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We're proud to have featured again with This Morning, showcasing with the best advent calendars you can buy for Advent this year!
This week we launch the range of Salt Beer Factory beers on the site and what better way to introduce a new brewery to our beer hunters than to have a good 'ole fashioned interview with Nadir Zairi, Director of the Yorkshire based brewery in Saltaire.
There are signs that Non-Alcoholic beer is hitting the mainstream and is poised to hit the big time, but just how popular will it become? In this article I’ll look at some of the signs that show ‘NOLO’ (non or low alcoholic) beer is becoming a serious player in our industry, and how its development might progress in the UK.
After trying out our very own World Beers mixed case for a beer tasting party, Christie Day, Brand Expert at money-saving website Savoo shares her tips for hosting a top beer tasting night on a budget.
Ask someone down the pub for the reasons behind Britain’s recent Beer revival, and you’re guaranteed all sorts of different explanations. In 2017 the number of UK breweries passed the 2000 mark, which puts us well ahead of European neighbours. Most will have a reasonable argument for why, but you can bet your double-dry hopped DIPA that very few of them would mention Gordon Brown, ex-PM and former Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Beer Hawk Discoveries: What is dry hopping? Another one of these flashy buzzwords that we hear all the time is "dry-hopping". It's a pretty delicious thing to do to a beer so hop on over with Beer Hawk (groan) and discover your new favourite dry-hopped beer. Save
Another one of these flashy buzzwords that we hear all the time is "dry-hopping". It's a pretty delicious thing to do to a beer so hop on over with Beer Hawk (groan) and discover your new favourite dry-hopped beer.
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There's a chance a new dance craze could be called the "dry hop". But before it goes the way of twerking let's talk about what it really means. As we all know, hops are one of the four main ingredients in beer and the bit that's responsible for imparting certain flavours and bitterness. Hops are typically added during the brewing process and boiled for a specified amount of time. Dry hopping, on the other hand, occurs when the brewer adds hops to the secondary fermenter in addition to the hops in the boil. The beer has gone all the way through the brewing and fermentation process. Usually--and we mean usually--a brewer who wants to dry hop will put the beer into what's called secondary fermentation (or another go at fermentation) and add more hops there. That's right, he or she just chucks it right in there.
On top of the hops that were in the boil, adding a layer of dry-hopping adds another layer of flavour to the beer. While the boiled hops do the work of adding bitterness as well as flavour, it's the dry-hopping that let's us really see the true flavour of a hop. Since this load of hops is added during fermentation, missing out on the boil means these hops won't give a beer any more bitterness. Rather, it's here where the big floral, citrus, pine, you-name-it aromas come from. Since it's big hops we're looking at here, styles like pale ales or IPAs tend to see most of the dry-hopping but, hey, this is beer--you'll see many styles dry-hopped. Make sense?
Since a dry-hopped beer tastes like angel tears, you should get trying them yourself! Here are our favourite dry-hopped beers:
Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion Series
This beer series by Firestone Walker is all about the hops. Chocked full of about eleventy-billion different hop varieties, you better believe a lot of this IPA's hop character comes from dry-hopping.
Orval
Proof that it isn't reserved for just hop-bombs, Orval's unique Trappist ale undergoes dry-hopping during secondary fermentation. Drink this young and the pronounced hoppy aroma really comes through.
Anchor Old Foghorn
This deep, rich American-style barleywine takes on another dimension thanks to dry-hopping. The result is a perfect blend of malty sweetness and hop character. It's one of our favourites.
Prairie Funky Gold Simcoe
Drink. This. Beer. Now. Seriously, do it now. This dry-hopped sour ale is juicy and zesty with tropical fruit notes alongside a easy-drinking tartness. Belgium: you've got competition.
Schneider Hopfenweisse Tap 5
This collaboration between Munich's Schneider Weisse brewery and Brooklyn brewery gives us this classic German wheat beer with an American twist! Dry-hopping gives a zingy hoppy character alongside distinctive banana and clove notes.
Fruity, floral-y, juicy, zingy. What are you waiting for? Hop to it!
Sorry. We hate ourselves for that one.