The dawning of a new year brings fresh hopes, resolutions and new starts. After a festive period of over indulgence, January tends to be period of cutting back, dieting and cold weather, a time to wrap up warm and hunker down.
January is appropriately named after the roman God Janus – the god of beginnings and transitions.
It’s a time of new beginnings for Hydes Brewery as well. It’s the start of a new cycle of beers.
We brew our core range of ales – Lowry, Hydes Original, 1863 and Old Indie all year round but we don’t rest on our laurels.
We understand customer’s tastes change, they demand ever more complex beers and like to have an extensive selection of cask ales to choose from.
Hydes don’t disappoint – this year we will be brewing 28 beers as well as another 12 through our Beer Studio range- that’s forty different beers, something for everyone I think you would agree?
For 2017 we have come up with two ranges that reflect not only the values of Hydes Brewery but satisfy the demands of our ever expanding customer base.
The first range is The Provenance range. These are beers brewed using top quality ingredients sourced from around the world. Consumers are increasingly interested in the “provenance” of their products, be it food or drink, so we aren’t shy about telling people where we source our ingredients. These fine cask ales have been growing in popularity over the past couple of years and for 2017 we have decided to tap into the demand for USA style beers and brew six of these ales alongside six beers from elsewhere in the world. The full list is as follows.
January – West Coast Wheat – 4.0% ABV American Dark Wheat Beer which utilises the US Hop – Cluster for low levels of bitterness.
February – Wollogong – 4.3% ABV Blonde ale – an Australian influence here – the Australian hop – Pride of Ringwood figures prominently.
March – California Red Ale – 5.2% ABV – a wonderful red ale using no fewer than five malts and aided by the inclusion of the U.S. Centennial and Columbus hops.
April – Paddock Wood 4.2% ABV – back by popular demand – an English chestnut coloured ale using the finest English malts and hops.
May – Prohibition Cream Ale – 5.0% ABV – a lovely creamy, straw coloured ale. Made with traditional American staples – Maize and corn syrup and from an old original US recipe.
June – Hokkaido – 4.0% ABV – light ale – brewed using Japanese Sorachi Ace hops this is a beer with a lovely citrus flavour.
July – Apache APA – 4.7% ABV – American Pale Ale – utilising pale ale malt and a variety of American hops. A great addition to our tribe!
August – Lebelski – 4.4% ABV – Pale ale brewed using the Polish hop – Lubliner. A subtle bitterness with a slightly woody aftertaste. A “polished” beer!
September – Ryed Hard – 5.7% US Amber ale – A Strong Rye beer using three U.S. Hops – Magnum, Centennial and Cascade – a lovely red tinge with a citrus flavour.
October – Bruges – 4.3% – Tawny ale – utilises a mix of quality continental hops to produce a spicy, earthy flavour with a toffee aroma.
November – Yankee Pumpkin ale – 5.0% ABV – U.S. themed ale brewed with hand-cut pumpkin added to the mash. A lovely malty flavour, perfect for thanksgiving!
December – Alsace – 4.6% ABV – Light Ale – brewed with Pilsen and Strisselpalt malts. A beer with an Alsace influence and a hoppy finish.
The second beer range we are offering is our Seasonal / Occasional range. These beers are aimed at providing consumers with a reason to purchase, giving them the opportunity to try something new.
Occasions are becoming a key driver in the pub industry – events such as Halloween, St.Patrick’s day and the huge number of sporting occasions mean that pubs become more popular and demand for unusual beers increases.
It’s about reacting to customer demand and satisfying their needs – and these are the beers we have come up with to do just that!
January – No Resolve – 3.9% ABV – Brewed to get those carrying out New Year’s resolutions to succumb to temptation, made with English and U.S. Hops a perfectly balanced beer to tempt the most ardent of abstainers.
February – Tight Head Hop – 4.1% ABV – This is our Six Nations ale – where Rugby Union takes over sports fans hearts and minds. Just like a prop forward, this is a robust beer with a tight head!
March – Jekyll’s Gold – 4.3% ABV – the return of an old Hydes favourite. A lovely golden ale with a fresh, citrus flavour – an elixir the good doctor would surely approve of!
April – Yeaster – 3.8% ABV – This unsurprisingly is our Easter ale – a time of renewal – so we have used a brand new yeast strain from Belgium giving a beer of Eggceptional quality.
May – Championees – 4.2% ABV – our tribute to the end of the football season – a time when the trophies are handed out – so what better way to celebrate than by having a beer specially brewed for the occasion. Using English and US ingredients – a beer for champions!
June – Solstice – 5.0% ABV – brewed to celebrate the longest day of the year. A lovely amber ale with nice biscuit overtones.
July – Celsius – 4.2% ABV – we are doffing our sun hats to hot days and balmy nights, a light ale with refreshing bitterness and a golden colour to match the July sun (if we can see it!)
August – Expectations – 3.8% ABV – the start of the football season, fans expectations are through the roof as the excitement levels mount. Just like the best football teams we have blended English and German ingredients to come up with a beer that provides a winning combination!
September – Indian Summer – 4.4% ABV – a time where we don’t want the summer to end, here’s a beer to remind us of the summer that has just passed. A golden ale with fresh citrus and lemon flavours.
October – Manchester’s Finest – 4.5% ABV – the return of another Hydes classic. A cracker of a beer using English malts and hops, truly Manchester’s finest!
October – Hoppy appeal – 3.8% ABV – a tribute to heroes past and present. The use of U.S. hops produces a sharp bitterness to this golden ale. 5p for every pint sold is donated to the Royal British Legion.
November – First Frost – 3.8% ABV – there’s a nip in the air and a frost on the ground. Here’s a beer that has good levels of bitterness to mirror the first frosts of the year!
December – Victorian Winter Warmer – 7.0% ABV – our antidote to frost on the windows, ice on the ground and those freezing December evenings. A whopping 7.0% ABV ensures a warming finish to beer made in the traditional porter style.
