Month: January 2024

Hop Smash is BACK! First brewed in 2016 in collaboration with our friends from Michigan’s Kuhnhenn Brew Co. and one of our highly regarded and most requested beers, this big, bold, bitter and beautiful IPA has had Citra, Centennial and Amarillo hops added at each stage of the brewing process. A generous malt bill provides balance to the beer, giving a full body and a robust 7.4% ABV.  To boost the hefty hop character still further, we’ve added plenty of fresh grapefruit including hot side in our hopback grapefruit-back, for a pithy, citrus bite that builds to a dry, fruity finish. All enhanced by a clean fermentation, co-pitching our house ale yeast with lager yeast. Plus, it’s also vegan friendly and gluten free.

Hop Smash is a showcase of our magnificent hop store, and also exemplifies the style of beer for which Kuhnhenn Brew Co. have won numerous awards at both the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival (amongst the world’s most prestigious brewing competitions) – notably for their DRIPA (a double rice IPA) which was awarded the Best IPA in the WORLD(!!) accolade in 2012. So a big American style IPA seemed like the perfect beer style to combine our skills, push the boundaries and have some fun!

The original brew involved us attempting a step mash in an isothermal mashtun, which is not quite how our kit is intended to be used (square peg, round hole comes to mind!). The team distinctly remember our brewer Jim coming into the office at the end of a particularly long and challenging (but very fun and educational) day, and declaring “well, I’m glad I never have to brew like that again!” only to receive a letter from the Great British Beer Festival inviting us to send a cask of it there, just far enough in the future that meant a repeat brew was essential. And here we are, 8 years later and on our 4^th release! We’ve refined our processes and made the best use of our shiny new(ish) whirlpool this time, streamlining the brew but maintaining the flavour profile and character of the beer.

Crisp, juicy, and dangerously quaffable – definitely not breakfast juice (although we’re not going to judge you if you fancy using it to make yourself a mimosa…)!

Same refreshing beer, refreshed new look!  

Having taken a break from our brewing schedule since 2020, we felt the time was right to update the aesthetics of the pumpclips and cans, reflecting how our approach to design has progressed in the intervening years and bringing it in line with the rest of our Brewers Emporium range, but retaining the iconic grapefruit motif which has become synonymous with this very special beer. 

Hop Smash will be available in cask, keg and 440ml cans, and we’re now taking pre-orders across all formats. Trade customers can give us a call on 0114 2812712, and head here to bag yourself a 6-pack (or case!) on our online shop.

You can also be amongst the first to try it at our launch event! Join the team at The Old Shoe, Orchard Square (S1 2FB) on Thursday 1^st February. Get it at its freshest… it’s the American way!

Cheers!

Continuing our series where you get to know the people who make up Team Abbeydale, our Marketing Manager Laura has erm… interviewed herself. Bit weird. Enjoy!

First up, the basics! What’s your name and where do you come from?

I’m Laura, and I’m Sheffield born and bred… I moved away for a few years for uni and work, but I’ve never left Yorkshire and I’ve always come back to the steel city!

What is your role at Abbeydale Brewery?

My job title is Marketing & Communications Manager, so mainly I’m the “voice” of the brewery and the person behind our website, social media and newsletters. I work closely with our designer James to organise and plan our artwork and design-based output, and I head up our Quality Control and sensory panel. I also get the opportunity to represent the business at events, which is always very fun!

What’s your favourite beer/beer style and why?

Since pubs re-opened after the pandemic, I’ve gained an ever-deeper love for a pint of well-kept cask, and now seek out a sessionable pale ale in the pub before looking for anything more unusual. Which is especially handy considering our brewers are really good at making them. I also bloody love a shandy, which I’m absolutely counting as a beer style.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Abbeydale Brewery?

My role is incredibly varied – I’ve worked here for almost nine years now and there’s still a surprise around many a corner! Plus, we’re a real team.

Best place to enjoy a pint?

Going to be cheesy and say it’s more about the people you’re with than the place you’re in! Having said that though, Jabbarwocky on London Road is one of my locals and I love going there for a few beers, followed by some dumplings and a White Russian. And The Old Shoe in Sheffield city centre is my favourite new bar – as well as a fantastic beer selection, they position all drinks alongside each other in a way I haven’t seen before and I’m always tempted to try something new, whether that’s a cider, a wine or one of their homemade non-alcoholic shrubs.

Where did you have your first (legal!) pint?

The Fat Cat in Kelham Island. It was my dad’s favourite pub when I was growing up, so it was the obvious place for him to buy me a beer as soon as I turned 18! I worked there for a while as well, I loved chatting to the customers but struggled to reach the pint glasses…

Fries: Bacon or Scampi?

Scampi fries save lives.

On the topic of snacks, my favourite crisps are Spicy Tomato Snaps, and I’m very partial to a pickle.

When you’re not chatting about beer, what do you get up to?

I mean I do do a LOT of chatting about beer… as well as my work here, I’m one of the panellists on local podcast the Sheffield Hopcast, and a fledgling YouTuber where myself and my pal Michael ask “Does it Shandy?” about any and all beer styles! I’m also a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. Other than that, I’m a keen (if not particularly fast) runner, and love going on outdoor adventures – you’ll often find me at Parkrun on a Saturday morning, and recently I’ve been doing more longer distance trail stuff too. I’ve even signed up to my first ultra marathon for later in the year! It’s something that really helps me find balance and headspace, as well as being a brilliant way of making friends.

And finally… If you were a cartoon character, who would it be?

I’m going to go with the personality of Lisa Simpson combined with the aesthetic of Velma from Scooby Doo.

Doing Dry January and on the lookout for a zesty, refreshing, soft drink?! Our Sparkling Hop Water is the perfect non-alcoholic alternative to a beer, harnessing all that humulus lupulus goodness but with no artificial flavourings, sugar, caffeine or carbs and of course no booze! Vegan friendly and gluten free too.

Simply the finest Yorkshire water (the exact same that we use for our award-winning beers!), infused with some of our favourite hops and lightly carbonated. That’s it! Very much not an alcohol free beer, we like to think of our Sparkling Hop water as a beer adjacent soft drink, and a way for us to show off our ingredients in a whole new way.

The benefits of hops and their biochemical compounds when used and infused in this way (i.e without fermentation, and alcohol free) can be numerous. Studies have shown that the polyphenols and flavonoids found in hops work with other vitamins such as vitamin C to have antioxidant properties, which helps your body to ward off every day toxins. Hops also have mild sedative effects which can help improve your sleep quality, as well as helping to enhance the natural levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (a clever little chemical messenger) found in the brain, which can lower anxiety and help you to feel calmer.

We have two variations of our mindful, delicious and thirst-quenching Sparkling Hop Water to choose from – try clean and crisp grape-esque Nelson Sauvin, or go gently tropical with the Mosaic hopped variety. Or as the perfect pick-me-up for yourself or a great gift, try our new Dry January Survival Pack, containing 3 cans of each plus our always relevant “I’d rather be drinking Moonshine” mug!

Finally, whether you’re choosing to limit your alcohol intake this month or not – as always, a huge thank you for your support, and please do pop into your local pub when you’re able. They’re likely to have a fantastic array of AF options for you to choose from alongside their selection of beers (and will probably have the heating on!), so please do show them some love this month.

Cheers,

Team Abbeydale