Adnams and Five Points launch harvest time beer

Distant Fields is a slightly hazy, amber 4.5% ABV vegan beer that the breweries claim has been born “through a mutual love of the land and pride in the local ingredients they use”.

It is available on cask and in keg now in Adnams pubs and Adnams stockists across East Anglia, and via Heineken free trade, and Star Pubs and via Adnams key partner wholesalers.

The breweries said “this golden amber brew offers initial toast and bready notes on the nose followed by autumnal red berries and a touch of citrus lemon, which balances the light spice and charred maltiness”.

Locality is inspiration​

They added “the full and round taste of red berries and redcurrants becomes gradually more pronounced on the mouth”.

Fergus Fitzgerald, production director at Adnams, commented on the importance of cask ahead of Cask Ale Week, which runs from Thursday 19 September to Sunday 29 September: “Cask ale is a joy that can and should be shared – it can’t be replicated at home, which makes it inherently social, bringing people together in pubs, bars, and restaurants.

“From the skill it takes to brew, to pouring the perfect pint, there is a reason cask ale is at the very centre of British hospitality, and Adnams is committed to supporting this position.”

Adnams head brewer Dan Gooderham said of Distant Fields: “Part of the inspiration was our locality – being the heartland for malting grade barley means provenance is key. Plus, we’ve got a local roaster in Simpsons Malt.

“We both try to use English ingredients whenever we can, so we brewed with a broad range of malts, all English hops, and a special yeast to bring everything together.”

Distant Fields was brewed with Vienna, Dark Crystal and double roasted Crystal malts from Simpsons and East Anglia.

Yeast strain from Switzerland​

Hukins Hops in Kent supplied the Bullion and Fuggles, and Admiral hops were also used from the UK.

Swiss yeast strain, Après Ski, was selected in a nod to Five Points’ head brewer Max Descloux’s Swiss heritage, adding a touch of fruit and floral notes.

Adnams, which is a business located in Southwold on the Suffolk coast, produces beers such as Ghost Ship, Southwold Bitter and Ghost Ship 0.5% as its flagship low & no beer​, cider (including a 0.5% ABV version of Wild Wave), spirits such as rums, whiskies and gins, and also operates 46 pubs.

Hackney-based Five Points Brewing Company has been operating since 2013. It recently opened a taproom at its brewery in Mare Street and runs the Pembury Tavern pub. Among its own-brewed beers are Five Points Lager, JUPA pale ale, Railway Porter and XPA.