Camden Brewery launches new limited-edition beer
Camden Town Brewery has launched its latest summer seasonal, Bellini Lager (5.2% ABV).
This crisp and refreshing lager is a fresh take on the classic Italian Bellini, inspired by a combination of bubbly prosecco and sweet peaches.
Light in body, Bellini Lager is a dry ‘Brut’ inspired beer, incorporating rice with Nelson Sauvin hops for a wine-like flavour alongside HBC 431 hops and dry hopped real peach puree.
The new limited-edition beer follows on from the success of Camden’s previous summer seasonals, Pina Lager in 2021 and Ice Cream Lager in 2022.
Bellini Lager was originally created as part of Camden’s innovative small batch series Arch 55, before being released in 440ml can format for this Summer.
Camden Town Brewery head of marketing Fred Nesbitt said: “We regularly launch seasonal beers and it’s something we know our beer fans get excited about, and who could blame them?
“Bellini is a crisp but juicy lager that we’ve tried and tested at Camden HQ, and now it’s the perfect choice for summer 2023.
“We are seeing peachy drinks pop up in lots of different categories, and although our Bellini lager may sound extra fancy, at its heart it is still a really fresh and delicious beer.”
Bellini Lager is available now direct from the breweries webshop at RRP £12 for 6x440ml cans.
Budvar announces first collaborative brew
Budweiser Budvar has announced its first ever collaboration lager to be brewed outside the Czech Republic.
Brewed in the Derbyshire Dales in partnership with award-winning UK craft brewery Thornbridge, Czech Mates (4.8% ABV) is an aromatic, crisp and balanced beer, availble to purchase direct from Thornbridge as of Tuesday 16 May.
The traditional Czech brewing method of decoction and long, slow maturing, alongside Budvar’s decades-olds yeast strain and soft Peak District water, complement the British-grown Maris Otter malt and East Kent Goldings hops used in the collaborative brew, which is matured for six weeks.
Budvar brewmaster Adam Brož said: “Time is a very important feature of the lager. The long maturation brings the smoothness, crisp taste, and very high drinkability.”
Magic Rock Brewery teams up with Masons of Yorkshire distillery
Masons of Yorkshire distillery and Magic Rock Brewery have teamed up to launch Botanicalist, a zesty gin and tonic IPA.
Combining state-of-the-art distilling with cutting-edge brewing techniques, the new serve, which is brewed and canned in Yorkshire, contains Mason’s award-winning Original Gin botanicals with Mosaic, Centennial, Cascade, Columbus and Lemondrop hops.
Magic Rock Brewery senior brand manager Vik Kastenbauer Stronge said: “This is proper Yorkshire goodness, we are so proud of our locality, so when given the opportunity to conjure up a beer with the Masons team we jumped on it.
“Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of what we do, the chance to share knowledge and flavours has been enlightening for all involved.
“Botanicalist fuses both brands expertise to provide a refreshing twist on a classic IPA that is perfect for the months ahead. Yorkshire produce, simply magic stuff.”
The result is a refreshing and complex vegan-friendly beer, bursting with hoppy flavour, punchy citrus and grapefruit, pine, and a trace of sweet bitterness.
Botanicalist (5% ABV) is available now direct from the Magic Rock webshop at RRP £3.65 per 33ml can.
Masons of Yorkshire co-founder Cathy Mason said: “Botanicalist is a refreshing imbibe perfect for summer garden parties, the upcoming royal celebrations and the perfect present for Father’s Day. We are celebrating our tenth year in business and we’ll be raising a glass or two of this delicious gin and tonic IPA to that."
Morris Whisky launches in the UK
Award-winning Australian brand, Morris Whisky, had launched in the UK.
Founded in 2016, Morris Whisky is made from 100% Australian ingredients and finished in fortified wine barrels to produce a unique flavour, overseen by master distiller John McDougall.
Morris Whisky undergoes double distillation through a hybrid copper pot and a column still aged in ex shiraz and cabernet wine barrels from the Barossa and Coonawarra regions of Australia.
Morris head distiller Darren Peck, who has worked under the tutelage of McDougall for seven years and previously Diageo, described the whisky as a “a true expression” of Australia.
He said: “Launching in the UK is a huge leap for us, one that’s exciting and loaded with opportunities to bring an authentic taste of Australian whisky to the UK market, working alongside our distributor Mangrove.
“Our distinct fortified wine barrels add a unique flavour dynamic to the portfolio, sourced from multi award-winning Morris family-owned wineries in the Barossa and Coonawarra regions.”
Morris Single Malt Signature whisky (40% ABV) is available now from Master of Malt and the Whisky Exchange at RRP £51.
Northern Monk releases trio of new beers
Craft brewer Northern Monk has launched three beers into pubs that have been inspired by some of the most popular pub snacks in the UK.
The beers, which are Scampi & Lemon Pale Ale (4.5% ABV), inspired by the iconic scampi fries; a Pork Scratching Best Bitter (5% ABV); and a Dry Roasted Peanut Stout (5% ABV); will be available at 22 pubs across the country with all profits from the beers being passed to the bars.
The brews were initially announced as an April Fool’s joke at the start of the month but Leeds-based Northern Monk has revealed the beers are real and are going into cask, kegs and cans as part of its Faith in Boozers campaign.
Northern Monk co-founder Russell Bisset said: “The ultimate pub snack is one of our favourite topics around the brewery; we even ran a tournament on our Instagram to see what other people think and try and settle the debate – pretzel pieces won.
“Brian Dickson, our technical director and co-founder, decided we should try to replicate some of our favourites in a beer.
“Pubs, and breweries, have had a really tough few years with the pandemic, navigating guidelines, rising costs and changes in consumer habits, but there’s a real love for the pub and all profits from the beers will be passed to them.”
Read more here.
Maiden Mill introduces two alcohol-free ciders
Somerset-based Maiden Mill has unveiled two alcohol-free ciders, made using traditional cider pressing methods.
Maiden Hill Voyage (0.5% ABV) is a golden medium cider with sweet green apple notes while Maiden Mill Flyer (0.5% ABV) is a crisp and cloudy medium dry cider.
The brand’s co-founder Ed Reed said: “The mindful drinking movement is going from strength to strength and over a quarter of UK drinkers now claiming to be ‘semi-regular’ drinkers of low and no alcohol products (according to data from the Portman Group).
“At Maiden Mill, our vision is to focus exclusively on production of exceptional, refreshing ciders with full body and satisfying taste but which, at 0.5%ABV, enable non-drinkers to enjoy the unmistakeable aroma and flavours of an authentic Somerset cider.
“Voyage and Flyer will form the core range of Maiden Mill with specials produced throughout the year to appeal to a wide range of cider drinkers and ensure that everyone can enjoy the refreshing, flavoursome taste of Somerset apples they crave.”
Both new serves, which are also gluten-free and vegan, are available now from the Maiden Mill webshop in 330ml glass bottles in 6, 12 and 24 cases at RRP £16, £31 and £58 respectively or £32 for a mixed case of 12x33ml bottles.
Bar Buoy expands cocktail portfolio
Award-winning premium cocktail company, Bar Buoy, has expanded its range of hand-crafted cocktails with the release of an Espresso Martini variant (15% ABV).
The new serve has been crafted with Dartmoor-based TORS vodka, coffee liqueur, Owens organic cold brew espresso and sugar syrup.
To serve, chill the Bar Buoy Espresso Martini in the fridge, give it a good shake in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice to achieve a thick foam, strain into a martini glass and garnish with three coffee beans.
Like the rest of the Bar Buoy portfolio, which includes Cosmopolitan and Margarita, Espresso Martini is availble in four different sizes all made from 100% plastic-free and recyclable packaging.
Additionally, the company donates 1% of all its sales to Project Seagrass, a marine charity devoted to the conservation of seagrass ecosystems through education, influence, research and action.
For trade enquiries, contact Bar Buoy direct by emailing info@barbuoy.co.uk.
If you have any new products being released to the on-trade, email the details with high resolution images before Thursday at midday for potential inclusion on Friday’s article to Rebecca.weller@wrbm.com.
