Wirral’s award winning Peerless Brewing Company has unveiled new beers and a striking new look with a special tasting event led by top beer commentator Roger Protz.*
The initiatives build on the three year old brewers’ success to strengthen an award winning product portfolio and deliver greater bar presence.
Peerless Pale is a new brew combining American Columbus and Summit hops for pungent aromas of grapefruit and orange with citrus flavours and good bitterness.
Peerless Oatmeal Stout also joins the core brews, replacing Dark Arts. Oatmeal Stout is described as ‘stout brewed with oatmeal for a great body and a creamy head, with lots of roast and chocolate malt flavours and well balanced sweetness to finish’.
The cask version of national award winner Jinja Ninja – brewed with chillies and root ginger – will now be permanently listed while Hilbre Gold becomes a seasonal brew.
After sampling the range, Roger Protz said: “Peerless is a vibrant young brewery run by dedicated craftsmen with a great passion for beer that is packed with rich flavours and aromas. There are beers to suit all tastes: from golden ales bursting with tangy hops character, through ruby and bronze beers to a creamy and roasty oatmeal stout. And, as it’s based on Merseyside, there’s even a Scouse interpretation of India Pale Ale called Full Whack.”
With a three strong brewing team, the 10-barrel-brew length brewery has collected a clutch of accolades from both Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) and SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers – including four awards claimed at the SIBA North Beer Competition.**
Peerless managing director and head brewer Steve Briscoe said: “We have enjoyed three very good years of growth, outstripping our sales forecasts, and collected top trade and consumer awards. The new beers and designs are key marketing moves in our business strategy to grow sales across the UK.”
Since launching in late 2009, Peerless has invested to increase production capacity by some 40 per. Peerless ales are supplied directly to pubs across the North West and nationally via wholesalers
*Roger Protz is an award winning journalist, author and broadcaster. He has twice been the Glenfiddich Drink Writer of the Year and won numerous gold and silver awards from the British Guild of Beer Writers. He has written more than 15 books about beer including 300 Beers To Try Before You Die! and is also editor of the annual best selling Good Beer Guide.
** Ex telecoms executive Steve Briscoe launched Peerless brewery together with his wife Rose in November 2009.
Since then the brewery has won an array of top accolades.
In October 2012 the SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) North winners were: All American IPA (5.2%abv) – a modern India Pale Ale with US hops – which claimed silver in the annual contest’s Strong Bitters section; Storr (4.8%abv) continental style lager with silver in the Bottled Bitters category; Jinja Ninja took silver for Bottled Speciality Beers and bronze in the Speciality Cask Beers class. It is brewed with root ginger, chillies and lemons for ‘delicious golden beer with fruity and spicy notes’.
At the SIBA National Brewing Awards 2012 Jinja Ninja was voted Champion Bottled Speciality Beer and claimed a bronze award for all bottled beers in the contest.
Peerless core beer brands also include Red Rocks (5%abv), the top selling Triple Blond (4.1%abv), Viking Gold (4.6%abv), and strong ruby ale Full Whack (6%abv). Authentically brewed Storr (4.8%) lager was voted Best Beer of Merseyside at Liverpool Camra Beer festival 2012.
For further media information or interviews and photographs please contact: Steve Hobman, Rhino Public Relations: 07751 578605. email: shobman@rhinopr.freeserve.co.uk