Welbeck Abbey Brewery have some super specials lined up for the summer months and are brewing for both cask and bottled beers, with in-house bottling continuing to prove a success.
Nightingale will be available in cask only and has started shipping to pubs and bars, so keep your eye out for this proper English IPA appearing in your local. Named for a beautiful mature woodland spot right at the heart of the Welbeck Estate, this 5.5% IPA is as British as they come; packed full of English Goldings and UK Cascade hops, which give herbaceous notes, and balanced with honey-sweet caramalt.
Another cask-special to look out for is Watermeadows. This 4.5% lager-style pale ale is the perfect summer-time sup, with subtle meadow-fresh hop notes and a crisp, dry finish from European hops. Named for the Carburton Watermeadows, a low-lying grassland area near Welbeck, home to an array of rare and wonderful wetland wildlife.
In bottle, as well as cask, you can expect to see two new specials: Fiery Fox and Farrier. Fiery Fox is a classic pale ale with a twist; brewed with the addition of both fresh root and ground ginger.
Welbeck Managing Director, Claire Monk, says “Ginger beer is a quintessentially British non-alcoholic drink. Whilst it’s a refreshingly crisp drink without the ‘beer’, we think it’s much better with. The heady aroma of ginger and sweet biscuity taste make for a drink as smooth and sophisticated as the Welbeck night-time visitor; the wily fox.”
Farrier, which is available in minikeg as well as bottle, is a dark red ale, with rich caramel tones. This is one for the Red Feather lovers out there, and anyone who likes a dark beer. At 5.5% it has all the bitter-sweet and nutty flavours of Red Feather but packs much more of a punch into every glass. Horses have always played a huge part in the history of The Welbeck Estate and this beer evokes an equestrian, countryside feel that’ll have you reaching for your riding crop and boots.
If you want to know where and how the magic happens, you can see for yourself on one of the Wednesday night brewery tours that run through to September. Book online via Eventbrite and for just £10, you can enjoy a full tour of the brewery, two free-pints and the opportunity to ask Claire anything you like about how her award-winning ales are brewed.
And don’t forget, if you live outside of Welbeck’s local delivery area you can now order from their core range via the Best of British Beer website.