Download the Real-Ale Festival News here
Wetherspoon’s autumn real-ale festival will be celebrating British hops, with the event’s theme being ales made using hops originating from the British Isles.
The company is showing its continued commitment to British hop farmers and their home-grown and developed produce by showcasing a selection of 30 festival ales all brewed using only British-grown hop varieties.
The 12-day autumn real-ale festival runs from Wednesday 12 to Sunday 23 October (inclusive) at Wetherspoon’s pubs across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Speciality
The festival line-up also includes new, seasonal and speciality ales – in addition to which many of the ales are available in the pubs for the first time, having been brewed exclusively for the bi-annual event.
Among the 30 festival ales are three from overseas breweries – Mad Giant (Johannesburg, South Africa), Telemark Bryggeri (Skien, Norway) and Nowhereman Brewing (Western Australia). However, these have all used British-grown hop varieties in their festival brews.
Mad Giant’s Eben Uys travelled to Hook Norton Brewery (Oxfordshire) to brew the amber ale Autumn Amber (4.3% ABV), using Endeavour, Jester, Olicana and UK Chinook hops.
This reinterpretation of Mad Giant’s seasonal ale delivers generous citrus and fruity hop notes, balanced by solid biscuit malt notes, resulting in a crisp, full-flavoured character.
Kjetil Jikiun, from Telemark Bryggeri, has brewed Rav (5.0% ABV) at Shepherd Neame Brewery (Kent), using Ernest, Godiva, Jester and Olicana hops.
Smooth
This red session IPA’s inviting malt profile is balanced by a gentle hop bitterness, while tropical fruit and citrus notes dominate and continue into the long, smooth finish.
Banks’s Brewery (West Midlands) hosted Eddie Still, who journeyed from Nowhereman Brewing (Western Australia) to brew Wungong (5.5% ABV).
It is made using Ernest, Jester, Keyworth’s Early, Olicana and UK Chinook – a blend of hop varieties which delivers a feast of assorted fruity flavours, balanced by a rich malt base.
Click on the images below to find out more about the international brewers.
Other ales to look out for are those brewed by British brewers, especially for the festival.
These include Substructure (4.3% ABV), a golden session IPA from Argyll-based Fyne Ales, County Durham’s Maxim Brewery’s Olicana (4.6% ABV), a new blond ale celebrating new UK hop variety Olicana, and Staffordshire-based Titanic Brewery’s Slipway IPA (5.5% ABV), a new amber-coloured IPA with a blend of fresh English hops.
Floral
Green Gold (4.0% ABV), from Windsor-based Windsor & Eton Brewery, is a new copper-coloured best bitter brewed using fresh-picked green WGV hops, delivering a floral aroma and a fresh, grassy and resinous flavour.
North Yorkshire’s Black Sheep Brewery is showcasing Astronomer (4.2% ABV), a seasonal black porter brewed using WGV hops and a blend of tasty dark malts and chocolate.
It has a rich, warming character, with heaps of chocolate notes in both the aroma and palate.
Customers will be able to enjoy three one-third-of-a-pint ales for the price of a festival pint, to be sure not to miss out on any of the festival ales.
Throughout the festival, the Festival News magazine, including tasting notes for all beers, will be available at the pubs, on our website and also on the app.
Download the Real-Ale Festival News here