Thursday 30 December 2010

Laying the foundations for 2011.

So, 2011 is just a day away & here at SWB have been working hard to finalise the finishing touches of our assault on 2011.  There is no doubt 2011 will be our biggest & most exciting year yet, a new settled core range full of beers that are there on the merits of flavour & quality, a new range of 330ml bottles, a foray into kegging some of our beers, exciting quarterly projects following on from the phenomenal success of the 'Project 6' IPA series, monthly specials & experimental one-off brews, will make for an intense year.

As a brewer I really should be daunted by the sheer workload I will have in 2011 but conversely I have never been more up for the challenge nor more excited about craft beer & where this dynamic industry is going. 2011 will throw up lots of challenges to the trade, but I'm sure the creativity of brewers, the passion of licensees & most importantly the appetite of craft beer lovers will grow stronger than ever before!

So here we have our core range line-up for 2011, a mix of classical & evolutionary styles that for me really capture the essence of modern British brewing.


Resistance, Dark Mild. 3.7% abv.

A flavoursome dark mild, packed with depth for a relatively low abv, multiple layers of malt character combine to give a slightly roasty sweet full bodied backbone that is paired nicely with just enough bittering hop to balance the beer on a knife edge, & late addition hops that lift the beer gently. So drinkable & moreish, you may try to resist than second pint, good luck!


Zenith, Pale Ale. 4.0% abv.


Our flagship pale session beer for 2011, pale golden almost blonde in colour, Zenith is packed with zingy Centennial hops which give a citrus bite & flavours of lime all set against a pale malt backdrop. Low in abv but big in the flavour stakes & all set off with a massive dry hop aroma, this beer ups the stakes in the pale & sessionable market.


Gambit, Bronze Ale. 4.2% abv.


Gambit is an interesting devolution of two styles, this beer is neither golden nor amber, it falls directly between the two, what can only be described as 'bronze', the body is light enough to be a session ale but is hoppy enough to give some IPA's a run for their money.  A juicy hop bitterness dominates throughout, with grapefruit & orange notes punctuating followed by a huge Amarillo dry hop finish, I'm excited about this beer, so should you see it in 2011, let me know what you think.


Barista, Espresso Stout. 4.8% abv.


Barista is a 'black as the night' stout,  a dark malt bitterness leads to roast coffee set against a sumptuous creamy mouthfeel. Real ground Arabica is added to this beer at the end of the boil & allowed to steep, giving you a 'real' coffee hit throughout. The beer finishes with a touch of forgiving sweetness,  if you love stout & coffee, then you have found your utopia.

Teleporter, Ten Malt Porter. 5.0% abv.

Teleporter is a smooth yet full bodied porter brewed with TEN malts that take you through a myriad of flavours from dark fruit berries & nuts through to cocoa, it has balance in shovels, the danger in this beer is the fact it's so moreish & at 5% abv. should be treated with respect. Let it take you & you will be 'Teleported' to another place!


Diablo, India Pale Ale. 6.0% abv.


Diablo, for me is the most exciting beer in our core range this year, a 'Citra' hop led bruiser of an IPA, bring it to your nose & take in the intensity of tropical pineapple, mango, lychee & papaya, with undertones of lime & resinous pine. Take the first sip, a smorgasbord of tropical bitterness swathes across your palate, underpinned by definitive sweetness, as the huge dry hop flavour gently dies it's replaced with resinous hop flavours that gently fade against the sweetness. This is one beer you should NOT miss in 2011!!


So there you have it, that's what you can expect from us in 2011 & more! We look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible in 2011, keep tuned to @swbrewery on twitter or here on the blog with news of our travels & beers, we look forward to having a beer with you!

First stop the 'National Winter Ales Festival' 19th January 2011 where 'Diablo' will debut, we hope to see you there!

Very best wishes for a prosperous, craft beer filled exciting year.

7 comments:

Mark Dredge said...

Fantastic and exciting core range of beers! Good stuff. Make sure some makes its way down south :)

Tandleman said...

You'll certainly see me at NWAF. Look forward to it.

ChrisM said...

Excellent stuff, James, looking forward to trying them, especially Diablo and Barista. Do you expect we will see any in Newcastle outside of the Newcastle Arms beer festivals?

I'll more than likely be on the foreign bar at NWAF, hopefully see you around!

Leigh said...

Nice one, all look good with a nice prescence - surprisingly I;m looking forward to catching Gambit the most! Will check out ED at the NWAF, of course!

Summer Wine Brewery said...

Mark, we'll be doing our bit to get beer further south, tell all the beery northerners to stop drinking it all! :)

Will see you there Tanders.

Chris, they will find their way to the Newcastle Arms & Free Trade amongst others, will catch up with you at NWAF & share a beer!

Cheers Leigh, were working hard on every aspect of the business.

Anonymous said...

Teleporter sounds fantastic, Diablo likewise. I'll definitely keep an eye out for that one at NWAF.

ChrisM said...

Assuming it's the same recipe as in previous years, Teleporter is fantastic, Darren!!