Ayrshire 4.6%ABV Amber ale

The second in our year’s series of beers centred around the rich history of Welbeck racehorses. This is a light Amber ale brewed using a blend of 5 different English and American hops. The nose is of spice and blackcurrants from English Bramling Cross, lifted with a subtle touch of citrus from the Cascade variety. The bitter note is smoothed and with sweet crystal malt to give a beer jam-packed with flavour.

It'll be on at the Mallard, Worksop, all next week, and is winging it's way to pubs all over the show. Let me know what you think :)

St. Simon 4.0% Pale English Ale

This month I've brewed a 4.0% English Pale Ale called St. Simon. The recipe is simple using all English ingredients, as I like to do.

Challenger hops and a touch of roasted barley give soft but robust bitterness which mellows, and bucket loads of gorgeous Kentish Goldings hops are used for aroma after the boil which gives a classically British fresh, subtle, yet slightly spiced floral aroma.

Now, I'm very lucky and run a brewery on an estate with more history and stories than you can shake a proverbial stick at, so I am naming all my beers after Welbeck-y stuff. Racehorses were a huge part of life for the 6th Duke of Portland in particular, and many of the buildings on the estate were built for the equestrian world; stables, a riding school etc. St. Simon was one of the most famous racehorses that ever there was, and it was owned by the Duke. I will be brewing a years series of special ales based on the racehorses at Welbeck which will lead up to the new exhibition at the Harley Gallery. If you follow Welbeck on Twitter and Facebook you'll learn about them as they pop up but I'll try and blog too.