'It is sort of like using fresh herbs instead of frozen' - Inside the Macclesfield green-hopped beer only brewed once a year
By Alex Greensmith
23rd Sep 2024 12:01 pm | Advertisement Features
A Macclesfield brewer has produced the most fragrant, freshest beer they will produce all year.
Wincle Brewery, is one of few northern breweries to make a beer using green hops.
Green hop beer is made just moments after hops are harvested off the bine. This creates a very strong, different smell and taste than the beer you know and love all year round.
And for 11 years, Wincle Brewery has produced their own green-hopped beer, called Bengal Buttress, an IPA inspired by the climbing community in Leek.
Giles Meadows, founder and owner of Wincle Brewery, spoke with Macclesfield Nub News.
"It is a green hop beer which means that it is the one brew of the year where we use fresh hops," said Giles.
"Hops are harvested at this time of year. So we have a window of about ten days to make this beer.
"And I am a big fan of green-hopped beers because the hops bring a real complexity, sort of flavour to the beer that you do not get with hops that we use normally, which are dried.
"The flavour and the aromas of the hops are complete different to the hops we normally use, they are much more intense and complex than normal hops.
"It is a bit like the difference between cooking with fresh herbs, and cooking with dried herbs. There is a real difference and complexity of flavours and aromas.
""It is something completely different really."
The beer is slightly pricier than usual, due to the freshness of the hops and the fact a lot more hops are used. (However, the taste makes up for it, according to Giles).
In this brew, 70kg of hops are used, as opposed to the usual 20-25kg. That is because there is a higher water content in the hops, with them being fresh.
So it is not just the hop itself that adds additional flavour, but the difference in quantity of hops as well.
Giles made the five-hour round trip to Worcestershire to collect the hops in person, just minutes after they were picked.
"It is a unique product, I think it is a great thing for people to try," said Giles.
"Not many people up north brew green-hopped beers. But it is a good English tradition, using English hops.
"It is important that the hops are used on the day they are picked otherwise they will lose their potency.
"It is a mad dash, but it is something we enjoy doing and creates a beer that we are very, very proud of."
The Bengal Buttress beer is available in cask only, and once it is sold out, it is sold out.
"We do not bottle it, as it tends to lose its uniqueness," he reveals.
"If you are interested in stocking a cask of Bengal Buttress at your venue, please get in touch we'd love to hear from you.
"Either email [email protected] or give us a ring on 01260 227777. We would be very pleased to send a nine out to you."
Businesses will start to stock Bengal Buttress in the middle of this week.
Wincle Brewery's own on-site bar should serve the beer on cask the week after.
You can find more about the brewery on Facebook, and their online shop.
Wincle Brewery sponsor Macclesfield Nub News, please consider supporting them in return.
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