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12th October 2021

Vocation Brewery launches new barrel-aged stout, Imperial Banana

Vocation, one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing craft beer breweries, is launching a new barrel-aged stout for the autumn, called Imperial Banana. The new brew is a Chocolate & Banana Stout aged in oak barrels, and blends 12-month aged, six month-aged, and fresh beer.

Imperial Banana is available now across the UK, from Vocation’s online shop at www.vocationbrewery.com and in Tesco stores nationally, with an RRP of £5 per 440ml can. The beer is also available in select pubs and bars (on keg) as well as across Vocation’s export business, in both cans and keg.

The opulent double-mash stout uses extra pale malt, jumbo oats, wheat malt and chocolate to produce an 11.4% stout with intense notes of dark chocolate and banana. Its ageing in oak barrels provides added flavour, depth and complexity.

Matt Howgate, Brewing Director at Vocation Brewery, says: “We are delighted to be launching our Imperial Banana in time for the autumn, when many drinkers are after a slightly heavier, more complex and decadent brew as the temperatures drop outside. Imperial Banana is crafted in small batches from our brewery in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, and explores the boundaries of barrel ageing. By ageing the beer in oak we are able to access some bigger and bolder flavours, which work well at this time of year. We only use four types of malt in this beer as the idea is for a lot of the flavour to come from the fermentation and ageing.”

Vocation’s range of beers went through a major rebrand in September to bring more personality to the packaging and better reflect the distinct character of each beer inside. The Vocation name also features more prominently, allowing consumers to identify the brand more easily and to enable better trial across its ever expanding, innovative portfolio of beers.

Vocation Brewery is an independent craft brewery based in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, founded in 2015 by John Hickling, with just himself, a rebuilt chicken shed and a dog for company. Today the brewery has 60 staff and sells the equivalent of 10 millions cans per year. They’ve come a long way, but it’s still their vocation.

ENDS 

Notes to editors:

  • Vocation’s core range comprises:
  • Life & Death (6.5% abv): a ballsy, US style IPA with flavours of tropical and citrus fruits, with a lingering bitterness set against a smooth malty backbone
  • Divide & Conquer (5% abv): a fearlessly hop forward New England Pale Ale with notes of pineapple, passionfruit and pine for an uncompromising juiciness and a haze that won’t quit.
  • Hop, Skip & Juice (5.7% abv): a tropical pale ale with heavy doses of citrussy Simcoe to get lips hopping.
  • Bread & Butter (3.9% abv): a dry, hopped pale ale using layers of US hops set against a backbone of British malts. What this beer lacks in strength, it makes up for in character.
  • Heart & Soul (4.4% abv): a session IPA with an intense fruit-salad character that comes from generous additions of US West Coast hops. Notes of passionfruit, gooseberry, pineapple and mango.
  • Smash & Grab (8% abv): a hop-bomb DIPA, crammed full of fruity tropical and citrus flavours from only the freshest, tastiest, hops. The finish is smooth, sharp and moreish.
  • Hebden Lager (5% abv): in our little town of eccentrics and artisans we like to create the unexpected and unrivalled. This clean, crisp and refreshing lager is no exception.
  • Pride & Joy (5.3% abv): a classic, American-style pale ale which is crisp, very hoppy and aromatic. Flavours and aromas of mango, citrus, earthy pine, tropical fruit and blueberry.
  • Perfect Storm (6.6% abv): packed full of citrus aromas and a boatload of hops, this New England Pale Ale is dank and juicy with full-on flavours and low bitterness.
  • Triple Vision (10% abv): a thick and juice Triple IPA. Some say three’s a crowd but in our opinion it’s the more the murkier. This Triple IPA has got you in its sights.
  • Sweet Temptation (6.6% abv): a chocolate caramel stout collaboration beer with the giants of Brew York. This silky smooth, rich and seductive stout is impossible to resist.
  • Roll with It: (5.2% abv): with super juice hops and a pillowy soft mouthfeel, this DDH Pale Ale is hazy, hoppy and dangerously drinkable.
  • East & West: a collaboration between Gweilo and Vocation, East & West Pale Ale is a soft, hazy beer imparts notes of ripe papaya, guava and pineapple, leading into a dank flavour profile on the finish.
  • For more information about Vocation, please visit vocationbrewery.com.

Press release from Vocation Brewery

For further information or photography please contact Jo Grobel at Exact PR at jogrobel@exactpr.co.uk or 07881 782262.