NEWS OF THE BREWS
St Michael's Ale
Wye Valley Brewery has produced a popular seasonal ale for the second year running and plans to donate 5p from every pint to St Michael's Hospice.
St Michael's Ale is a 4.7% abv beer made from freshly-picked Fuggle "green" hops donated by a local farmer in place of the usual dried version. The hops are introduced to the brew only two hours after being picked to guarantee their freshness has the maximum effect on the taste of the beer.
Due to the ale's popularity last year, the brewery has increased the amount brewed by 50%. The beer will go on sale in Wye Valley supplied pubs around the region in time for St Michael's Hospice week, 22-29 September.
Thriller
Manchester-based Hydes Brewery has launched the penultimate beer in its 2007 craft ale portfolio. Thriller is named after the classic Michael Jackson hit and continues the brewery's theme of
famous music from the past 40 years.
The 4.5% abv beer has been created using the Challenger and Target Hops combined with Perle pale ale, crystal and cara malts giving it its dark ruby colour. Hydes marketing director David Safiruddin said: "This is fabulous ale with a real comforting, warming taste to ease you into the autumn months. As we move away from summer we see our craft ales take a turn towards real depth in flavours and aroma, and this one is sure to be popular throughout September and in particular around Halloween."
Flying Shuttle
Daniel Thwaites Brewery has gone back to the future with a commemorative ale named after an invention that helped fuel the industrial revolution.
Flying Shuttle is a 4.6% ale created in honour of a device that turned cotton making from a labour intensive cottage industry into an efficient industrial powerhouse.
It is the latest of the brewery's commemorative cask range to be unveiled to celebrate the company's bicentenary year
and its links with its Lancashire
roots. Thwaites has also revealed that its Wainwight ale is to be brewed permanently. It was initially planned to be a limited edition celebration beer.
