Ace of Hops – 4.2% Single Hop IPA
June sees the release of what will hopefully be a rotating cast of seasonal bottled beers, so if you can’t get to a local pub, you still have a chance to try something new a few times a year! Ace of Hops is a reimagining of Headless Chicken, a previous one-off cask beer which sold so well we wanted to introduce it to a wider audience. Using 100% Emperor hops, the majority of which came from the farm we’re based on, it has a fresh orange flavour with subtly sweet caramel malt behind. My target is for this one to sell out over the summer so we can launch a new seasonal bottle for autumn, so get it while you can!
We’re seeing an increasing number of our customers asking if we have any gluten-free beers lately – what was once a niche product is now becoming much more mainstream. All our bottles are in fact now gluten free, which I think is important as it allows more people to drink our beer; but how is this possible when grain plays such an important role in brewing?
Barley is the main ingredient in beer besides water, and it contains gluten, as do the commonly used wheat and rye (and oats contain avenin, which is a different protein but one which can also trigger a reaction in the gluten intolerant). People have experimented with brewing using gluten free grains such as sorghum, but there are always drawbacks or trade-offs to consider. It’s easier to retain the same character by instead removing the gluten after brewing. The way we do this is by adding an enzyme which breaks down the gluten into smaller, non-reactive parts; we then test every batch to confirm that the gluten content is below the 20ppm threshold to legally classify the product as gluten free. The enzyme was originally designed to prevent haze formation in beer – I think most people now probably use it primarily to reduce gluten levels with that as a secondary bonus! I think in the past there was a perception that gluten free beers are somehow worse – perhaps the enzymes were less specific and did leave the beer thinner by removing too much – but having tried bottles both with and without I wasn’t able to tell the difference in a blind test.
Something people may be less aware of, but could also be a barrier for some customers, is the use of isinglass. As cask beer still contains live yeast, isinglass is traditionally added to help clarify the beer in the container, however it is produced from fish by products which means the beer can no longer be considered vegetarian/vegan. None of our bottles or mini casks use isinglass, but currently all of our casks do – there are synthetic alternatives, but I’ve found them less effective. I’ll keep experimenting though and let you know if I find something that works!
So, the message of the blog is this – if you’re gluten intolerant or follow a vegetarian/vegan diet, our bottled beers are for you! But importantly, making them that way doesn’t impact the flavour or quality in any way, so if you don’t fit into either of those categories, they’re still for you! Shop our full range of bottles for home delivery or collection in our online shop.
