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BEER NEWS - February 2010

Gales Prize Old Ale

Fuller, Smith & Turner has released a new batch of 2008-dated Gales Prize Old Ale through te Fuller's Brewery Shop in Chiswick, London, and selected Fuller's pubs. This 9% ABV beer is brewed on a limited scale once per year. A carefully crafted blend of brews, one aged and one fresh, gives the beer a unique flavour and character. The aged beer, brewed in 2008 and matured for over 18 months, is also seeded with a small amount of the last Prize Old Ale to be brewed at the Gales Brewery in Horndean, Hampshire. John Keeling, Fuller's head brewer, said: "Prize Old Ale is one of the most revered beers in the country. Customers ask me questions about it all the time and really can't wait for it to be available. Gales' method of fermenting the beer in open vessels gave it some intriguing qualities, particularly a fruity tartness. By adding some of the beer brewed at Horndean to each new release we will maintain some of those characteristics."   

Bengal Lancer

   Still with Fuller's, the London brewery has also announced a new beer for its portfolio called Bengal Lancer, the name referring to the cavalry regiment that served with distinction on the North West Frontier during the 19th Century. The beer, meanwhile, is an IPA described by Fullers' as "a genuine India Pale Ale which has an assertive bitterness, a higher ABV and a distinctive hoppiness." The beer is said to be inspired by the "distinctive flavours that would have been experienced by the India Pale Ale drinkers of the time," and comes cask conditioned at 5% ABV and a bottle-conditioned at 5.3% ABV. Fuller's head brewer, John Keeling, says: "In crafting this beer, we were inspired by the flavours that brewers working 200 years ago would have tasted in their India Pale Ales and have tried to use ingredients as close to the varieties of the time as we could source. The result is a distinctly hoppy, full-bodied beer of which I think our brewing forefathers would have been proud."

Beerwars the movie

Beerwars is a documentary made by ex-beer industry employee Anat Baron and is billed as a "no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer." The film promises to go "behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America's favorite industries." US and Canadian visitors can download the movie from the beerwars website, whilst the DVD is also available for sale through Amazon.   

What downturn?

   Despite the economic downturn, Batemans, the Lincolnshire based independent brewer and retailer, says it has enjoyed record beer sales during 2009. The Brewery benefited from a 5% increase in its beer trade, distributing over 40,000 barrels through its own retail estate as well as through supermarkets, national drinks distributors and other wholesalers. Managing Director, Stuart Bateman, is said to be "one of the few people in today's cautious climate feeling optimistic about business in 2010." He says: "I believe that one of the keys to our success is that we have better and more innovative licensees today, than we have ever had before. Also our customers and suppliers tell the team that they like dealing with us, rather than a faceless corporate."

Beer, chocolate, chilli

St Austell Brewery has launched a new ale called Cockleroaster, a chilli and chocolate infused stout - is the first new beer in a seasonal ale programme launched by St Austell Brewery for 2010. The Brewery has teamed up with the award-winning South Devon Chilli Farm to create Cockleroaster, which is a 4.5 % abv ale. Said to be a "rich dark stout brewed with pale and roasted malt with lashings of dark chocolate and finely chopped chillis," Head Brewer, Roger Ryman, said: "We're really excited about launching Cockleroaster. Customers should taste the chocolate as the main flavour and get a subtle taste of chilli with the aftertaste."   
  
  

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