A collaboration between a Norfolk and Greater Manchester brewery is an ale with a tale, coming about due to the chance spotting of a hare on social media.
The beer is a German porter — I’m Already Here — and will be created by Norfolk’s Moon Gazer Ale and Bríd’s Cross Brewing of Rochdale.
Characteristics of a German porter include deep, espresso-like colour, and malt-forward flavour, with a low hop bitterness and an underlying sweetness.
“We are delighted to be brewing this beer with Sean and Ruth,” said David Holliday, of Moon Gazer Ale. “Sean has links to East Anglia and had previously enjoyed Moon Gazer beers at pubs such as The Racehorse in Westhall.
“Sean also has a passion for brewing, and all of his ales are inspired by, and named after, folk tales and mythology associated with the British Isles.
“Obviously, sooner or later, Sean would use a hare in one of his beers, which we duly spotted on social media and liked, because we like hares too!
“Before you knew it, we had agreed to a collaboration, and after a few suggestions on social media the idea of a German porter was born. A style neither of had brewed before.”
German malts and hops
To add to the beer’s authenticity, the brewers are using 100% German malts and hops. Usually, this style uses Munich malts to a very high percentage of the malt bill — up to 70% to add to a very rich mouthfeel and malt forward body. The espresso colour is achieved by the addition of dark roasted malts, but crucially they are de-husked, so you add colour but not any astringency.
The hops in the beer are German-grown Perle hops, which although very sparsely used, will add a slight hop profile and aroma of spice, cedar, and orange.
However, the final key ingredient is the tale — the ale needs a tale — and here the Brothers Grimm come in. They wrote a Saxony story, The Hare and The Hedgehog, a fairly dark fable where two hedgehogs conspire to repeatedly beat a hare at a race. After the start of each race they shout “”Ick bün all hier!”, which translates to I’m Already Here, the name of the beer.
The beer uses vegan finings, in-keeping with Sean’s brews,and will be available in the week commencing 25th November at selected pubs.
It’s Beer Today’s 20th anniversary this month!
I love updating this site, but it needs more Patreon supporters to survive into the future. Individual supporters are particularly welcome, and there are great options for commercial businesses which involve social media sharing, advertorial opportunities and advertising discounts. Find out more at patreon.com/beertoday.