Innis & Gunn is celebrating quality Scottish produce with ‘Kriek’, a limited-edition single malt whisky cask matured beer, brewed with ripe Scottish cherries, grown just minutes away from its award-winning Perth brewery.
Bursting with flavour, the 5.1% cherry beer offers a modern twist on the classic Belgian Kriek style. 5,000 bottles of ‘Kriek’ will be available via the Innis & Gunn online shop – www.innisandgunn.com – from 5th July. Priced at £5 per 330ml bottle, ‘Kriek’ comes with a designed gift carton, making a strong option for gifting.
For this brew, Innis & Gunn begins by using a beer recipe based on its award-winning Lager with ale malt, crystal malt and naked golden oats. Hops are Super Styrian, as in many Innis & Gunn beers, and the tartness in the beer is introduced through kettle souring. The beer then becomes ‘Kriek’ when cask matured with the addition of fresh and puréed cherries in second-fill malt whisky casks.
‘Kriek’ was created after Innis & Gunn’s Master Brewer, Dougal Gunn Sharp, had a moment of inspiration when trying cherries from a farm shop, near their Perthshire Brewery. Intending to buy a couple of punnets of strawberries, he left after ordering two tonnes of ripe sweet cherries, blown away by their taste and intrigued as to how he could infuse their flavour into a beer.
The resulting ‘Kriek’ has been cask matured to build layers of depth, accented with a balance of cherry sweetness, hints of oak and a refreshingly tart finish.
‘Kriek’ has abundant aromas of cherry, along with notes of vanilla, spice and wood, all of which pulls through into the flavour. Offering vibrant acidity, the beer is clean, refreshing and moreish. It has a hazy magenta colour and is beautifully effervescent.
Innis & Gunn create and brew innovative, premium beers and the release of ‘Kriek’ follows the hugely successful ‘Islay Whisky Cask’, another limited-edition beer, this time brewed in collaboration with Islay’s iconic whisky maker Laphroaig.
Dougal Gunn Sharp, Founder and Master Brewer, Innis & Gunn said: “The idea for ‘Kriek’ was love at first bite after tasting some incredible, local Scottish cherries. The fruit truly stands out in this vibrant limited-edition beer.
“At Innis & Gunn, we are constantly innovating and striving to create premium beers that people will really enjoy. ‘Kriek’ is an example of what can be achieved with great local produce and talented brewers.”
Innis & Gunn’s beers range from its core portfolios to limited editions, each pushing the boundaries of brewing, using innovative techniques, ingredients and oak cask maturing methods. Innis & Gunn’s award-winning portfolio includes the premium Innis & Gunn Lager Beer and the brewer’s flagship ‘The Original’, a single malt whisky cask matured beer, which is unlike any other in today’s beer market.
‘Kriek’ will be available to purchase in the UK via the Innis & Gunn online shop, from Tuesday 5th July. ‘Kriek’ is £5 per 330ml bottle and comes with a specially designed gift carton. www.innisandgunn.com
ENDS
About Innis & Gunn: www.innisandgunn.com
Since its foundation in 2003, Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn has grown to become one of the UK’s most successful craft beer businesses. Using innovative techniques including oak cask maturation, Innis & Gunn brews multi-award-winning beers including the flagship ‘The Original’ and Innis & Gunn Lager Beer, recently awarded at The Great Taste Awards. The brewer’s portfolio also includes a range of IPAs and a line of bespoke limited-edition brews which demonstrate quality, innovation and craft.
Follow Innis & Gunn: Twitter: @innisandgunn Instagram: @innisandgunn
Press release from Innis & Gunn
For more information:
Neil Sharp, Marketing Manager, Innis & Gunn – Neil.Sharp@innisandgunn.com +44 (0) 7570 161 941
Rupert Ponsonby, R&R Teamwork – rupert@randr.co.uk +44 (0) 20 7384 1333