Two Cornish breweries – one with a long-standing heritage and one famous for its punchy craft beers – have collaborated on a one-off cask ale.
Limited-edition Fuse (5% ABV) was born the only way a new beer should be – over a pint on a brewery social, where St Austell Brewery’s Lee Walker and Penryn-based Verdant’s Head of Operations James Heffron came up with the idea.
Sam Taylor, Brew Manager from Verdant joined Lee in St Austell Brewery’s small batch brewery earlier this month to bring Fuse to life. It’s been made with Verdant’s own yeast and three new experimental English hopping varieties.
The finished beer is packed with tropical fruit and citrus flavours. It has a savoury biscuity note to it with a thick and chewy mouth feel.
Lee Walker, who manages the Small Batch brewery at St Austell said: “It’s really exciting to collaborate with another Cornish brewery whose beers we regularly seek out. St Austell and Verdant produce very different beers in their day to day operations, so the idea of coming together to blend styles and flavour ideas has been a real pleasure.”
Fuse forms part of the brewery’s Cask Club series which sees a variety of experimental beers brewed in its small batch brewery, giving brewers the freedom to experiment. As a result, an exciting programme of limited-edition beers in cask and bottles are available in select pubs, its Visitor Centre shops and online. Many of St Austell’s most popular beers, including its flagship Tribute pale ale, started out as small batch releases. Verdant’s Sam Taylor added: “St Austell Brewery is steeped in tradition and our brewery is the opposite of that.
“Both breweries are coming at things from a different angle and that’s the true point of collaboration, different ideas from different places that coalesce to make one product that is great and brings something new to the table that neither one of us would have thought about doing.
“We’re lucky to have our own yeast strain and lucky that it lends itself to this style of hazy New England beer.”
Fuse will be available in select St Austell Brewery pubs across the West Country from 31st August, with a special event being held at the Chain Locker, Falmouth, on 30th August from 6pm where people can get their hands on a pint of Fuse a day early.
The public are invited along to the event which will include Verdant samples on offer as well as a talk on Fuse and its brewing process.
For more information on St Austell Brewery’s Cask Club, and where the beers are available, visit: www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/cask-club.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Charlotte Turner, Press Officer
charlotte.turner@staustellbrewery.co.uk / 07977 564900
About St Austell Brewery:
Independent, family-owned St Austell Brewery was established in Cornwall in 1851. Fast forward 172 years, and the company’s range of award-winning beers – including Tribute pale ale, Proper Job IPA and korev lager – are available in pubs and supermarkets nationwide.
The business owns over 180 pubs, inns, and hotels across the West Country – including managed houses and tenancies. It also operates two breweries, in St Austell and Bath, having acquired fellow West Country brewer, Bath Ales in 2016.
With a network of six depots across the West Country – from St Columb to Wimborne – the company is the leading wholesale drinks distributor in the region. www.staustellbrewery.co.uk
About Verdant Brewing Co:
Verdant began life back in Autumn 2014 near Falmouth, Cornwall. Since then, nothing has changed. It’s still about taste, quality, and all ’round deliciousness. Over the past few years, they’ve become synonymous with hop-forward beer styles including Pale Ale, IPA & DIPA.
Their ethos revolves around brewing the flavour-packed beers they love to drink, and ensuring that beer lovers have access to delicious, quality-driven releases week after week. Being independent enables them to stay ethical, sustainable, and keep pushing the boundaries of taste and quality. http://verdantbrewing.co/
For more information contact:
Charlotte Turner, Press Officer
charlotte.turner@staustellbrewery.co.uk / 07977 564900
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