Let’s be honest, most people don’t think of IPA or lager when they hear the word Guinness. However, The Open Gate Brewery in Dublin, long known for its world-famous Irish stout, has launched two new pale beers to its portfolio as it seeks to tap into growing demand for more interesting styles of beer.
Open Gate Citra IPA and Open Gate Pilsner were recently launched in the UK on draught in pubs and in retailers in bottles/cans, as Diageo seeks to add craft credentials to the Guinness brand.
Open Gate Citra IPA (5.5% ABV), is described by the brewery as “a balanced beer packed with Citra, Centennial and Cascade hops for juicy fruit and bitter citrus notes”. Meanwhile, the Open Gate Pilsner (4.5% ABV), is a dry-hopped pilsner with Amarillo and Cascade hops, described as having “a zingy, citrus taste profile and a clean, slightly bitter finish”.
Describing the inspiration for the beers, lead brewer Peter Simpson said: “As brewers, our goal is to introduce people to the more flavoursome possibilities of beer. At the end of the day, trying new beers should be a really fun experience for people so we wanted to create a new range of great tasting beer styles for people to enjoy.”
The two beers were previewed by Diageo at this month’s Publican Awards in London, and went down a storm. They’re now being made available to pubs across the on-trade.
Best of the rest
Low-calorie mixers – Fever-Tree has announced a range of low-calorie mixers for sale in UK bars and restaurants this month. The Refreshingly Light range will sit alongside Fever-Tree’s regular tonics and mixers. The tonics are made by blending fruit sugars with the same ingredients as its award-winning regular tonics, and the variants include Elderflower, Lemon, Ginger and Madagascan Cola.
Devon lager – Tarka Four by Otter Brewery is an ethically produced 4% ABV ‘session’ lager. The beer is cold fermented for two weeks and then matured for a further two before kegging. As with the whole Otter range, it is a completely natural product made from pure Devon spring water, hops, barley malt and yeast.
Westons mixed berry – Westons Cider is to launch a new premium mixed berries variant, as it seeks to drive value to the fast-growing category. Stowford Press Mixed Berries (4% ABV) will be hitting pubs nationwide from April 2018 and is described as “a well-balanced and bright fruit cider with a burst of berry flavour”.
Blood orange gin – Malfy Gin has announced the release of an Arancia expression of its gin, made with Sicilian blood oranges. The gin is described as a vibrant, dark orange-coloured spirit bursting with zesty, citrus notes, and is available in an eye-catching frosted bottle to stand out on the shelf.
Nivana goes gluten-free – Nirvana Brewery has launched a new gluten-free version of its popular Kosmic Stout. Drinkers are invited to “connect with the higher consciousness and enjoy a beer dark and rich with deep aromas of chocolate and hints of vanilla, all well balanced by a smooth toasted malt base”. The beer is also available in 330ml bottles.
A Signature TIPA – Recently crowned SIBA Brewery Business of the Year – Signature Brew – has unveiled its latest creation, a 9.4% ABV triple IPA. Treble is a juicy hop bomb with notes of mango peach and pineapple. It’s hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Chinook hops, and comes in a 440ml can with a foil trim.