New range of ales based on old recipes pays tribute to original brewery
Wimbledon Brewery are proud to announce the introduction of three beers, inspired by the original Brewery which burned down in 1889.
The origin of the idea was the discovery of a price list from the old brewery, then based in Wimbledon Village.
As Master Brewer Derek Prentice explains:
“Traditionally, beer strength was denoted by Xs – so an ‘X’ beer would be a ‘mild’, ‘XX’ a stronger brew and ‘XXX’ the strongest (often also known as a barley wine) – typically at between 8-13% alcohol. XXXK – the K denotes a ‘keeper’ – could be kept and aged for many months or even years.
“Since (Wimbledon Founder) Mark Gordon showed me the old price list, I’ve wanted to make our own interpretation of an XXXK. This led us to the beers we’re releasing this Autumn.”
The first beer in the Winter Collection, launched on October 2nd, is the XK Autumn Ale 3.5%. Prentice describes the XK as the “baby brother” of the XXXK barley wine. Using the residual weaker sugar wort from the brewing of the high strength barley wine, Wimbledon have brewed this ‘small beer’, adding chocolate and caramel malts to add further body and depth of flavour. This style is often referred to as a Mild. The XK is being released in a limited run of 90 firkins.
The XK will be followed by a bigger brother in the shape of Wimbledon’s XXK Winter Ale, 4.8%, with a spice and dried fruit character. The XXK incorporates malted wheat to add a silky texture and give a creamy head. In keeping with the Winter theme, this will be released on October 29th, when the clocks go back to mark the end of British Summer Time.
Finally the big beast itself, the XXXK (circa 10%) Barley Wine. This will be put into bottles and casks in mid-November to mature. Once Prentice and his team are happy with the results, the finished bottles will be released – just in time for Christmas! The remainder of the brew will slumber in cask for several months, to be the focus of a special release later in 2018.
The three beers above will join the other Winter Collection brews – Phoenix smoked Porter, Copper Leaf cask and Copper North American Rye.
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Notes for Editors
Wimbledon Brewery, founded in 2014, pays tribute to the illustrious brewing history of the area. Its philosophy is to follow the best English brewing traditions, using the finest brewing ingredients and outstanding brewing expertise to produce beer for the discerning drinker, who appreciates the subtleties of great craftsmanship.
From its modern brewhouse base in London SW19, and under the stewardship of Master Brewer Derek Prentice, Wimbledon Brewery produces a range of well-balanced ales and lagers which reflect the very best ingredients and methods both traditional and modern which go into their making.
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