The shape of the UK brewing industry has forever been in a state of flux: government legislation, beer duty and consumer preference constantly moulding the trading environment. In the last few years, with the introduction of Progressive Beer Duty (PBD - whereby the smallest brewers with the lowest output pay reduced tax), and the increased interest in localism, there's been a massive increase in the number of small brewers. This new influx of producers punches above it's weight: the total increase in UK production capacity hasn't significantly changed despite 370 new entrants (the vast majority of whom are tiny) yet the cask ale sector has changed from a state of stagnation (at best) to one of real vibrancy. The innovation and enthusiasm from the small brewers has struck a chord with the public (you and me) and everyone who produces great, tasty beer is benefiting, whether large or small.
You can read all about it here.
Fantastic! you'd think. But it ain't that rosey in this garden of UK brewers. You see, to those longer established players the increase in numbers looks pretty scary - 400 eight years ago, 770 now. Nevermind that the entire production of the small, PBD entitled section of the industry produces less beer than just one of their number, that appears not to have sunk in. What has piqued the interest of these more conservative brewers is simply the numbers (c'mon, 370 is a big number), and some anecdotal evidence/excuse given them by their free trade sales reps' struggling to sell: 'more micro-brewers, undercutting us'.
The upshot is that there is a growing group of larger brewers being cajoled into briefing against the small guys, and they're redoubling efforts to lobby this new government for change. We've tried negotiation - we want industry unity, *I* want it desperately - but, this evening, it looks like they simply want rid of us.
Have no fear, they won't get their way. I just wanted to let you know that I had a shit day today trying, and failing, to reconcile. There is a reasonable possibility that you'll hear more about this in the future, unfortunately.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Monday, 20 September 2010
Press release
My friend Kiki wrote the following, and sent it to the press:
Local microbrewery makes a dash for the green hop.
A new trend is emerging amongst microbrewers, and its one with which Ramsgate brewery, GADDS’, is leading the way.
Owner, Eddie Gadd, explains, “I was intrigued to discover what kind of beer green hops would make. So this year, as soon as the hops were harvested, I was at the farm with a very large sack, to collect the East Kent Goldings before they were taken on to the drying bins, so that we could use them immediately, while they were still fresh and green.”
The brewery was able to do this because it is uniquely situated near the hop farm, Brook Farm in Shatterling. Eddie likens it to the race for Beaujolais Nouveau, a wine made with the first output from each harvest, which started as a celebration of the end of the harvest and to thank wine growers and workers, but then caught the imagination of wine drinkers around the world.
Eddie is delighted with the product of his experiment, which has captured the essence of the East Kent harvest, and fits in with the brewery’s ‘fresh, local and tasty’ ethos. “The beer is a celebration of the harvest, golden in colour, with a citrus, honey and blackcurrant aroma and a fresh, vibrant flavour of biscuity malt and spicy hops,” he says.
Called 'Green Hop Ale', it is the official ale for the Broadstairs Food Festival, which will take place on 1-3 October. During that period, it will be available in the town’s restaurants and bars, at the food fair in Victoria Gardens and at the Bottleneck. However for those who can’t wait to taste this amber nectar, it is available from Friday 17 September in pubs throughout East Kent, as well as direct from the brewery, though stocks are limited.
- ends -
For further information, please contact Lois Gadd on 01843 868453.
www.ramsgatebrewery.co.uk
www.gaddsbeershop.blogspot.com
Note to Editors
1. Traditionally, hops are picked and dried, then pressed into large sausage shaped sacks known as ‘pockets’. This allows them to be stored safely for use throughout the year. By using the hops fresh, and un-dried, the brewer is looking to create a beer with a uniquely fresh, crisp character showing off the world renowned East Kent Golding variety of hops at its best.
2. GADDS’ Ramsgate Brewery is at 1 Hornet Close, Pyson’s Road Industrial Estate, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 2YD.
3. The Brewery Shop is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm, and Saturday from 10am to 1pm.
4. GADDS’ is an award-winning brewery:
Taste of Kent Awards
Best Kent Brewery, 2007
Best Kentish Beer, 2008
Best Kentish Beer, 2009
Great Taste Awards, Double Gold, 2009 & 2010
17 September 2010
Press releases scare me. No idea why.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
My friend Stewart
Stewart is a M. Brew, it says so after his name. If I were to aspire to any post-nominal it would be to this one, for it identifies the holder as a Master Brewer, the highest academic brewing qualification available in our industry. He must have worked very hard indeed to get that; I, on the other hand, dropped out of brew-school long before I achieved anything. And it isn't just a scholastic gulf that divides us: Stewart's career followed the classic route through national and regional breweries whilst I fell into a Firkin pub one night and wasn't thrown out until I'd learnt how to brew, how to manage a brewery and how to manage a pub. And while Stewart is now Senior Brewer at Britain's oldest brewery, I'm Head Brewer at a pip-squeak upstart rival down the road. But this is the UK brewing industry and, as such, we get on like a house on fire. That's the way it has always been in our trade: collaboration and cooperation, altruism and benevolence. They tell me it doesn't happen in other industries, how sad.
Stewart and I brewed a special yesterday on his 4 barrel pilot plant, in preparation for the harvest lunch at Coldred, the village he lives in. Between us we're presenting 4 different beers, matched to each of the four courses, to the entire village in a barn made over for the purpose. 'Delta', the beer we brewed yesterday, is a simple pale ale flavoured with a new variety of American grown hop called 'Delta' (see what we did there?) whose parentage is Fuggles and Casade. We're expecting an earthy, fresh aroma with a strong, well balanced, juicy and hoppy flavour, though, to be honest, we've no real evidence upon which to base this; our joint brewer's intuition has filled in the knowledge gaps and come up with a fruitless speculation, again.
It's my turn next time and I'm looking forward to knocking out a somewhat larger collaboration brew with this Master Brewer sometime next year. Any suggestions?
To be sure, this doesn't mean I've gone soft - the PBD defence operation continues apace.
Stewart and I brewed a special yesterday on his 4 barrel pilot plant, in preparation for the harvest lunch at Coldred, the village he lives in. Between us we're presenting 4 different beers, matched to each of the four courses, to the entire village in a barn made over for the purpose. 'Delta', the beer we brewed yesterday, is a simple pale ale flavoured with a new variety of American grown hop called 'Delta' (see what we did there?) whose parentage is Fuggles and Casade. We're expecting an earthy, fresh aroma with a strong, well balanced, juicy and hoppy flavour, though, to be honest, we've no real evidence upon which to base this; our joint brewer's intuition has filled in the knowledge gaps and come up with a fruitless speculation, again.It's my turn next time and I'm looking forward to knocking out a somewhat larger collaboration brew with this Master Brewer sometime next year. Any suggestions?
To be sure, this doesn't mean I've gone soft - the PBD defence operation continues apace.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Operation Green Hop - bottling
Whilst casking Green Hop Ale on Friday we diverted 400 litres to cellar tank, for the weekend, ready for bottling on Monday morning. A secondary fermentation in the bottle will add a decent, smooth carbonation over the following fortnight and with luck (well, not luck, skill) the bottles will be ready to drink just in time for the Broadstairs Food Festival. There ought to be 65 cases and, since most have been sold already, I'll be hiding a few for my own pleasure.
I'll have a few casks on the stillage in the brewery so pop up from Friday onwards and collect a gallon or two, whilst it's lovely and fresh.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Operation Green Hop 2010, part IV - brewing.
GHA has completed primary fermentation on time and the cooling has been engaged, reducing the temperature from 22°C to 2°C by Friday (we don't often go this cold, 7°C is more normal but we're bottling some of this, which makes a difference that I haven't time to explain).
Alongside the pungent, almost dry hop nose sits a distinct chardonnay character at the moment - quite particular it is. Of course, that may not survive through to the glass and there's no point in speculating (like I am) as only time will tell.
We're casking 2000 litres on Friday and transferring the remaining 400 to cellar tank for the weekend, where it will rest before bottling on Monday. The casks will be ready for delivery on Wednesday the 15th, and for serving on Friday the 17th. The bottles, however, will take an extra week to condition but if all goes according to plan they'll be ready for drinking at the Broadstairs Food Festival's Gala Dinner on the 28th.
We're hoping to arrange some kind of ceremonial tapping and drinking of the first cask - be ready.
Alongside the pungent, almost dry hop nose sits a distinct chardonnay character at the moment - quite particular it is. Of course, that may not survive through to the glass and there's no point in speculating (like I am) as only time will tell.
We're casking 2000 litres on Friday and transferring the remaining 400 to cellar tank for the weekend, where it will rest before bottling on Monday. The casks will be ready for delivery on Wednesday the 15th, and for serving on Friday the 17th. The bottles, however, will take an extra week to condition but if all goes according to plan they'll be ready for drinking at the Broadstairs Food Festival's Gala Dinner on the 28th.
We're hoping to arrange some kind of ceremonial tapping and drinking of the first cask - be ready.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Operation Green Hop 2010, part III - picking.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Operation Green Hop 2010, part II - the recipe.
This is cutting edge, live blogging: we brew our Green Hop Ale tomorrow for the first time, we've pre-sold a shed load of it and I haven't had time to thunk up a recipe. In fact, as far as I've got is deciding the strength, the 'abv': I fancied something on the robust side of 5% to handle the hop load but I'm conscious of a broader interest and have plumbed for a gentler 4.8%. Don't want to frighten anyone this time.
Hops:
We're using East Kent Goldings, freshly picked early tomorrow morning, added late in the boil. That's a given. And we're going for 50kg (or 60 if I can get them in the pick-up truck, and later into the copper). These will provide the majority of the flavour - let's hope it's been a good season and aroma levels are high - we never do know what to expect until the brewing. It's all about the hops though, this particular beer is; fresh, green undried little beauties, freshly picked, creating a wonderfully fresh, crisp ale with all the fresh flavour of the season.
Malt grist:
What malts shall we use to back up these hops? Hmm, let's keep it simple and let the lupulin shine through: Marris Otter Pale Ale Malt, say 90%; malted rye - I want to use this in large amounts as its crisp, spicy dryness would accentuate the crisp hop flavour I'm after, but I already used this technique on our Autumn Rye Pale Ale, and it would be wrong to over egg it, so I'll limit the rye influence to the background (but enough that I know it's there), say 2.5 g/l. In complete contrast Munich malt adds a little colour and residual malt sweetness so we'll bung some of that in the mash, say 10g/l, not very much really. Lastly, I can't resist the sacks of deliciously fruity, toffee-like caragold malt - they're begging to be opened so that's just what we'll do, we'll have some of that at 10g/l too.
There, that's the malt grist:
MOPA 375 kg
Caragold 10 g/l
Malted rye 6.3 g/l
Munich malt 10 g/l
Bittering:
We're after full, late hop character yet we don't want over powering bitterness: something fairly mellow and mild, say around the 28 IBU mark (that means it isn't very bitter), and I think we ought to use some hops grown locally, in Canterbury perhaps: the Redsell Cascades from last year for bitterness it is then. Right, plug the required mg/litre of alpha acid (bittering stuff - 84 in this case) into the old spreadsheet, along with varietal details and hey presto! 3.52 kgs into the copper at the start of the boil. Make it so Mr Stow.
Great, we've got a skeleton recipe, thanks for the help. We'll make the rest up on the day, it'll be more fun that way.
We're brewing this not just as our own hoppy harvest celebration but for the Broadstairs Food Fair in early October. It'll be going into bottles and I don't have a single day to spare, so if it rains tonight, we're up the creek.
Hops:
We're using East Kent Goldings, freshly picked early tomorrow morning, added late in the boil. That's a given. And we're going for 50kg (or 60 if I can get them in the pick-up truck, and later into the copper). These will provide the majority of the flavour - let's hope it's been a good season and aroma levels are high - we never do know what to expect until the brewing. It's all about the hops though, this particular beer is; fresh, green undried little beauties, freshly picked, creating a wonderfully fresh, crisp ale with all the fresh flavour of the season.
Malt grist:
What malts shall we use to back up these hops? Hmm, let's keep it simple and let the lupulin shine through: Marris Otter Pale Ale Malt, say 90%; malted rye - I want to use this in large amounts as its crisp, spicy dryness would accentuate the crisp hop flavour I'm after, but I already used this technique on our Autumn Rye Pale Ale, and it would be wrong to over egg it, so I'll limit the rye influence to the background (but enough that I know it's there), say 2.5 g/l. In complete contrast Munich malt adds a little colour and residual malt sweetness so we'll bung some of that in the mash, say 10g/l, not very much really. Lastly, I can't resist the sacks of deliciously fruity, toffee-like caragold malt - they're begging to be opened so that's just what we'll do, we'll have some of that at 10g/l too.
There, that's the malt grist:
MOPA 375 kg
Caragold 10 g/l
Malted rye 6.3 g/l
Munich malt 10 g/l
Bittering:
We're after full, late hop character yet we don't want over powering bitterness: something fairly mellow and mild, say around the 28 IBU mark (that means it isn't very bitter), and I think we ought to use some hops grown locally, in Canterbury perhaps: the Redsell Cascades from last year for bitterness it is then. Right, plug the required mg/litre of alpha acid (bittering stuff - 84 in this case) into the old spreadsheet, along with varietal details and hey presto! 3.52 kgs into the copper at the start of the boil. Make it so Mr Stow.
Great, we've got a skeleton recipe, thanks for the help. We'll make the rest up on the day, it'll be more fun that way.
We're brewing this not just as our own hoppy harvest celebration but for the Broadstairs Food Fair in early October. It'll be going into bottles and I don't have a single day to spare, so if it rains tonight, we're up the creek.
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