Moorhouse’s has unveiled a raft of adventurous seasonal brews for roll out throughout 2016.
The Pendle Witches brewer’s innovative team have explored a range of malt and hop varieties to support publicans with a creative, but dependable, guest range alongside a six strong core portfolio.* It includes golden brews to toast the Queen’s 90th birthday and the summer’s Euro soccer tournament.
The list launches with the premium Dark Bohemia (4.8%) to meet February; a brew with four malts, including Bohemian pilsner, for ‘depth and toasted complexity’, together with Fusion and Styrian Cardinal Hops to deliver ‘gooseberry and spice on the nose’.
March welcomes Eldorado (4.4%) taking its name from the US hop for rich full flavoured golden ale. In April golden wheat beer White Mist (4.2%) sweeps in while for May the always popular fruity Pure Witch (4%) appears.
June sees a double roll out of celebration ales: Ninety (3.9%) toasting the Queen’s 90th birthday and Pitch Craft (4%) to mark the UEFA Euro Tournament. Both are golden ales brewed with the Australian Summer and New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops for ‘delicious gooseberry and grapefruit notes’.
July hails Rye (4.1%) – ‘hoppy pale ale with rye malt for a creamy mouth-feel’ – and August Rio (3.9%), golden ale brewed with Styrian Goldings and US Mount Hood hops. For September East Lancs Steam (5%) rolls in based on the Californian steam beer style and showcases the Northern Brewer hop for ‘spicy herb aroma’.
Autumn brings the rich, dark Black Panther (4.8%) as the Halloween treat while Black Moss Oyster Stout (4.9%) tackles the November chill. Ice Witch (4.3%) – light, golden, and ale showcasing Citra hops – closes the year to deliver premium easy drinking festive ale.
The programme builds on the busy 150th anniversary year in 2015, which saw new branding, sales recruitment and increased engagement with social media – including an ‘Unmistakably Moorhouse’s’ YouTube videos on brand loyalty.
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The branding now gives taste profiles on pump-clips to help pub goers with choice and brass pump clips feature a magnetised inner section, for easy brand changes for permanent stockists.
Managing director David Grant said: “Our 150th anniversary was an exciting milestone year, but we did not rest on our laurels. Our talented brewing team worked with suppliers to source an adventurous range of malts and hops, ready to roll out some fantastic quality beers for an even better choice in 2016.
“The latest Cask Report once again pointed to cask as a sales driver to maximise business and we aim to help with this. Nevertheless, our YouTube video cautions that many cask ale drinkers don’t want to see beers change as often as some licensees may think. Many drinkers, returning to a pub, prefer to see familiar, consistent beer. With our choice publicans can have both top quality regular ales and a variety of specials all in one order.” Ends /Ref: MHPR -2016 specials.
Photograph caption: Moorhouse’s brewers unveil the new seasonal ales for 2016-(l-r) Dan Casura, Carl Spark, Graham Bailey and Mark Bennett.
Notes to editors: Moorhouse’s, founded by William Moorhouse in 1865 as a mineral water business, is now Lancashire’s leading independent brewery. The internationally acclaimed ale brands pay tribute to the legend of the ill fated ‘witches’ of landmark Pendle Hill near Burnley who were tried and executed at Lancaster in 1612.
*Moorhouse’s has won a long list of awards: Black Cat (3.4%abv) was crowned Supreme Champion Beer of Britain at the Camra Great British Beer Festival 2000 and in 2011 was proclaimed the best moderate strength ale by the Brewing Industry International Awards (BIIA) – the ‘Oscar’s’ of the brewing world. Pride of Pendle (4.1%abv) claimed the Champion Cask Ale title at the BIIA 2004 and Premier Bitter (3.7%abv) was voted gold in class; Pendle Witches Brew (5.1%abv) was twice runner-up in the Camra annual national contest and has received a silver medal at the BIIA. Blond Witch (4.5%abv), a pioneer premium blonde brew, has collected awards from many Camra and SIBA (Society if Independent Brewers) beer festivals. White Witch (3.9%abv) session strength ale is the latest to join the core portfolio and is the fastest growing brand.
In 2011 a £4.5m ‘tower’ brewery was launched to replace the cramped Victorian premises. With a 100 brewer’s barrels brew length it trebled production capacity to 1,000 barrels a week to make Moorhouse’s ‘the North West’s newest regional brewery’. With a current annual turnover near £6m, the state-of-the-art brewery now directly supplies several hundred free trade pubs throughout the North of England and reaches outlets nationwide via contracts with major pub companies and leading drinks wholesalers.
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