Since this is a development recipe we are working on different aspects of the beer with a view to the final product. This time we have decided to gear up the hops towards our expected IPA level and this is why Sadie has become sexy.

Dark amber beer with a buzz’n hoppy fruit citrus aroma that leads all the way into the flavour.

Taking inspiration from Sadie we are testing out malt and hops combinations for a new IPA which will bottled and kegged. The beer is deep amber with a first hint of fruity mango leading onto lemony lime grapefruit finish.

Dudes, it’s awesome. We brewed a Helles and the colour was a shade out for some reason. We didn’t know what to do, so we freaked it. A rather ridiculous application of uber aroma hops to pimp it and we got Freakin’ Helles. This  brew just burst out of it Germanic straight jacket and went postal with the hops. So wrong but so right man…

It was a fabulous end to 2012 for Sara to be named as Brewer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers. The award was presented by Tim Hampson at the awards dinner in December 2012. Sara is the first woman to be given the award in the history of the Guild. Among the other winners were Roger Protz and Pete Brown who was crowned Beer Writer of the Year.

Here is a link to a video of the event

We are in episode 4 which will show on Channel 4  December 27th

The  Food Fight Club series starts on December 6th at 9pm on Channel 4.

For more details try Jamie’s website and Channel 4′s website

There were two Good King Wenceslas. They both lived in Bohemia which is a great beer making country. The first one was the Duke of Bohemia who braved harsh winter weather to give alms to the poor on the feast of Stephen (Boxing Day). As he was an all round good egg, he was made a Saint and bestowed the title of King after he died. The second one really was a King, Wenceslas the First, and to his credit he was very interested in beer. In his day Bohemian hops were so prized that he ordered the death penalty for anyone found exporting hop cuttings. While he was at it, he also convinced the Pope to revoke an order banning the brewing of beer in Bohemia which lead to the growth of the beer industry in the area which later became the Czech Republic. That reputation for great beer still goes world wide today.  That is why, each in their own right, they  both became the Good King Wenceslas.

So what has this  Ronnie Corbett ramble go to do with our Christmas beer. Well as a nod to the name, all the hops are continental European; Junga from Poland, Herkules and Perle from Germany. We loaded the hops, as you would, for a chunky American Pale Ale onto a grist that included a good dose of crystal and we are really pleased with the result. We were not expecting high aromatic top notes but a altogether different style. You still get the sense of powerful hops but with a much fruitier, rich, “cakey” and rounded beer.  Merry Christmas

We are really excited to be part of the worlds biggest real ale festival and thrilled to be chosen to be on the  bar along with some of the most interesting international brewers.

Our planning started last year. First came the hops. Galaxy and Stella were ordered from the last Australian hop harvest to be ready in time for this festival. With the hops already chosen, a simple malt grist with a touch of colour from Munich malt to showcase the hops was in order.
As part of the Wicked Woman range we needed a name. With celestial names like Galaxy and Stella we thought of the constellations and while not strictly wicked Andromeda fits the name for a heavenly beer.

In Greek mythology Andromeda was chained to a rock to be eaten by a sea monster as punishment for her mother’s bragging. She was rescued  by Perseus who became her husband.

The artwork for the pump clip was specially commissioned from Phillipe Fenner

Andromeda has a rich golden colour, with a passion, tropical fruit aroma on the nose. The taste is lightly malty overlayed with zesty citrus hop notes giving a satisfying fullness on the palate.

We have been trading as Brewster’s since 1998, nearly 14 years. We also own the trademark Brewsters in the Beers and Lager class and several related classes. With currently over 800 breweries in the UK a clear brand identity for each brewery and their beers is more important than ever. By owning the trademarks we have clear legal rights for Brewsters which cannot be disputed. We learnt this the hard way when we started up, we did not take it personally. By taking a conciliatory approach, in due course we were able to buy the first and original Brewsters trademark and then collected the others. We also started to work with the trademark lawyer who originally worked for the other side in our case and who now advises us on any trademark issues.

We first came across Morpeth Brewing Co which was trading as Brew Star a couple of months ago. We were alerted by the confusion of a publican mistaking their beer for ours. Alarmed by this, we took advice from our trademark lawyer to clarify our rights and they agreed with us that because it was similar it was clearly infringing our trademark. Starting from the position where we have a registered trademark and 14 years of trading with the mark, we think we have a much stronger case than that to which they will admit.

How would anyone feel after years of building a business, in our case Brewsters, to find someone set up the same business, a brewery, with a similar sounding name. It is up to anyone new to any business who wants to create a brand to do their trademark checks. The trademark office will do a search which gives some guidance for a very small fee. We suppose with a 100 breweries starting a year and people with a lack of experience in this area it will happen again.

Aside from our existing trademark rights, we are aware that having two breweries with similar sounding names is asking for trouble especially when much business is done over the phone. While we may be miles apart, these days we all end up on wholesalers lists and on the internet. Additionally it is not just at the customer/selling end where there is confusion, we know of some similar sounding breweries that are always having mixed up deliveries from common suppliers. In the long run it will be much better for both breweries to have clear distinct branding and to build up their reputations that way with no confusion.

In some of the messages we have seen and received, it appears we have become the Goliath, “the suits”, “the twats” or the big nasty company bullying a small husband and wife company. Well just to put the record straight we are a wife and husband company brewing with help from our head brewer Richard Chamberlin. Not only that, we brew on a 10 barrel kit the same size as Morpeth. Brew Star’s offering of craft beer and lagers was very similar to us despite how new and “punk” they might have felt their beers were. 

One thing does worry us and that is the recent method of brewery promotion. Where the brewery draws attention to itself and tries to align consumers to themselves by positioning the brewery as a victim of some sort of establishment figure whether it is a run in with the Portman Group, the local council or some other perceived obstacle to their rock and roll operation. We hope this issue does not go down the same route.

P.S. Amusingly, in one email we received  (we are based in Grantham, birth place of Margaret Thatcher) the writer was sure that “protecting money was important to us because of the area’s right wing roots”.

Brewster’s Brewery is looking for a new brewer to work with the owners in a small team. Our current Brewer, Richard Chamberlin, is leaving us after 8 years to travel.

Set up in 1998, we aim to be a progressive craft beer brewery that produces a range of beer styles in both cask and keg. Bottled beers are also produced on a small scale. We have high production standards and look to maintain consistent, excellent quality beers.

This is a small company so a degree of flexibility in attitude and approach will be expected. You must be aware that weekend work may be needed to care for beer. Production days on occasion may stretch beyond normal working hours and you must be prepared for this to happen. Having said that we like keep work contained in normal hours.

The Job

Brewing, casking, kegging and bottling.

Production record keeping.

Basic maintenance and cleaning in the brewery.

Stock control and ordering

There may be up to two brews a month to design and we expect you to be fully involved with ideas for ingredients, styles and processing.

You will report to the Directors but work primarily with Sara Barton (Managing Director) who has a Master’s Degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot Watt.

The Person.

While we anticipate starting with someone who may have no actual brewing experience and will develop in the job, we are interested in talking to any current brewers, of any level, who can bring something new to Brewster’s

You must have a passion for all types of beer.

We would prefer a scientific background (at least science A levels) or you must be able to demonstrate a very good fundamental understanding of the brewing process.

You must have an analytical approach to keeping records and problem solving. You will be thorough and have excellent to attention to detail.

We would expect you to study for IBD exams and we would offer financial help to achieve those goals.

We would expect you to live within a reasonable travelling distance of the brewery.

Please email a CV to Sara Barton sara@brewsters.co.uk with a covering letter to explain why you are the person to join Brewster’s. The closing date for applications is 31 August 2012.

The twitching dismay on the faces of regular Brewster’s drinkers as they eyed up the dark beer before them, has been reported into us from bars about the area. We can imagine the scenario, they ordered the Brewster’s Wicked Woman complacent in the knowledge that the brewers would deliver up to them another pale and hoppy epic. This time, a dark beer was  pulled and presented. Resignation to one pint of the darkness may have followed, after all Brewster’s are adequate brewers, it couldn’t be that bad.

But one sniff was all it would take to separate out Cruella from the other malty  stouts and porters, this mother wants to be a Black IPA. When those hoppy aromas hit their olfactory organs they’ll have known the hop taste was going to be big to work against the malt. The dominating hop flavours were fruity, juicy, citrus limes and they melded deep into the rich roast body. Momentarily across the drinkers mind it may have occurred to them that they had just drunk a beer that had challenged their visual and oral perceptions. And then regathering their composure, it is highly likely they asked “how can you have such a beer as a black IPA?”