Beer Today’s rundown of new brews, brewing projects, and collaborations, in a slightly longer form than the home page news in brief.
Alcohol-free brewers Nirvana have collaborated with East London coffee specialists, Climpson & Sons, on Mocha Porter (0.5% ABV), made using sustainably-grown Brazilian coffee beans and an innovative flash-brewing technique.
This method, unlike cold brewing, captures the full spectrum of flavours from coffee beans and creates a finish with depth and clarity that’s akin to the finest espresso. For the porter, the coffee concentrate is complemented with cacao nibs, plus a combination of barley, oat and wheat to layer on even greater depth.
I was sent some of this by Nirvana’s PR team and, I tell you what, it’s pretty good. Generally, I tend to find dark on-alcoholic-beers better than pale ale styles, and this works well. The coffee notes are subtle, but distinguishable, and notes of chocolate and roasted hazelbut come through. The body’s good, too, so a great low-alc alternative to a traditional porter, in my book.
• The new year means a new series of Fresh From the Flax Store beers from Northern Monk, and first out of the stalls is Pale Ale.
Along with a larger hop dosing scheme and wide variety of formats, we have upped the ABV to 5.6% this year to help get more punch from our hops,” says the brewer. “We have also increased the complexity of the malt bill to build a thicker mouthfeel, as well as a denser haze.”
New Zealand hop Nelson has been used in FLOE, Super and Subzero Hop Kief guises to boost the classic white grape and gooseberry flavours. The kettle was hop charged with Citra and Floe Nelson to extract lots more flavour and aroma, along with a first-day dry hop of Super Sauvin that’ll be boosted with Phantasm.
To round things out, there’s a late-stage dry-hop of Strata, to give a touch of dankness and grapefruit and mango. And then there’s a final touch of Subzero Nelson Hop Kief, a cold extracted hop oil, to make sure the Nelson shines through.
• It’s Digital Canada time at Track, with the Manchester brewer launching five remote collaborations — all big hitters — with Canadian breweries. The beers are:
- After The Goldrush (8.4% ABV) with Third Moon — a DIPA hopped with Citra, Citra Dynaboost, Riwaka, Riwaka Amplifire Oil, and Rakau.
- Sugar Mountain (8.2% ABV) with Meesorem — a DDH DIPA hopped with Motueka, Motueka Cryo, Manilita, and Eggers Lily.
- Drifter (8% ABV) with Badlands — a DIPA hopped with Citra Dynaboost, Citra, Citra Cryo Fresh, Nelson Sauvin Amplifire Oil, Nectaron, and Riwaka.
- Here For You (7.2% ABV) with Superflux — a DDH West Coast IPA hopped with Krush Cryo Fresh, Nectaron, Nectaron Cryo, Motueka.
- Separate Ways (7% ABV) with Brasserie du Bas-Canada — a DDH IPA hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka, Nectaron, and Motueka.
• Brew York have collaborated with ASDA on a Salted Caramel Stout (4.5% ABV), which will be available exclusively in the store.
The supermarket has teamed up with a number of breweries to craft a unique range of Collab Collection beers. Each release also sees ASDA collaborate with a local artist, shining a light on the brewery’s hometown through bespoke label artwork. Brew York is bringing its playful, flavour-packed approach — and a celebration of York — to the collection.
The stout is described as a decadent indulgence, where rich, velvety caramel sweetness meets a delicate touch of salt. Smooth hints of vanilla glide through each sip, adding depth and a creamy mouthfeel. Beneath the sweetness, subtle nutty undertones add complexity and intrigue, says the brewer.
The can’s artwork was created by York-based artist Kai West, whose design draws inspiration from the city’s rich chocolate-making heritage. The label re-imagines the River Ouse as a flowing river of chocolate, weaving through recognisable York landmarks and hiding playful historical and cultural references throughout.
• Holy Goat have a quartet of January releases, comprising two sours, a stout, a strong Scotch ale.
Limonata Sour (5.4% ABV) is a collaboration with Newbarns Brewery. They took inspiration from limonata soft drinks to produce their own mixed fermentation beer.
1895 Shipwreck Stout (8.4% ABV), a collaboration with Epochal Barrel Fermented Ales, is a recreation of a beer found in bottles retrieved from shipwrecked vessel Wallachia, which sank after a collision in the Clyde Estuary in 1895. This version has been barrel aged for a year in whisky casks, along with a mixed culture (Brettanomyces and Debaromyces) harvested from the original bottles salvaged from the shipwreck.
Ironskull (8.2% ABV) is Holy Goat’s take on a traditional strong Scotch ale/wee heavy, brewed with Maris Otter pale malt, caramalt, crystal and amber malts, in addition to Invert Sugar No 2 and Demerara sugar.
Crimson Veil (6.9% ABV), a collaboration with Otherworld, is a Flanders red-inspired sour beer, a blended sour red ale refermented and conditioned on 100g/l of damson plums and rhubarb juice.
• There are two fresh brews from Thornbridge this week. CoCo Cocoa is a smooth, indulgent coconut chocolate porter. Roasted malts provide a solid backbone, with layers of milk chocolate and a gentle nuttiness, while the addition of coconut brings a rounded sweetness and soft, creamy character.
Named after the ancient symbol of renewal, Ouroboros, an 8.4% ABV double IPA, was first brewed in 2017. The hazy orange brew explodes with tropical fruit and piney resin, driven by a powerful hop line-up of Galaxy, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Simcoe.
• Amity put on a Boat Party nationwide on Friday (23rd January), launching its Boat series of three beers. Drinkers got a first taste of the brews at 25 venues around the country.
The trio comprise: Boat, a 4% ABV pale ale; Bigger Boat, an 8% ABV double IPA; and Even Bigger Boat, a 10% ABV oat cream triple IPA.
• Computer World (5.5% ABV) is a new DDH hazy pale from Left Handed Giant. Hopped with Nectaron, Citra, and Idaho 7, the recipe includes unmalted grains. There is a generous dry-hop to maximise aroma and texture. A backbone of bright pine is draped with sticky nectar and juicy berries, from two additions of YCH liquid hop products, while a hum of black tea and sweet herb floats on the edges.
Also new is Wild Grey Ocean, a 6.5% ABV hazy IPA hopped with Mosaic, Galaxy, and Strata. Stewed berries on the palate with some spicy undercurrents and splashes of grassy freshness. “Here we’ve included Prysma, a new liquid product from BarthHaas, that uses a unique 100% hop-derived carrier, delivering impactful flavour and lasting freshness,” says the brewer.
• Plenty Saturated comprises two collaboration beers from DEYA and Floc which are the meeting of their respective Saturated and Plenty Treatment brews.
The first iteration is hopped with Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, and Nectaron. “Fluffy, bright, and bursting with tropical depth, this one leans into that unmistakable Motueka lift, layered with Nelson’s Vinous character and Nectaron’s ripe intensity,” say the brewers.
The second beer is hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and Krush. There’s saturated citrus and stonefruit, with Simcoe’s subtle edge and Krush bringing depth. “Soft, pillowy, and unapologetically juice.”
