale Ales and the Table Beer a basic recipe is followed, with the hop content varying from batch to batch.