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Local Norfolk creatives Duration Brewing, Carrier Company and Acre Botanicals have joined forces to celebrate the seasons change and their shared love of the rich Norfolk landscape. Seeds Sleep In The Darkness is a 8.5% Belgian Tripel made in collaboration at Duration using local grains with the addition of foraged fireweed gathered from monk’s herb gardens and the local hedgerows.
The beer will launch on 29th October at the brewery to kick off a series of Winter Feast Nights alongside a fireside range of garments and foraging bags made by Carrier Company.
Duration Brewing will add to their existing taproom offer with monthly world feast events teaming up with caterer Fanny Adams paired with their delicious beer. Giving customers the opportunity to travel the world with beer and sharing platters from across the globe. Head to Belgium, Mexico, Thailand, the Deep South and the Caribbean this winter!
Seeking to reconnect brewing to its agricultural origins, Duration Brewing carefully renovated an historic stone barn in 2019 to brew sustainably made beer. From their ancient priory site on Abbey Farm in West Acre their award-winning beers are brewed with a sense of time and place in connection to the changing seasons.
Carrier Company is a small family run firm making clothing and equipment locally since 1995. Producing straightforward, timeless design, inspired by living and working with nature on the Norfolk coastline. Carrier Company work with naturally resilient fabrics that perform year-round. Both family run companies enjoy taking inspiration from their landscape and this collaboration embodies that perfectly. Enzo Cilenti from Carrier Company talks on why he was drawn to Duration,
“Being local, independent, and their approach of producing mindful of and respectful to the local environment was a big draw. It is clear from speaking to Head Brewer Bates that he has a clear level of passion and precision for what they do similar to ours”.
Meanwhile Bates from Duration who was randomly introduced to Carrier Company from a brewing industry colleague in the US, where Bates originates from
“I’m not a big consumer, so I look for quality and durability in my purchases from ethical companies. Michael Kiser of Good Beer Hunting put me onto Carrier Company when looking for recommendations for good dog walking jacket to withstand the elements. I love their dedication to producing simple, elegant well-made garments made locally to enjoy being in the outdoors”.
Miranda founder at Duration goes on to say
“Our motto at Duration is to make good beer, with good people in the way that respects where we are, and Enzo and Sienna clearly do the same with their products. We formed a bond over our love of walking, gathering and cooking outdoors and thought it would be exciting to create something together. An autumnal foraged brew got us out in nature together. “Seeds Sleep In The Darkness”, a warming Belgian Triple was dreamed up as the perfect post foraging expedition fireside pint, and sits alongside a range of clothing including native breed knitwear, naturally resilient cotton canvas outer layers and a jute kindling sack that is equally useful whether gathering firewood or Fireweed.
The beer itself has a haunting label by East Anglian illustrator, Shaun Lynch depicting at dusk, a gathering on the dunes following a late summer forage that really encapsulates Norfolk living.
Local botanical forager Barbora Ondrusova – aka Acre Botanicals was also called upon to help to develop the recipe. Barbora adds
“I live in near an old priory and the smells you get underfoot from the monk’s herb garden growing wild even centuries on, are beguiling. Mint, sage, mullein, vervain and fireweed, it’s all there still. Herbs were the apothecary tools deployed to reduce inflammation, help fertility, to disinfect and bringing flavour to their diets. The properties from the flower, pod, leaf and seed are all different. Fireweed is such a beautiful plant to use, and fireweed, or rose willow herb symbolises release, rebirth and potential for something innovative and new. It should add a delicate honey rose flavour to balance the beer out perfectly”.
Head brewer Bates often speaks on why he chose to set up in Norfolk:
“Using local speciality grains, Nar water and yeast from the national yeast bank in Norfolk and right off the farm to cultivate a sense of time and location to make beer that is bound to its origins. Belonging is something intrinsic in me, and it follows that if I am ‘of-a-place’ then I want to make beer ‘of-a-place’.
He continues “The Norfolk landscape is as close to South Carolina as it gets over here with the long skies, coastline and marshlands, but the people are what truly make it for me. Like back home, they’re strong people who are bound to their land, they can be hard headed but hold an innate appreciation of time-learned traditions that only come when you have history there.”
To launch the collaborative beer and clothing there will also be a special launch event evening on Saturday 29th October 4-8pm in the Barrel Store at Duration Brewing with a delicious dinner of Moules Frites prepared Fanny Adams Catering to pair with “Seeds Sleep In The Darkness” and first preview of the associated clothing line.
Belgian Feast
Sat 29 Oct – Seeds Sleep in the Darkness launch with Carrier Co
Mexican Feast
Sat 5 Nov – Sharing Platters
Low Country Boil Feast
Fri+Sat 25-26 Nov – Thanksgiving 3rd Birthday Seafood Boil
Thai Feast
Sat 3 Dec – Sharing Platters
Caribbean Feast
Sat 4 Feb – Sharing Platters
Open to just 50 people per ticketed event. Duration Feasts are £25 per person and include your platter and £10 of drinks! Doors open for drinks from 4pm event runs 5-8pm food is prepared for each table fresh on arrival.
The brewery will continue to run their dog and family friendly and wheelchair accessible taproom known as Tap Days across winter. Tap Days open with a full bar every Friday 4-7pm and select Saturdays 12-4pm offering for non ticketed visits with more flexibility and a Brewery Tour & Tasting event is offered at 3pm on the first Saturday of every month. Walk ins are welcome but with limited inside space we recommend booking a table for your groups visit – £5 per person redeemable during your visit.
Press release from Duration Brewing.
For further information, please conatct Miranda Hudson, Duration Brewing, +44 7930 349044, miranda@durationbeer.com.