Author: abbeydale.admin

Our charity beer has officially now all SOLD OUT  and we are delighted to be able to announce the total monies raised at Sunfest this year!

First up – our JBMF collaboration brew – Blue Skies – an easy drinking pale, hopped with Mount Hood named after one of James’ passions, Sky Diving, and it’s gone down a treat with pubs as far afield as Liverpool, Coventry and Cheshire (with plenty being supped in Sheffield too of course!). 10p from every pint sold will be donated straight to the charity – a grand total of £806.40.

In addition, James’ family and friends were a valuable presence over Sunfest and they raised an amazing £1096 during the festival, from a combination of cake, pork pie and sausage roll sales (hands up if you’re still dreaming about those!). Adding in your very generous beer tokens and spare change from the weekend gives us a total of £2286.20!

Some kind words from the family; 

"All of us involved in the James Brownhill Memorial Fund (JBMF), which was founded after James was killed in a climbing accident on Mont Blanc in 2011, would sincerely like to thank Abbeydale brewery for "adopting" the JBMF as their charity for the Sunfest festival in the summer of 2019 where we ran the "Munchies" stall selling homemade cakes, buns and sausage rolls.

The timing of the invitation was perfect as the JBMF is reaching the desired target of funds in order to run the JBMF for 22 3/4 years, James’ age, and offering bursaries to provide a week’s course for leadership skills in winter alpine climbing conditions.

So the substantial funds we raised has provided the vast majority of the remaining monies required. The funds came from a mixture of sales on the "Munchies" stall, donations and the generous scheme whereby 10p is donated to the JBMF by Abbeydale brewery for every pint of the festival beer (Blue Skies) sold. We even had the honour of naming the beer and the name came from one of James’ other pastimes which was Skydiving.

We have always been welcomed by the brewery and been given every opportunity to be part of the festival in order to keep James’ name and spirit alive."  

Whirlow Hall Farm raised £600 after all costs, to go straight to their charity, Whirlow Hall Farm Trust.

Last but by no means least, the ever popular Rain Rescue dog show raised £57.55 on the Sunday of Sunfest, and there were lots of waggy tails on the day, so another success.

A huge thank you to all of you who joined us for Sunfest, donated your beer tickets, munched on a hog roast sandwich or a sausage roll, or paraded your pooch in the dog show. And also of course to all of our customers who have had Blue Skies on their bars in recent weeks.

Created in collaboration with the marvellous Melissa Cole, a renowned beer and food writer, it seemed only right that we jointly developed a recipe for a beer inspired by food! And so we’re pleased to introduce you to Slam Dunk Da Funk, a Persian inspired dark sour, fermented with kefir and infused with black limes, aromatic dried apricots, and heady sumac spice. Barrel aged for 6 months in our Funk Dungeon, it’s fragrant and full of flavour with a tingle of acidity on the tongue. Quaffable solo, or the perfect accompaniment to Middle Eastern inspired cuisine. We’ve rustled up a lamb tagine as some inspiration (see recipe below), but do feel free to experiment and of course don’t forget to let us know what you create!

If you’d like to try the beer for yourself, it’s available on our online shop right here!

INGREDIENTS – serves 4 hungry bellies, or 6 slightly more restrained individuals

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 120C (use an oven thermometer to check you have the right temperature) and warm a heavy metal casserole through on the hob on a medium-high heat. Once the casserole is hot, add a good glug of oil, and give it a minute before you start to brown your lamb.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, 2tbsp of the ras-el-hanout and the lime powder in a large bowl, add meat and toss to coat, before browning off in batches in the casserole dish – don’t overcrowd the pan! Transfer the browned meat to a large, clean bowl.

Once all the meat is browned, drop the heat to very low and take the pan off the heat for a couple of minutes, before returning and gently frying off the onions and peppers for at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then add the garlic for another few minutes, stirring a bit more often, followed by the cumin, ½ tsp sumac, ginger, remaining 1tbsp of ras-el-hanout and coriander stalk for another 5 minutes or so, stirring frequently.

Add the meat back to the pan and combine with the spiced onion mix, then add the apricots and stock making sure the meat is covered (add a little water if necessary), put the lid on and cook in the oven for 3.5-4.5 hours.

For the last 20 minutes of cooking, first check the meat is tender, then stir in the chickpeas and butter beans – you can add a little more water if it seems a little dry.

As you remove the pot from the oven, stir in the rest of the sumac, lemon/lime zest and juice, check for seasoning and adjust accordingly, then garnish with the coriander leaves and spring onions. Serve at the table in the casserole with a steaming pile of fluffy buttered couscous or bulgur wheat. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds (and the feta, if you choose to add this) for a final flourish.

Funk Fest 2019 is ONE WEEK (and a day) AWAY! After announcing our house Funk Dungeon project beers which will be pouring in this blog post last week, it’s now time to confirm all the ridiculously tasty treats we’ve rustled up from all around the country (plus one all the way from Ireland!). Rennies at the ready…

Atom Brewery – The God Particle (6.0%) – Collaboration with Abbeydale Brewery. Juicy Kveik IPA.

Black Metal Brewery – Bretted Kvassphemy (6.0%) – Collaboration with Steel City. Black kvass (traditional Russian fermented beverage!). *Festival exclusive*

Castling’s Heath Cottage – Organic Cider (8.0%) – Organic wild cider from Little Earth Project brewer Tom’s dad! Simply pressed apple juice left to age and ferment in barrel. Dry yet refreshing.

Chorlton Brewing Co. – Brett Saison (6.0%) – Mixed fermentation saison, dry hopped with Hallertau Blanc.

Chorlton Brewing Co. – Keller Brett Sour (5.7%) – Kellerbier-style unfiltered sour lager refermented on Brettanomyces.

Cloudwater Brew Co. – Foeder Du Haut (7.0%) – Collaboration with De Gard. Complex foeder aged sour.

Fierce Beer – Farmhouse Grape (7.3%) – Collaboration with Yeastie Boys. Grape ale from the all new Fierce by Nature range.

Fyne Ales – Sour Friends: On the Beach (4.5%) – Cocktail inspired kettle sour with orange, peach and cranberry.

Fyne Ales: Origins – Beams (5.7%) – Collaboration with Duration Brewery. Rustic barrel aged saison. *First pour*

Mills Brewing – Draw Together (8.0%) – A blend of a three different barrel fermented beers – a Bordeaux red rye sour, a cider saison and a White Burgundy strong ale. *Bottles only*

Little Earth Project – Organic Harvest 2017 (6.7%) – Funky saison, brewed with organic fresh hops in September 2017.

London Beer Factory – Pointless Innocence (7.2%) – Collaboration with Brew By Numbers. IPA loaded with strawberry, Madagascan vanilla beans and lactose. Dry hopped with Cashmere and Mosaic, then blended with 3 barrels of 9 month old sour blonde beer.

Lost Industry Brewing – Mojito Sour (5.4%) – Cocktail inspired kettle sour with bucketloads of fresh mint and lime.

Orbit Beers – WLS033 (4.3%) – Collaboration with Abbeydale Brewery. Born through a meeting of minds at Indie Beer Feast and a holiday discovering desserts in Thailand, inspiring a kettle sour reminiscent of Thai mango & coconut sticky rice. 

Runaway Brewery – Shandy Panache: Sour Crush (2.4%) – Collaboration with Steep Soda. Citrus sour blended 60 / 40 with pineapple crush soda.

Siren Craft Brew – Stock Ale B. Clauss (9.0%) – Collaboration with Wiper&True. Name and tasting note to be confirmed… it’s a very new release, we’ve got the sneak preview! *First pour*

Torrside Brewery – Easily Bothered by Persistence (4.6%) – Collaboration with Abbeydale Brewery. Pale ale fermented with Brett Bruxellensis.

Wide Street Brewing – Still Voices (4.2%) – Easy-going sessionable sour. Dry, refreshing and hopped with El Dorado and Amarillo. *First UK pour*

Wilderness Brewery – Farmhouse Sour (5.5%) – Farmhouse pale, fermented with a mixed culture of saison yeast, Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus. Lightly funky, lightly sour, refreshing.           

Yonder Brewing & Blending – Raspberry Gose (4.0%) – Tart and fruity gose with raspberries.

Tickets are still available at bit.ly/funkfest19 so grab one while you can! Your ticket includes entry to the festival, a limited edition drinking vessel, and a palate cleansing half pint of either our flagship Moonshine pale ale or Heresy lager to reset the tastebuds in between all those tasty funky brews!

We hope to see you next weekend… cheers!

With just a fortnight to go until Funk Fest 2019 kicks off, the beer list has well and truly taken shape and some very special brews have started to emerge from the Dungeon! Here’s your house beer list for this year’s festival…

Don’t Call Me Weiss (5.2%) – Traditionally fermented Berliner Weisse with strains of Sacchromyces (including a hybrid strain originally used in wine production) and Brettanomyces. Light, juicy, sour. *Launching at the Crow on Thursday 29^th August as part of the Funk Fest Fringe*

Wanderer (5.5%) – Kaffir lime and lemongrass saison, delicately perfumed with a pleasing sweetness. Fermented with our house saison blend which gives a refreshing spicy character and a dry finish.

Methuselah – Brett Reserve (12%) – Big and fruity imperial stout with a light acidity which balances the hefty malt backbone. Packs a punch after 18 months in barrel. *First pour*

Cow TIPA (12%) – Sour, barrel aged, bretted triple IPA fermented with the addition of Riesling grape must, before being dry hopped in barrel with Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin and Centennial. *Launching at Shakespeares on Saturday 31st August as part of the Funk Fest Fringe*

Logan’s Run (6.0%) – Single barrel pale ale base, fermented on cider lees with the addition of a whole allotment of locally sourced loganberries (thanks to Rising Sun regular Les!) *Festival exclusive*

Greetings from Fort Mill (3.8%) – Collaboration with Amor Artis from South Carolina. Refreshing grisette infused with yarrow and orange peel.

Slam Dunk Da Funk (5.3%) – Collaboration with beer writer Melissa Cole. Barrel aged Persian dark sour fermented with kefir, with the addition of black limes, apricots and sumac spice in the barrel. *First pour*

SauPoint (5.5%) – Collaboration with Colin Stronge and Sir Robin of Locksley gin. Complex sour beer with apricots, aged in an ex-ex-Sauternes, ex-Old Tom Navy Strength gin cask. *First pour*

Unbeliever (4.4%) – Raspberry and Vanilla Berliner Weisse. Tart and fruity kettle sour with a soft acidity and a creamy finish.

Sow The Seeds (5.5%) – Collaboration with Siren Craft Brew, 1/2. Bretted Farmhouse IPA with Simcoe and Mosaic hops. A pleasant ever developing funk is coming to the fore on this one after a few months in keg. *Final pour – last ever keg*

Reap A Harvest (7.5%) – Collaboration with Siren Craft Brew, 2/2. Barrel aged saison style beer, taken from the first runnings of Sow the Seeds, infused with blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries and chuckleberries. *First pour*

Ryes From the Grave (7.2%) – We’ve waited 18 months for this beer to be ready, but we reckon it was worth it. A blend of three beers aged in a mix of American Oak and French ex-red wine barrels, given a final fermentation with cherries and blackcurrants. You can read more about this one here.

Hop Bretta: Vic Secret (3.9%) – Single hopped sessionable bretted beer, designed to have a light funk and be an accessible introduction to this style of beer. *On cask*

—

Next week we’ll be sharing details of the extra special tasting events happening over the course of the weekend, closely followed by releasing the line up of the incredible guest beers we’ve sourced especially for the festival.

If you haven’t got your tickets for Funk Fest yet, head to bit.ly/funkfest19 to grab one now! Don’t forget your ticket includes a festival glass and a palate cleansing beer to soothe the tastebuds mid-sour-session!

Hope to see you at one of our fringe events (you can also catch us at Hop Hideout on Friday 30^th August, where they’ve secured the last ever kegs of our award winning Wild Plum Ale and Chorlton Raspberry Blend) and of course over the weekend of 7^th and 8^th September!

Cheers!

Ryes from the Grave is the first of an ambitious series of beers released from our Funk Dungeon barrel ageing and souring programme. Each of these is to have their own distinct identity and will be intended to showcase both the diversity of the beers resting quietly in our cellars, and the skill involved in meticulously blending them together. While we are still at the behest of Brettanomyces and its ability to ferment all the sugars we let it feed upon, we are confident that we are definitely at a point where we can really be proud of the time and effort put into these beers. 

This beer is an expression of the history of the barrel project. It’s made up of beers which hold some of our earliest work with yeasts and bacteria and their relationship over time with neutral oak, to some of our more recent barrel acquisitions which exhibit additional flavour characteristics that work hand in hand with our yeasts.

So what came first, the beer or the name?! That is a very good question, and one that none of us can quite remember the answer to. Either way, the base beer designed to be the backbone to the final blend (and making up about a third of it) contains a high quantity of Crystal Rye, chosen as it provides a tasty residual sweetness coupled with a spicy edge that amplifies the fruit content of the beer.

This base beer was fermented with our house sour saison yeast blend, with added sour cherries and blackcurrant puree. Primary fermentation took around two weeks, after which the beer was racked into freshly emptied barrels. The barrels themselves are now on their fourth fill, so provide a neutral oak character with a gentle hint of vanilla tannin. We left this to rest for four months before completing the blend for the final beer.

We then used a mixture of beers from older oak stock, to really enhance the complexity found within the final blend, using beer which was initially put into barrel between early 2017 and mid 2018. In this way, we feel that the final beer best represents the development of our programme and helps to show the burgeoning history which can now begin to be found within it.

The main component of the beer (about half of the final product) is a saison which has spent time in ex-red wine barrels. This was chosen as it adds a fruity tannic quality and a brett character, but overall wasn’t particularly acidic. In order to reach the desired level of acidity, a small amount of a low pH imperial saison was blended in, which also helps to round out and amplify the cherry and blackcurrant notes without being overbearingly acetic. Finally, a small addition of a more simple and straightforward cleaner beer brewed with a hybrid yeast was added which helped to bring everything together, as our Funk Dungeon Lead Brewer Jim puts it “that was the seasoning for the rest of the blend”.

This beer has come about as the result of a long testing process, where a number of different options and beers blended at varying quantities were shared with the whole team to allow the final outcome to be a true collaborative process. This beer, while it shows the influence of some of the classic Belgian styles and more contemporary US sours, also highlights that we are brewing, fermenting and blending our beers our way, with the intention of producing modern beer that is still steeped in tradition.

The beer itself a deceptively easy drinking 7.2% sour, refreshing and rounded yet blisteringly dry on the finish, with a high level of fruit acidity and a funky twang on the palate. Kudos to designer James Murphy on the stunning artwork too.

Ryes from the Grave is just one of the thirty lines we’ll have available at Funk Fest this September 7^th and 8^th, head to bit.ly/funkfest19 to grab your tickets! We hope that you can get hold of this beer (it’s available right here on our online shop) and enjoy it as much as we enjoyed working on it, and keep an eye out in the near future for the next beers from the dungeon.

The second in our current series of collaborations with good friends from across the pond, Greetings from Charlotte is the culmination of a journey which began with a week spent at the incredible NoDa Brewing, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our brewers Jamie and Christie were lucky enough to head out there last year, and we were massively excited to welcome them back to brew with us in Sheffield just a few weeks ago.

NoDa co-owners Todd Ford and Chad Henderson made the trip across the Atlantic along with Production Manager Matt Virgil. The beer we have created, “Greetings from Charlotte” is a Breakfast Cereal IPA, a new angle on the New England style, with a South Eastern US twang and an English twist, inspired by NoDa’s popular “True Grit” IPA. Chad is a scientific brewer who starts at a theory to get to a recipe, and his desire to get into the nitty gritty of hops, proteins, and yeast was definitely something for us to learn from. We used torrefied maize (the closest things to cornflakes we’ve ever added to a beer), oats and oat milk, coupled with Galaxy, Vic Secret and Citra Cryo, to create a hazy hopbomb with a smooth mouthfeel and a crisp finish.

We caught up Todd and Chad over a pint after the brewday to learn a little more about the company, their ethos, and their community…

Todd and Chad met when both were homebrewers attending the same club almost a decade ago, “having fun and expression with beer, not a business”, as the craft beer scene started to really take off in the States. More lenient laws were beginning to increase the possibilities of brewing, causing a booming interest in the trade country-wide. In North Carolina, things were slower to get started, with just one beer (a fairly traditional German style lager) brewed in Charlotte at the time. Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina, and Todd and Chad began to question why there were no local options available.

Todd and his wife Suzie, also a co-owner of the business, wanted a change and the opportunity to work together, and to bring a local beer option to their beloved hometown. And so the Fords “put their lives on the line”, using their retirement fund to start the business. “We were at a time of our lives where we felt able to go for it… our kids were in or through college and we knew we could dedicate the time and effort required to build the business from the ground up”.

Since the inception of NoDa 8 years ago, the beer scene has exploded in Charlotte – they were the second brewery to start up in a town which now boasts over 50 breweries. But Todd says that “what has kept us at the forefront is a unique balance of quality products and the development of exciting, approachable, flavourful brands that offer a twist on the familiar”. By challenging assumptions to keep excitement and a high variety alongside quality and consistency, NoDa certainly set a high precedent for creativity and diversity. There’s now a thriving brewery community in Charlotte, coupled with a healthy level of competition, which as Chad states means that “our beer now is better than it’s ever been… we have to keep up with that rising tide”.

The driving force behind Chad’s recipes is an overall ambition to “create, inspire, educate and challenge. I want our beers to straddle the box of comfort… inside the box gets boring, and stepping too far away means you can make something so obscure as to become too challenging, but stepping 1 foot either side of familiarity means you can find a balance and have something for people to relate to”.

It was an award for their Coco Loco porter at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in 2013, followed by a Gold award in the American IPA category in 2014 (a category usually dominated by breweries from Colorado), which Todd credits with making NoDa a household name in the American craft beer world. Following on from this, they were able to open their second production facility, which houses a 60 BBL plant and still has room to grow. The 15 BBL original kit is now used for their limited release brews as well as their barrel ageing and souring project. More GABF awards have followed, covering many different beer styles including their spiced beer (the beer that Chad credits with getting him his first date with his now wife!), the mojito inspired NoDajito sour, and Gordgeous pumpkin beer.

NoDa are proud to have a tap room in the art district of Charlotte which emphasises their love for and commitment to their community. They have a crowd of loyal taproom regulars and (similar to how we like to work here) take care to embrace their local area – they showcase local artists, and arrange an array of different charity events, with Monday night fundraisers taking place every single week. Even the furniture is made from repurposed wood, from the building’s former life as a vinegar factory.

As the “old boys” in North Carolina, but still the ones known for pushing the boundaries and staying ahead of the curve, we can see many similarities between NoDa and ourselves here at Abbeydale. As Todd puts it, “we have to learn a lot as fast as we can and then implement it as hard as we can… but everything we do, we do it with love”. A sentiment that’s as true in Sheffield as it is in Charlotte, almost 4000 miles away.

“Greetings from Charlotte” is out now in cask, keg and 440ml can.

Cheers!

We are excited to announce that we are today launching Heathen in 440ml cans, sitting proudly alongside our brand new lager Heresy at the forefront of our Brewers Emporium range.

Heathen has been our most popular beer in can for the past two years, and in response to customer feedback we’ve decided that more of it to love (and fewer trips to the fridge!) can only be a good thing! 

Both are available now by the 6 pack or case via our online shop.

The rest of the range will soon be making the transition to 440ml cans too, so do keep your eyes peeled for news on all of our upcoming releases!

It’s just one week to go until the thirteenth annual Sunfest beer festival kicks off at our lovely pub the Rising Sun! The team have been working hard to rustle up a cracker of a beer list for you, so read on and draw up your wish list!

We’re also excited to announce that this year’s festival (running from Thursday 11th to Sunday 14th July) marks the official launch of Heresy lager. An Abbeydale lager has been a long time in the making (we’ve been saving the name for it since the 1990s!) so we can’t wait to get it out there. Please join us and help to welcome Heresy as the newest member of our Brewers’ Emporium family!

 

CASK

House Beers – Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield:

Blue Skies (4.3%) – *First pour* Special festival beer with 10p a pint donated to the James Brownhill Memorial Fund.  Easy drinking pale hopped with Mount Hood.

Bob’s Your Dunkel (7.0%) – *Festival exclusive* Imperial-ish wheat beer

Bretted Dry-Hopped Sour (5.5%) – *From the Funk Dungeon – One off cask* Lemon and lime sour, well hopped and finished with Brett

Cryo Huckster (6.0%) – *Collaboration with Peddler Market* – Cryo-hopped NEIPA

Forge (6.0%) – *Collaboration with Forge Bakehouse* – Ancient grain IPA

Last Rites (11.0%) – Full-bodied barley wine

Raisins to be Fearful (7.0%) – *Collaboration with Torrside Brewery* Smoked Belgian Dubbel with raisins and apricots

Reaper #4 (4.8%) – Grapefruit infused wheat beer

Rise and Shine (4.3%) – *Festival exclusive* Dry hopped pale with coffee

Serenity #9 (3.8%) – Session IPA with Citra & Sabro hops

Unbeliever #8.1 (4.0% ) – *One off cask* Mango & lychee kettle sour

Unbeliever #8.2 (4.4% ) – *One off cask* Raspberry & vanilla Berliner Weisse

Whoopsies (10.2%) – *Festival exclusive* Donut Imperial IPA         

 

Guest cask

Acorn Brewery, Barnsley – Summer (4.1%) – Wheat beer

Anthology Brewing, Leeds – New Zealand Pale Ale (4.0%) – Session pale with Rakau and Jester hops

Arbor Ales, Bristol – Mosaic (4.0%) – Single hopped session pale

Atom Beers, Hull – Blonde (4.0%) – Crisp session pale

Bad Seed Brewery, Malton – Rustic Charm (6.3%) – Farmhouse IPA

Bakers Dozen Brewing, Stamford:

The Turk (5.5%) – Turkish Delight Porter

Magic Potion #17 (3.8%) – Amarillo & Chinook hopped pale

Beat Brewery, Stourbridge – Skaburst (4.0%) – Farmhouse ale

Black Iris, Nottingham – Chasing the Sun (6.5%) – Juicy IPA with Citra, Amarillo and Motueka

Blackjack Brewery, Manchester – The Pokies (3.6%) – Session American pale

Box Social Brewing, Newcastle – Blood Eagle (4.2%) – Mosaic and Simcoe pale

Brass Castle Brewery, Malton – Eclipse (5.7%) – Black IPA

Brew York, York:

Tonkoko (4.3%) – Chocolate and tonka bean milk stout

Turtle Peach (4.4%) – Hoppy pale ale with peaches

Brewsters Brewing, Grantham – Lupi Lin (4.5%) – Golden Mosaic and Simcoe ale

Bristol Beer Factory, Bristol – Fortitude (4.0%) – Amber ale

Castle Rock Brewery, Nottingham – SIPAv2 (4.5%) – Session IPA with Galena, Citra, Simcoe and Loral hops

Crafty Monkey Brewing Company, Hartlepool – Moneypenny EPA (4.0%) – Traditional English pale

Crosspool Ale Makers Society, Crosspool – Delph House (7.0%) – DDH IPA

Don Valley Brewery, Mexborough – Kiss the Sky (4.0%) – Woodstock inspired pale

Fernandes Brewery, Wakefield – Blue Lady (3.8%) – Golden session ale named after the legend of the Ghost of Heath Hall

Fixed Wheel Brewery, Blackheath – Manx Missile (4.4%)  – Hoppy rye ale

Flagship Beer, Liverpool – Vandal (4.2%) – Easy drinking pale from the microbrewery at the excellent Ship & Mitre pub

Foolhardy Ales, Stockport – Run Riot (4.6%) – Peanut butter milk stout

Good Chemistry Brewing, Bristol – Natural Selection (4.0%) – American pale ale with Simcoe and Ekuanot hops

Great Yorkshire Brewery, Cropton – Yorkshire Golden (4.2%) – Refreshing golden beer

Half Moon Brewery, York – That Old Chestnut (4.7%) – *Collaboration with Raven Hill Brewery* Classic chestnut coloured bitter

Harbour Brewing Co., Lanivet, Cornwall – Daymer (3.7%) – Pale ale with Saaz, Celeia, Mosaic & Citra hops

Kirkstall Brewery, Leeds – Inman & Howgate (3.6%) *Collaboration with Vocation Brewery* Light session pale named after the 2 head brewers who created it

Little Black Dog Beer Co., Carlton – NEIPA (5.1%) – Hazy, hopfilled NEIPA

Liverpool Organic Brewery, Liverpool – Liverpool IPA (5.7%) – Hoppy pale

Loxley Brewery, Sheffield – Wisewood 7 (4.4%) – Five-hop pale

Magic Rock Brewing Co., Huddersfield:

Ringmaster (3.9%) – US hopped pale

High Wire (5.5%) – West Coast style pale

Magpie Brewery, Nottingham – Hoppily Ever After (3.8%) – Refreshing pale

Mission Creep Beers, Cuckoo Brewers – Temple (3.8%) – Session pale with Chinook hops

Moor Beer, Bristol – Radiance (5.0%) – Crisp and hoppy blonde ale

Neptune Brewery, Liverpool – Loreli (3.5%) – Summery pale with Mandarina Bavaria & Huell Melon hops

North Riding Brewery, Scarborough – Styrian Dragon (4.5%) – Single hopped pale

Pig & Porter, Tunbridge Wells – All These Vibes (5.3%) – Pale ale with oats and wheat

Rat Brewery, Huddersfield – Poirat (4.8%) – Belgian blonde ale

Revolutions Brewing, Castleford – Swoon (4.5%) – Chocolate fudge milk stout

Ridgeside Brewing Co., Leeds – Albion (4.5%) – Pale ale with Ernest hops

Riverhead Brewery, Marsden – Blueberry Pale (4.0%) – Pale ale with stacks of real blueberries

Rooster’s Brewing Co, Knaresborough – Gridiron (4.9%) – Dry-hopped American red ale

Sheffield Brewery, Sheffield – Get Thi’sen Outdooerz (4.0%) – Easy drinking session beer designed for outdoor drinking!

Shiny Brewing, Derby – Moa (3.9%) – NZ hopped pale

Silver Brewhouse, Staveley – Funky Summer (4.0%) – New world session IPA

Siren Craft Brew, Reading – Broken Dream (6.0%) – Breakfast stout, 2018 Champion Beer of Britain

Steel City Brewing, Sheffield – Åsane (6.7%) – Cherrywood-smoked rauch braggot

Team Toxic, Cuckoo Brewers – Milkshake Pale Ale (5.2%) – Milkshake pale with lactose

Thornbridge Brewery, Bakewell – Melba (5.2%) – Peach infused IPA

Torrside Brewing, New Mills – Margin of Error (4.8%) – “Traditional” English bitter, with loads of American hops!

True North Brew Co., Sheffield – DDH Pale (4.3%)    

Turning Point Brew Co., Kirkbymoorside – Off The Grid (6.2%) – *One off cask* Ultra pale hazy IPA with Simcoe, Cascade and Chinook

Vocation Brewery, Hebden Bridge – Jack of All Trades (3.8%) – *Collaboration with Blackjack Brewery* Citra and Enigma hopped pale

Waen Brewery, Llanidloes – Pamplemousse Grapefruit (4.2%) – Fruity, dry hopped pale with grapefruit juice

Welbeck Abbey Brewery, Worksop – Sleeping Beauty (5.3%) – A honey-sweet IPA with Beata hops

Wild Beer Co., Shepton Mallet – Bibble (4.2%) – Oat pale with Mosaic hops

Wilde Child Brewing Co., Leeds – Wheel of Fortune (4.7%) – Heavily hopped and hazy pale with Summit, Eureka & Simcoe

Wiper & True, Bristol – Kaleidoscope (4.2%) – A tri-hopped golden ale

 

KEG

House Beers – Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield :

Birdhouse (4.2%) – *Collaboration with Birdhouse Tea Co* Jasmine, green tea, summer fruits and hibiscus pinkish pale

Brett Force Trauma (5.0%) – *From the Funk Dungeon* Bretted pale ale with Mosaic

Greetings from Fort Mill (3.8%) – *Collaboration with Amor Artis, South Carolina* Orange peel and yarrow Grisette

Heathen (4.1%) – Mosaic hopped American Pale Ale

Heresy (4.5%) – Clean and crisp lager. Officially launching at the festival!

Keggy Bread (3.8%) – *Festival exclusive* Our Daily Bread best bitter served for one time only ON KEG! Fuggles, yum yum.

Lil Boochie (Low alc) – *Festival exclusive* Hopped Kombucha

Maize-Balls (6.2%) *Festival exclusive* Maize IPA with fresh blood oranges

Methuselah (Rum BA) (10.5%) – *From the Funk Dungeon* Barrel aged imperial stout.

Passion Fruit Lager (4.5%)  – *Festival exclusive* Lager infused with passionfruits

RITA (6.0%) – *Collaboration with Thornbridge Brewery* Black IPA #BIPAcomeback

Serenity #9 (3.8%) – Session IPA with Citra & Sabro hops

Unbeliever #8.2 (4.4%)- Raspberry & Vanilla Berliner Weisse

Voyager #17 (5.6%) – Citra, Cascade & Centennial IPA

 

Guest keg

Arbor Ales, Bristol – Space Hardware (6.6%) – NEIPA with Ekuanot, Galaxy, Mosaic and Simcoe hops

Atom Beers, Hull – The God Particle (6.0%) – *Collaboration with Abbeydale Brewery* Kveik IPA

Booch & Brew, Manchester – Ginger Kombucha (Low alc) – Kombucha brewed with ginger and lemon

Box Social Brewing, Newcastle – A Certain Shade of Green (6.0%) – Potent and punchy Citra IPA

Brew York, York – Empress Tonkoko (10.6%) – Tonka bean and coconut chocolate imperial stout

Gibberish, Liverpool – Chocolate Chilli Stodge Stout (6.0%) – Sumptuous chocolate stout with a hint of spice

Gipsy Hill Brewing Co., London – Swamper (3.5%) – Session New England pale

Kernel Brewery, London – Foeder Beer (5.0%) – Mixed fermentation Belgian-esque pale

Orbit Beers, London – Tzatziki Sour (4.3%) – Mint and cucumber Berliner weisse

Ridgeside Brewing Co., Leeds – Equator (5.6%) – Pineapple & grapefruit IPA

Steel City Brewing, Sheffield – Hammer Brew (7.2%) – NZ sour brut IPA with peach. One of only 2 kegs!

St Mars of the Desert, Sheffield – Endless Toil (4.0%) – *Collaboration with Hop Hideout* Orange zest pale ale.

Torrside Brewing, New Mills – Take My Bones Away (5.5%) – *Collaboration with Black Iris Brewery* Fresh and summery IPA

Track Brewery, Manchester – Out of Sight (9.0%) – Cryo-hopped DIPA with oats   

Wander Beyond Brewing, Manchester – Smoking Cinders (7.0%) – Campfire porter

Wilde Child Brewing Co., Leeds – Flow Rider (4.9%) – Key lime cheesecake sour

Wiper & True, Bristol – Citra & Rye (4.8%) – Full bodied amber ale

 

Sunfest runs at the Rising Sun (471 Fulwood Road, Sheffield S10 3QA) from noon on Thursday 11^th July until Sunday 14^th July. It is free entry and family (and doggy!) friendly. Please get in touch at [email protected] if you have any questions… we hope to see you there!

A four day festival held across fourteen different venues in Amsterdam, Carnivale Brettanomyces is one of the leading mixed fermentation beer festivals in the world. A vibrant, warm, entertaining weekend showcasing by invitation over sixty of the best international producers of this style, the city is overrun with like minded brewers and enthusiasts sharing knowledge, ideas, and of course, plenty of beers. And this year, the eighth Carnivale, Abbeydale Brewery’s Funk Dungeon project was invited to be among them.

And so Funk Dungeon Lead Brewer Jim, along with fellow bretthead colleague (and wife) Comms Manager Laura, headed across the North Sea on a rickety plane to join in the celebrations. The festival itself aims to educate and inform the audience about the awesome spectrum of beers which can be brewed with less common yeast and bacteria, from tart and zesty fruited sours to dry as a bone funky saisons and everything in between.

The main purpose of our trip was to host a “Meet & Bleat” at the wonderful In De Wildeman bar, complete with a Yorkshire Ploughmans inspired lunch pairing created by Wilde Chutney. The selection at In De Wildeman usually focuses on Dutch and Belgian beers, with a good presence of British beers over the festival weekend too. This meant we were able to sample plenty of stunning brews from the local area as well as those from names more familiar to us including Cloudwater, Fyne Ales and Brewdog Overworks. Our award-winning Wild Plum Ale and Sow the Seeds Farmhouse IPA were pouring and we took along some pre-release goodies and limited editions to share from bottle, including a red wine barrel aged gruit… particularly delicious alongside a Kriek pickled egg! A big thank you to all those who popped along to say hello and try our beers, and to Simon and the In De Wildeman team for being impeccable hosts who treated our beer with the utmost care and attention.

Other highlights of the festival for us included the Homebrewers’ Market, where we met with our new friends Wide Street Brewing from Ireland, who we are happy to confirm will be sending some of their tasty beer over to or very own Funk Fest this September! We sampled their delicious brett saison as well as a huge variety of highly accomplished brews from other small operations, a particular favourite being a umeboshi plum sour saison from California’s Fox Tale Fermentation Project.

We attended a fantastic talk on Berliner Weiss, where Benedict Koch of Wilder Wald and Ulrike Genz of SchneeEule (the only producer of authentic traditional style Berliner Weiss in Berlin!) shared their vast knowledge – look out for a beer of our own inspired by this coming soon-ish…!

And an afternoon spent at Foeders Bar was an absolute treat. If you’re planning a trip to Amsterdam, make sure you get this on your to-visit list… it’s the sort of bar where you’re instantly welcomed as a friend, and the keg line up is frankly astonishing. You might be able to spot owner Yuri by his newly acquired Funk Dungeon tshirt, too!

Cans of Abbeydale beer are also currently available in can at renowned beer shop De BeerKoning, right in the centre of Amsterdam.

Overall, it was wonderful to stroll the streets of Amsterdam and find excitement and enthusiasm for sour and mixed fermentation beer around every corner. We loved spending time with friends old and new from around the globe and learning so much as we did so.

All of this incredible experience has really got us into gear for our Funk Fest, to be held at the brewery on Saturday 7^th and Sunday 8^th September. Whilst our festival will be on a much smaller scale than Carnivale, we truly hope to retain some of the fierce enthusiasm and spirit of community that the festival oozes from every Bretty pore.

Tickets are available now via Party for the People, and if you’re a homebrewer don’t forget to check out our competition which is running during the Sunday session of the festival to be in with a chance to brew a beer destined for the Dungeon itself!

Cheers!

A couple of weeks ago we had the absolute honour of welcoming Travis and Khara Tolson from Amor Artis Brewing to Sheffield – all the way from Fort Mill in South Carolina. The Tolson team, which also includes Travis’ brother Steve, have a rich pedigree when it comes to brewing and a wonderful outlook on the industry which we at Abbeydale definitely share, so we were overjoyed to have the opportunity to create a beer in collaboration with them.

The brewery taproom in Fort Mill, the hometown of Travis and Steve, is designed to be a true community hub – warm and welcoming, family friendly, and the kind of place where you’re encouraged to meet your neighbour for a beer as well as talk to somebody you’ve never spoken to before. Opening in the town they grew up in meant that the community were already familiar with the Tolson brothers, so they’ve always had a loyal neighbourhood following and it’s evident that so much of what they do is inspired by their locality, something which has a really strong impact on us here too.

Husband and wife team Travis and Khara met in 2008, when Khara was in the military – the Coastguards, to be precise. Her work took them firstly to upstate New York, where Travis began to engage with the thriving homebrewing community there. When Khara was later stationed in Alaska, Travis decided to look for work relating to one of his two main passions – bikes, or beer. Upon discovering that the local cycle shop wasn’t hiring, he found work initially as a bartender at Kodiak Brewery, which was expanding at the time, and so he was steadily able to work his way up through the ranks and learn to brew.

After leaving Alaska, Travis and Khara moved closer to home and to Asheville, North Carolina, where Travis began working at a little brewpub called Wicked Weed. Within six months he had taken on the head brewer position there, and as well as brewing all of the beers sold in the pub (around one million pints per year), Travis was responsible for creating the sour base for what was to grow into a world famous sour programme.

As well as this, the time at Wicked Weed taught Travis the business of running a business, and so in 2017, along with Khara and Steve, the plan for Amor Artis was born. The family eventually got the keys to their facility in October of that year, and already had the kit and licence ready to go. Having been contract brewing since May 2017, by the time the brewpub opened on January 26^th 2018, true barrel aged beer was already ready to pour, a real statement of intent for what was to come from this fantastic project. 78 different beer styles were released in the first year of trading, and already this year another 20 have followed. The Amor Artis crew has stayed the same since day 1 – as Khara puts it, “the brewery feels empty when one person is missing from the puzzle”.

Amor Artis’ output emphasises fresh, local ingredients, and has a true seasonality to it. They use only whole fruit from Springs Farm, just half a mile down the road from the brewery, which provides them with strawberries, peaches, cucumbers and melon. The Greenway, also within arms reach of the brewery, provides 2100 acres of protected land rich with ingredients suitable for foraging, where they can source the fruit for beers such as their astonishingly good Blackberry Sour (Khara’s favourite) amidst a whole range of other tasty morsels. All beers brewed with foraged ingredients raise money for the Greenway, with a dollar for each pint sold going to the organisation.

Travis declares his favourite beer to make to be a sour – as he describes it, “you get to really make a beer when you brew a sour. In an IPA, it’s the yeast and the hops which do all the hard work, but in a sour you get to really create something, for someone”.

Having visited their taproom on a trip to North and South Carolina last year and tasting those creations, we were keen to get Travis over here to collaborate, and the feeling was mutual to gain some expertise and knowledge from us around cask beer and real ale. Sharing experiences is such a huge part of beer drinking as well as beer making – Travis told us how regulars to their taproom have moved on from drinking their IPAs and pale ales to trying all their new and innovative releases, borne of a trust for the passion and craft of the product, with customer engagement and loyalty being hugely important for the team, as it is for us here at Abbeydale.

And so, you may be wondering just what we’ve rustled up between us! Greetings from Fort Mill is a 3.8% Grisette, the first beer of such style we’ve made here at Abbeydale. The beer was brewed with wheat, oats, rice and Munich malt which provide an interesting biscuity backbone to work with. We added orange peel, yarrow and Cardinal hops, and fermented using our ever evolving house saison yeast blend. Expect a light and refreshing beer that’s just perfect in the early summer sun, with a delicate citrus oiliness, herbal honey notes from the yarrow and a spicy finish.

Available in cask, keg and can (with artwork by James Murphy) from Monday 20th May!

A huge thank you to Travis, Khara, and the whole Amor Artis team for coming all the way to our humble hometown to share their passion and knowledge with us.

Cheers!