Beer

Hawkshead clocks up a million litres of beers in 2016

09-Jan-2017 - Last updated on 09-Jul-2024 at 10:45 GMT

Hawkshead Brewery has brewed more than a million litres of beer last year, an 8% rise from 2015 thanks to its £175,000 fermentation investment.

The Lake District-based brewery claimed 65% of its production in 2016 was cask-conditioned beer.

Owner Alex Brodie said: “Cask has led the British brewing revolution. It is unique to Britain and is this country’s craft.

He added: “We believe in cask and we are investing in it”.

The company is planning to release a new cask beer every month throughout the year as part of its Cask Session Series.

This month saw the launch of the 4.7% ABV Session IPA, which was brewed in collaboration with a dozen craft brewers at its Northern Craft beer festival in July 2016.

An eventful year

In 2016 Hawkshead released 15 new beers, including its first canned beers — IPA and Iti — and three bottled beers that were only previously available on drought — Solar Sour, Tonka and Chuckleberry Sour.

In the spring, the company extended its fermentation room, by adding new vessels and built a new cold-conditioning room, increasing production by roughly up to 2.5m pints a year.

We've had some awesome collabs this year #lookback16 pic.twitter.com/zPd7myAbpG
— Hawkshead Brewery (@HawksheadBrewer) December 27, 2016

Hawkshead Brewery’s main events in 2017 include:

14 January: Tap Take Over & Meet the Brewer at Cloisters Bar, Edinburgh.
19-21 January: Manchester Beer & Cider Festival.
28 January: Thornbridge Taps Guest Beer Festival, Tap Take Over & Meet the Brewer at the Greystones Sheffield.
23-25 February: Craft Beer Rising, London.
24-26 March and 20-22 July: Northern Craft Beer Festivals
15 June: Tap Take Over at Dead Crafty Beer Co, Liverpool

‘Pudding in a glass’: Tiramisu-flavoured beer

In October the company brewed its 10% ABV Tiramisu Imperial Stout in collaboration with US brewing company Cigar City in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Hawkshead head brewer Matt Clarke told The Morning Advertiser at the time: “I always enjoyed beers brewed with coffee, but I’ve never tried an imperial milk stout that was inspired by tiramisu.”

He added: “The feedback has been tremendous, it’s like having pudding in a glass.”

Clarke said many brewing companies in the UK were producing pale ales based on desserts, such as Buxton Brewery’s Ice Cream Brown Ale.

Clarke said: “There are endless possibilities with what you can create with beer nowadays.”