Two more US craft brewers hit UK for Wetherspoons International Beer Festival

Will Meyers from the Cambridge Brewing Company in Massachusetts, and Peter Bouckaert from The New Belgium Brewing Company, Colorado, supervised production of their Sgt Pepper Farmhouse Ale and New Belgium Pale Ale beers, respectively.

J D Wetherspoon is inviting a total of 12 US craft brewers to come and brew beers to be sold exclusively through the company as part of its International Beer Festival.

Brewers from New York kicked-off the six month initiative with visits in August. 

Mark Szmaida, from the Chelsea Brewing Co, brewed Sunset Red (5.0% ABV) at Wadworth in Devizes, while Jan Matysiak and Heather McReynolds, from Sixpoint Brewery, brewed the 6.4% ABV Bengali Tiger IPA at Adnams in Southwold.

Everards head of brewing and sales operations Nick Arthur said: “We are fortunate enough to be one of the few breweries selected this year to host international brewers to produce beer for the Wetherspoon International Beer Festival.

“We’re proud to have been selected because of our commitment to quality and our flexible approach that allows guest brewers to really get involved in replicating their beers. 

“From this project we’ve been introduced to new ingredients, beer styles and brewers and such relationships have born Everards’ Artigianale, brewed earlier this year.”

Everards is also brewing 63,600 pints of its limited edition Pumpkin Ale (3.8%) for the festival. 

Pumpkin, set to come out in next month (October) for Halloween, is said to be a rich ruby beer with a burnt, smoky character balanced with light citrus flavours from Styrian Dana hops.