SAB Passport to Beer by St Austell Brewery

PASSPORT

TO BEER A discerning drinker's guide to the wonderful world of beer

CONTENTS 3

Foreword by Roger Ryman InTRODuCTIOn TO BeeR

5 9 15 19

A glossary of beer flavours How to judge and taste a beer e perfect pour A-Z of beer facts BReWs

25 31 37 47 55 63

Beer ingredients How a beer is brewed Beer styles Why st Austell Brewery excels in making beer Beers & food matching e last word by James staughton

Written by BEN McFARLAND Author, Ben McFarland is the current British Guild of Beer Writers’ Beer Writer of the Year (crowned in Dec 2011) and has won the award twice previously – the first time as the youngest ever recipient in 2004. A writer for Time Out, Guardian, Telegraph and Jamie Oliver Magazine, Ben is also the author of two award-winning books on beer. Printed in Cornwall, covers on Gmund Bier Bock, text on 100% recycled paper.

As Jack nicholson said:

“BEER, IT’S THE BEST DAMN DRINK IN THE WORLD”.

You may be startled to know that a pre-requisite of being a Master Brewer is a love of beer. Beer is great. I don’t just love it a little bit, I love it a lot. In fact, I love all things beer: the natural ingredients, the farms and the farmers that grow them, the art and science of brewing and the vast diversity of flavours and aromas you find in beer. Beer is more than just a drink, it’s the heartbeat of pubs and, when served perfectly by people passionate about the pint they’re providing, is one of life’s true great pleasures. It was this deep passion for beer that drew me to st Austell Brewery. When I saw the job ad for st Austell head brewer in 1999, I lived in scotland and knew very little about the brewery or, indeed, Cornwall. But as soon as I reached st Austell, I knew I’d ‘arrived’. It all felt right: a family firm with a passion for ale and fantastic pubs, a brewery with a 100% ambition to create brilliant beers to delight drinkers and rival the best in the world. But, most of all, they were willing to take a risk on a young, ambitious but relatively inexperienced brewer. sadly, no longer does anyone tell me I'm "too young to be a Head Brewer" but the years since I joined the Brewery have been an exciting journey of innovation and growth. e ‘Passport to Beer’ showcases and shares st Austell’s love of beer. Whether you’re an expert ale drinker or an occasional beer drinker thirsty to discover more, this is an irreverent guidebook celebrating all the joy that beer has to oﬀer. Cheers,

A GLOSSARY OF BEER FLAVOURS – Words You Need to Impress Your Friends It’s a well-worn cliché but beauty is, indeed, in the eye of the beer holder. Taste is a subjective sensation and everyone’s palate is diﬀerent and no-one is born as an expert beer taster. It takes brewers and experts a long time to develop their own lexicon of flavours and very own personal flavour wheel, while translating taste sensations into words is a notoriously tricky undertaking. e good news is that the only way to get better at pinpointing particular flavours in beer is by drinking more of it - responsibly of course.

e more beers you try, the more beer experiences your memory can refer to. But don’t be swayed by others as they may not be experiencing the flavours and aromas that you do. While your mate reckons his Belgian abbey ale “has a demastered bouquet and a certain pompitude that reminds me of feeding wild geese at midnight in Minsk”, you may be picking up something diﬀerent.

As descriptors, ‘hoppy’ and ‘malty’ are OK but, really, it’s a bit like describing a wine as grapey. so, while sipping something from st Austell down the pub, try out these alternative aroma and taste terms for size. Tribute Orange, apricot, fruity, warming, piquant, nutty, woody, blackcurrant, bready, biscuit, autumnal fruit, blood orange, juicy. Trelawny Fresh brioche, caramel, toﬀee apple, warming, jammy, honey, maple syrup, grainy, digestive biscuits, caramel, butterscotch, shortbread, walnut. Proper Job IPA Fragrant, floral, citrusy, pine needles, fresh cut grass, hay, lychee, perfume, wood, grapefruit, herbal, spice, straw-like, nutty, grassy, zesty, puckering, pear-drop, straw-like, almond, melon.

HSD earthy, strapping, satiating, vinous, dark fruits, plums, golden syrup, molasses, deep, sumptuous, jam-like. Korev Lager Perfumed, musky, dry-hop, spicy, fresh baked bread, clean, clipped, juicy, crisp, quenching, melon, citrus, grassy, grainy, apple, rounded, immaculate, spritzy, zesty, succulent. Clouded Yellow Banana, bubblegum, coriander, spice, fennel, esters, apple, vanilla, summer fruit, orange, hazy, cloves, sweet rhubarb, gooseberry. Smugglers Grand Cru Port-like, vinous, heady, liquorice, plum, figs, chewy, treacle, leathery, tobacco, rum-like, spicy, fruit cake, raisin, walnut, liquorice, vanilla pod, peppery, roasty, toďŹ&#x20AC;ee.

HOW TO JUDGE AND TASTE A BEER Do you think while you drink beer? Chances are, probably not. Fact is, few revere beer like they do wine. It’s just not how beer drinkers roll. ing is, beer has got a wider variety of styles, flavours and textures than wine and it’s just as complex with more than three hundred identifiable flavour characteristics. Beer appreciation requires all of your senses. Well, actually, that’s not really true. Ignore the sense of touch as, like food, it’s rude and rather unhygienic to play with your beer.

If you stick your fingers into your pint glass, people will think you’re weird. so don’t do it. But the rest of the senses are very much required.

Hearing: Yes, you heard right: hearing. Lend beer your ears. e sound of a bottle being opened or a pint being poured will get the salivary glands going while a ‘pﬀft’ noise as you open a bottled beer will suggest carbonation. Put a glass of beer to your ear and you may be able to hear the sea. It won’t tell you anything about the beer though. 9

Sight: We drink with our eyes. It sounds messy and a little painful but, whichever way you look at it, we do. Beer should look the business. î &#x201C;e visual sense whets our appetite. Our brain box telegraphs our salivating mouth a lip-licking message when it sees a golden ale or a velvety stout cascading into a glass. A good beer should be handsome and beautiful - it should give you the glad-eye. Lagers should be clear and bright, twinkling with a candlelike flicker; pale ales and malty bitters should be vibrant and gently sparkling; stouts sport an ebony silky sheen and a

thick, creamy white head while unfiltered wheat beer should have a heartening haze. Bottle-conditioned beer should have ‘bits’ in – this is yeast sediment and nothing to worry about.

Smell: smelling a beer may get you arrested by the “Pretentious Police” but don’t turn your nose up at the idea of inhaling your ale. With more than a thousand aromatic compounds in beer, aroma is an essential attribute of the brewer’s art. e nose is an ingenious invention – not only does it hold sunglasses on your face, it picks up flavours and sensations that the tongue (restricted to sour, bitter, sweet and salty) simply can’t. By not smelling beer, you won’t get the floral notes of Proper Job; the plums and fig flavours in HsD; the bubblegum and banana notes in Clouded Yellow or the vinous port-like powers of smugglers Grand Cru.

How to Smell: • swirl the glass – this expands the surface area and makes it easier to smell. • stick your nose in. If your nose is wet then you’ve either stuck it in too far or you’re a dog in which case you shouldn’t be able to read this. • Instead of taking lots of deep inhalations, mix them up with lots of little sniﬀs as if you were a rabbit. • Try not to pass out because the next bit, the tasting bit, is the best bit.

Taste: e main diﬀerence between wine and beer tasting is that, with beer, you must swallow rather than spit. is is because your bitterness receptors are at the back of the throat and tongue.

How to Taste: • Take a sip of the beer. Try not to spill any. 12

• Munch it in your mouth – this may seem strange but there are more than 10,000 tastebuds in there, mostly on the tongue but also spread around the cheeks and the lips. • swallow. • Take a second sip – but this time breathe in and take the beer solely onto the tongue. • Take note of the tingle: sweet sensations should tickle the tip of the tongue, the back is where sour and acidic sensations reside while salty flavours are flagged at the front of the tongue. • Behold the body: full-bodied beers fill the mouth like an oyster while thin-bodied beers disappear on the tongue. Mouthfeel can be thin or thick, smooth or grainy, creamy, leathery, metallic, mousse-like or cloying and coating. • swallow again. is should be easy. • Appreciate the aftertaste – it’s a crucial part of a beer’s drinkability. every beer should have a distinctive aftertaste – some are short and snappy like a Yorkshire terrier, some are drier than a Bedouin’s flip-flop while others will stay longer than the mother-in-law.

THE PERFECT POUR Whether you’re serving beer in a champagne flute, a dimpled pint glass or a brandy balloon – the glass should be dry and clean. A branded glass always looks good – and comes in useful if you’ve forgotten what you’re drinking. In order to experience all the tastes a beer has to oﬀer, you must serve it at the right temperature. Cold temperatures enhance refreshment and carbonation, while warmer temperatures bring out the body of the beer and arouse the aromas. Ales are best served between 10 – 12°C while 3 - 6°C is the ideal temperature to taste lagers. Given that domestic fridges keep things at around 5°C, it’s a good idea to take ale out of the fridge and leave them for a few minutes to warm up a little. You are, of course, allowed a dark/amber lager while you wait. e perfect beer pour involves a smooth yet assured action with enough change to vigour to create a foamy head of between 1-2cm.

Keep Your Head A foamy head is a fantastic thing. For a start, it looks great – there’s nothing worse than a dull, insipid looking beer. e foam is also full of hop aroma and when you drink through the head you get the perfect balance of bitter and sweet flavours. What’s more it keeps the CO2 in the beer and keeps the oxygen out of the beer. Oxygen breaks down the foam and when there’s no foam the CO2 escapes and oxidisation takes place – resulting in a rather rusty, metallic aftertaste.

Cask Marque - the sign of a great pint When in a new town and looking for a pub which serves a good pint, look out for the Cask Marque sign. Cask Marque is an independent body which accredits only pubs which serve great quality cask ale. All st Austell Brewery pubs are Cask Marque accredited.

Storing Beer Bottles Bottles of beer are not pot plants. ey don’t like light and they don’t like heat. If a beer is exposed to bright light, it will soon become “lightstruck” – a byword for “skunky” and inconsistent. st Austell bottled beers are made of dark glass to avoid the risk of becoming lightstruck. As well as dark, storage of the beer needs to be dry and consistently cool. A cellar is therefore ideal but not everyone has cellars so a refrigerator is the next best thing. After all, you can always quickly warm up the beer but it takes time to chill it back down. A fridge is not suitable for Vintage ales like smugglers Grand Cru, however, as chilled temperatures will freeze the maturation and detract from the taste. If you’re looking to store and mature over the long term, it’s advisable that you do so upright. not only does it ensure the sediment remains at the base of the bottle, it also reduces the surface area for potential oxidisation. even if a beer is closed with a cork, there’s no real need to put it on its side as there are very few modern day beer corks that are prone to shrinkage – especially within the optimum ageing period of ten years.

A-Z OF BEER FACTS TO OUTSMART YOUR MATES

Ale hasn’t been brewed for about six hundred years. Ale, in its traditional form, is just water and malt and doesn’t contain hops – which were only introduced in the 15th century.

Beer, like bananas but less popular with monkeys, is high in potassium. is keeps the heart ticking, the bones clicking and the bowels bricking.

Copper is the name given by brewers to the brew kettle where hops are added to a sugary liquid called “wort” which is malted barley mixed with hot water.

Dry hopping is when brewers add hops to a beer following fermentation. It adorns the beer with enhanced aromatics and a lovely floral, herbal character.

ethanol is the chemical soul of alcohol. In large quantities, it generates slow brain activity, impaired motor function, slurred speech, drowsiness and memory loss. It can also generate memory loss.

Fermentation is the conversion of sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide by the action of yeasts. Without it, beer wouldn’t make you burp and it may not make you happy.

‘God is Good’ is the name that brewers, prior to the 17th century, gave to the shape-shifting substance now known as yeast. Without the luxury of a microscope, brewers had no idea what was turning their sweet liquid into a drink that, when consumed, made other people look more attractive. (st Austell Brewery uses its own unique brewers’ yeast.)

Hops are a member of the same botanical family as cannabis. An aphrodisiac for men yet an inducer of sleep for women, they are not an altogether ideal accompaniment to heterosexual lovemaking.

India Pale Ale was exported to British India in the 19th century. It had high levels of alcohol and hops to cope with the six months sweltering sea-voyage via Brazil and the Cape of Good Hope. st Austell Proper Job is an award winning example of a true IPA.

Jesus Christ didn’t turn water into wine, he turned it into beer. Grain not grapes grew all over the Middle east when Jesus was alive and wine was rarely consumed in the region. is may not be true.

Kilned malt is a major influence on beer’s flavour. By varying the temperature and length of time the malt is matured in the kiln, the maltster can produce a kaleidoscopic range of flavours and colours – from light, bready pale malt to ‘Crystal’ malts that taste like coﬀee, caramel and cocoa.

Lager is not an actual beer style. It’s a beer that is “lagerconditioned” much like real ale is “cask-conditioned”. Lager means “to store” in German and is an umbrella term for pilsners, dunkels and helles style beers. (In 2010 st Austell Brewery launched Korev, a high quality, authentic helles style lager.)

Measures allowed in British pubs include a pint, a M half-pint, a third of a pint and the two-thirds of a pint. (st Austell Brewery is introducing 2/3 pint glasses to its pubs in 2012.)

No matter where you are in the UK, there is a brewery within ten miles of your postcode.

Originally, brewing was the exclusive preserve of women. ‘Ale wives’ are frequently mentioned in medieval history and, according to Finnish folklore, ale was first created by three women: Osmotor, Kapo, and Kalevatar. It consisted of saliva from a bear and wild honey. 21

Pyramids were built with beer – each worker was paid ten pints a day at 5% ABV. Perhaps that’s why they forgot to put any windows in.

Quart, up until the end of the nineteenth century, was the standard serving in British pubs. It was the equivalent of around two pints.

‘Real McCoy’ is a term that derives from Jim McCoy, a Prohibition-era bootlegger whose beers were impressively similar in taste to the real brands.

soft water, with barely any mineral salts, is ideal for brewing lager while mineral-rich water, harder than a Chuck norris doing quantum physics, is generally used to brew ales, porters and stouts. Breweries like st Austell who are in soft water regions carry out a process to harden the water known as “Burtonisation”.

ere are fewer calories in a pint of beer than a pint of milk or orange juice.

up until as late as 2001, st Austell employed a cooper, Llew Jones, who built its wooden casks by hand and with the help of 22 tools.

Vikings believed that a giant goat whose udders provided an endless supply of beer awaited them in Valhalla, the Viking heaven. It is unclear whether this is true.

in Friesing, Bavaria, is widely W Weihenstephan regarded as the oldest brewery in the world – dating back to 1040. Founded in 1851, st Austell is Cornwall’s oldest brewery.

X is the letter that British brewers once used to indicate the strength of their beers. e greater the number of Xs, the greater the strength of the beer. st Austell’s draught XXXX beer was bottled as Brown Willy – named after Cornwall’s highest hill.

You should always store bottled-conditioned beers in an upright position. Bottled beers closed with cork, however, may also be stored horizontally to keep the cork moist and tight.

Zythophile is the term given to someone who loves beer.

FOR EVERY SQUARE YARD OF SUCCULENT, MARIS OTTER BARLEY, ST AUSTELL BREWS FOUR PINTS OF BEER.

BEER INGREDIENTS Barley Barley is to beer what the grape is to wine. It’s the soul of beer that furnishes it with the fuel for fermentation and gives a beer its body, its colour, its sweetness and its backbone. First used to brew beer by the ancient egyptians, barley is now grown in more than a hundred countries but st Austell sources its barley from Cornwall – regarded as one of the world’s best barley growing regions. st Austell only uses Maris Otter, a classic barley variety synonymous with British ales that thrives in Britain’s maritime climate. For every square yard of succulent, Maris Otter barley, st Austell brews four pints of beer. First grown in 1966 and renowned for its rich, malty, biscuit flavours, it’s currently enjoying a renaissance among Britain’s burgeoning craft brewing scene which pleases Roger Ryman, a passionate proponent of Maris Otter: “no other barley variety delivers such depth of flavour and undeniable drinkability,” he said.

“It’s a beautiful style of barley bespoke to Britain and we won’t use anything else.” 25

Hops If beer didn’t have hops in it, it wouldn’t taste nearly as great as it does. A member of the same botanical family as cannabis and first used by British brewers in the 15th century, the hop is a magical, multi-tasker in the brewing process. Hops are roughly divided into two categories: finishing hops and bittering hops. e latter, high in alpha acids, are added early in the brewing process and bless beer with its lipsmacking, puckering, zesty bitterness. Abundant in resinous oils and sprinkled in during the latter stages of brewing, finishing hops adorn ales and lagers with their array of alluring aromas ranging from lychees and lemongrass to wet hay, pine, fresh grass and aniseed. To enhance aroma even more, brewers will often sprinkle more finishing hops into the cask – which is known as late hopping. To hail hops, as many do, as the "grapes of beer" is not entirely accurate. unlike grapes, hops don't furnish beer with fermentable sugars that yeast transforms into alcohol. Barley does that and does it in style. 26

But hops are like grapes in that they’re varietal, they’re aﬀected by climatic conditions and growers talk of ‘terroir’. Just as Merlot, Malbec and Riesling grapes adorn a wine with specific flavour characteristics, Fuggles, Cascade and Amarillo do the same in beer. With hundreds of hop varieties available, each boasting its bespoke bitterness level and bouquet, a major part of the brewer’s art is discovering a blend that works best. Roger Ryman, head brewer at st Austell, explores the world in search of the finest hops and sources varieties from slovenia, north west America and even Tasmania. But it’s British bittering hops that provide the base for st Austell’s beers.

“A bit like a football team, we use British hops as the reliable, robust bitterness base and then bring in aroma hops from abroad – for a bit of fragrant flair and high notes,” said Roger. “British hops give the beer a delicious depth of bitterness that you can’t get elsewhere.” e key to a brewer's art is discovering a formation that works best and, in recent years, they've been increasingly experimenting with single-hop beers. 27

Hop Did You Knows: • Before they were purposely cultivated and first used in brewing, back in the eighth century, hops had been called upon to cure an array of ailments including leprosy, dysentery, tuberculosis and ants-in-your-pants. • Hops are grown on bines up to 7m (20ft) in height. • As a dioecious plant, the hop's male and female flowers grow separately. Like a Women's Olympic shot-put coach, brewers are only interested in the larger female ones. • e earliest account of brewing using hops was written by Hildegarde of Bingen, a 12th century nun who also penned the first written description of the female orgasm. True story.

Water Given that 95% of a pint of beer is water, it’s a bit of a big deal. For every pint of beer made, almost five pints are used in the brewing process. not all water is the same however. It can be rich in minerals and harder than a grave digger’s heart or, alternatively, softer 28

than a mattress full of sheep. st Austell Brewery brings up its own spring water and filters it through Cornish granite. It’s soft and pure and adds a distinctive dimension to its Cornish ales.

Yeast Yeast is everywhere. It’s over there, there and even over there. It is wonderful, enigmatic and enchanting stuﬀ and, without it, beer would have no alcohol or bubbles in it – thus making it a far less enjoyable part of life. Brewers will tell you that yeast is the single most important ingredient in beer yet its multi-faceted role is simple: to munch on sugars, excrete alcohol and belch out bubbles (CO2). It furnishes beer with some fruity, estery flavours too. Yeast can be loosely divided into two categories: Top fermenting yeast that rises to the top of the beer after fermentation and bottom fermenting yeast that does its job in smaller groups and floats, yes – you’ve guessed it, to the bottom of the fermenting beer. As a general rule, the former prefers things warm and is used for ale while the latter operates best in colder climes and is used to brew lager.

HOW A BEER IS BREWED Malting/Kilning • Barley (or wheat, rye) is steeped in water and, hoodwinked into thinking it’s spring, it begins to germinate. Germination is fuelled by enzymes converting starch into sugars. • Before the sugars are used, germination is cut short by kilning the grain. • e maltster kilns the malted barley to various degrees using temperature and time. • e brewer then chooses a blend of diﬀerent malts to brew his beer – ranging from pale lightly kilned malt to heavily toasted, scorched dark malt. (st Austell Brewery has developed its own unique Cornish Malt used in many of its beers.)

Milling • With the blend of malts carefully chosen, the malt is milled where it’s split into grist, a granular mixture of husks and fine flour – rich in starch. 31

Mashing • e grist is poured into a big vessel called a mash tun and mixed with hot water (about 65 degrees) to form the 'mash' – a bit like porridge with a sweet, bready aroma. • Mashing releases soluble sugars at diﬀerent temperatures and after about an hour, the mash becomes wort - a dark orange, sweet treacle-like solution with all the sugars required for fermentation. Imagine a cup of tea (‘no milk, hundreds of sugars’). • e wort is sent to the kettle, otherwise known as the copper.

Boiling • Having filled the copper with wort, containing just the right sugar concentration, it is brought to a bubbling, undulating boil and this is when the hops are added. • Bitterness hops are added at the beginning of the boil before, after an hour or so, the wort is brought oﬀ the boil and cooled. en further hops are added. • e heat is then turned oﬀ and the bitter wort is left to simmer and aerate. 32

Fermentation • e brewer then decants the wort into a fermentation vessel – and this is where the yeast is added. • At first, nothing happens and the liquid is as still as a mill pond. But then, like a scene from Jaws, the dead calm turns into a seething, foaming feeding frenzy like a mass of liquid bubble wrap that bursts and bloats both wide and high. • ings get heated in the eating frenzy but the temperature is controlled using cooling jackets so that the yeast doesn't over do it and pass out. • After a steamy session, the yeast rolls over and gently goes to sleep.

Conditioning • After all that, the beer needs to put its feet up. If it's an ale, it takes it easy for more than a week or so. unless, that is, it's a strong beer and is being barrel-aged for longer periods when it will pick up more complex flavours. • some beers are spruced up with dry-hopping, whereby flower hops are stewed in the ageing beer. • Lagers need a longer rest than ale. After a chilly fermentation, it needs to chill out even further, rid itself of its rough edges and get in touch with its delicate flavours. is takes time and the longer a lager can relax in cold conditions the better it will taste.

Filtration • Most beers are pasteurised and filtered to sieve out all the yeast and produce a “bright beer” which is then gently racked into kegs or bottles.

Secondary-Fermentation • However, in the case of cask-conditioned and bottleconditioned beers, the pasteurising and filtration processes are by-passed and the yeast retained. • is enables a secondary fermentation in either the cask or the bottle during which the residual yeast continues to work its magic – adding complexity and flavour.

BEER STYLES Pale Ale up until the 18th century, the bulk of beers were dark but then pale ale arrived. Designed for drinkability, pale ales tend to be medium-bodied, light copper to golden in colour, tremendously refreshing with an elegant equilibrium of malt flavours and delicate, floral hop bitterness and aroma. Example: Tribute Pale Ale, Torchbearer

India Pale Ale (IPA) Back in the days when Britain had an empire, brewers would export IPA to British India. Brewed using heaps of hops and high in alcohol, it had the swashbuckling sea-legs to endure the sweltering, six month voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. After fading out of fashion, authentic IPA found itself at the forefront of the us craft brewing revolution in 1980s and remains incredibly popular in American craft brewing circles. Inspired by the scene across the Pond, european brewers are aping American IPAs with a uK twist and even 37

experimenting with Double IPAs (twice as hoppy and strong) and Black IPA – brewed with darker malts. expect intense hop aromas of grapefruit, lychee and freshly cut grass and a palate primed with resins, pine and pepper and a dry, bitter finish. Example: Proper Job, Proper Black and Big Job Double IPA

Lager-Conditioned Beers not a lot of people know this but ‘Lager’ isn’t strictly a beer style. Meaning ‘to store’ in German, it’s an umbrella term under which a vast range of styles, flavours and aromas dwell. Lager is simply a beer that’s been “lager-conditioned” much like cask ale is “cask-conditioned”. It’s absurd to suggest that all lagers taste the same when lager can be a strapping Bock or a crisp Pilsner, a straw-coloured Helles beers or a crimsonhued Dunkel, an earthy Marzen beer, a lush Vienna red or a schwarzbier darker than a pawn broker’s soul. at lagers are more maligned than ales has more to do with the fact that most lousy beers happen to be lagers. But that certainly doesn’t mean that all lagers are lousy.

Lagers are as complex in their flavours as ales. e only diﬀerence between the two is, in a nutshell, the type of yeast and fermentation temperature and maturation. Which means that if you only drink ale or you only drink lager then you’re letting fungus dictate your drinking decisions. unless you’re on antibiotics for an acute case of Athlete’s Foot then this is a daft thing to do.

Helles is pale golden lager and everyday session beer of Bavaria translates as ‘light’. But it’s not a lightweight lager - boasting a fragrant floral hop nose, a succulent biscuit body and a snappy bitter finish. Example: Korev Cornish Lager, Strawberry Blonde

Bock Once exclusively brewed in the north German town of einbeck in the 14th century, Bocks are now brewed all over Germany and increasingly elsewhere in europe and America – mostly as a seasonal beer brewed in the spring. Drinking between 6.3% and 7%, Bocks are rich, maltdriven muscular lagers that tend to dwell on the dark side. 39

e word bock, a distortion of the ‘beck’ part of einbeck, translates as “Billy Goat” which is why there’s often a hairychinned picture of one on the bottle. Example: Cornish Bock

Mild Mild is the archetypal British blue-collar beer. First brewed to wet the weary whistles of industrial workers, it was originally a byword for fresh, unaged beer. It was strong (5-6%), it was cheap and it was the ale of the masses. Mild lost its mojo during the war, when it was weakened and the workers didn’t drink as much, but is now enjoying a minirenaissance. A massively under-rated ale style, it’s now lightly hopped and low in alcohol yet devilishly drinkable. Example: Black Prince

Bitters/Best Bitters If Britain was a beer, it would be a bitter. Traditionally brewed using British Maris Otter barley with British hop varieties like Fuggles and Goldings, bitter is the classic pub pint.

It represents a broad church of colours, strengths and flavours and, historically, was a byword for pale ales, fruity amber ales and dark, chewy beers. Don’t be duped by the name, because bitters aren’t necessarily that bitter – it gets its name from the days when drinkers would diﬀerentiate it from sweeter milds on the bar. Ideally served slightly carbonated from a cask, bitters enjoy regional diﬀerences but tend to balance a gentle crisp hop character with a more-ish malt, medium-body. Classic bitters hover around or below 4% ABV while best bitters break free up to the 4.7% mark. Example: Dartmoor Best, Trelawny

Premium/Extra Special Bitter Premium Bitters (esB) are brawnier, brasher and bigger than best bitters. Cranking up the characteristic caramel character, an earthy malty sweetness that comes courtesy of crystal malt and a spicy hop character courtesy of Fuggles and Goldings, and a higher alcohol content. Example: Admiral’s Ale, HSD and Tribute Extra

Strong Ale/Barley Wine In the 18th century, england was forever getting into fisticuﬀs with France and, consequently, drinking wine - the enemy’s elixir- was regarded as most unpatriotic. so, in order to challenge posh plonk on the tables of the upper class, strong grandiose ales called Barley Wines were brought out by British brewers. Ranging from amber to deep copper-garnet in colour, they’re full-bodied, malty-sweet and/or hop-heavy, and designed to develop in the hands of Father Time. To increase depth and complexity, brewers are increasingly ageing barley wines in oak barrels and whisky or spirit casks. Example: Smuggler’s Vintage, Smuggler’s Grand Cru

Porter An opaque, eighteenth century opium of the masses that oiled the wheels of the Industrial Revolution. Arguably the most important beer style in history, it first referred to a blend of three beers (strong ale, pale and mild) but soon became a beer in its own right. e emergence of lighter beers and First World War restrictions on making roasted malts accelerated porter’s demise but today, the popularity of porter is rising again. 42

Coloured black-ish or burnished dark brown, porters are medium-bodied dark malt-accented beers. A chocolate and coﬀee character is common, sweeter than stouts, more drinkable and with less burnt roast malt notes.

Stout A drier, darker, fuller-bodied descendant of porter. Born in London as “stout porter” and raised in Ireland, it soon lost its surname and become synonymous with a brand founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759.

Golden/Blonde Ales Moderate in hops, juicy in biscuit malt and drunk chilled, ‘golden ales’ serve as an easy-sipping stepping stone between lagers and ale. Fresh, fruity and wonderfully refreshing, Example: Spring Brew, Podium

Wheat Beer Wheat beer is brewed with a blend of barley and wheat and is fruity, spicy and a superb thirst-slaker in the summer.

Wheat beer comes in two styles: Belgians and Bavarians. e Belgians, who call it witbier, are anarchic ale-makers that think nothing of chucking in all manner of herbs and spices into the brew. In Bavaria, meanwhile, German brewers aren’t allowed to do that – so they get all the banana and clove-like flavour from a unique yeast strain that brings out the true character of the wheat malt. German ‘Weissbier’ can either be light or dark in appearance and most brewers produce two versions: Hefe (with yeast) or Kristal (without yeast). e latter may look cleaner and clearer but the former is by far the more flavoursome. Example: Clouded Yellow

WHY ST AUSTELL BREWERY EXCELS IN MAKING BEER You may have noticed that craft beer is making a bit of a big noise at the moment. ere’s a genuine buzz surrounding a new breed of maverick British micro-brewers who are capturing the imagination of an increasing number of adventurous elbow-benders with brews crafted with proper ingredients, integrity and a passionate pursuit for new flavours. Yet amid all the shouting about the shock of the new, it’s all too easy to forget that, down in Cornwall, st Austell has been doing this, quietly crafting artisan ales, for more than 160 years. no surprise, then, that they have become really rather good at it. st Austell Brewery has a remarkably rich history interwoven with the heritage of founder Walter Hicks. Yet while the brewery proudly celebrates its past, it certainly doesn’t get stuck there and, from the beginning, the business has dovetailed tradition with everything that modern technology has to oﬀer. Back in 1851, when Walter Hicks began the business, Cornwall was a 47

core of industrial innovation and engineering expertise and Hicks’ first brewery blazed a trail in brewing technology. Hicks’ unswerving commitment to the cutting edge continued in 1893 when, with demand outstripping supply, he built his second brewery – which is still st Austell’s home today. Family has formed the backbone of the business since day one. Hicks, who had ten children, handed the business down to his son Walter and then, following Walter Jnr’s sad death in a motorcycle accident, to his daughter Hester Parnall – who oversaw the change of name from “Walter Hicks & Co” to “st Austell Brewery”. Hicks’ grandson egbert Barnes, renowned for his infectious schoolboy enthusiasm, took over in 1935 and in the early 1960s, egbert’s son-in-law David staughton joined the company alongside Peter Voelcker and Piers ompson, both great grandsons of Walter Hicks. e family influence is still evident today with several descendants of Walter Hicks working in both the boardroom and the brewery as well as the work force. “We’re very proud that the company is still a 100% independent family-run business,” says James staughton, present Managing Director and Walter Hicks' great-great grandson, “and that throughout our history there’s been an unwavering dedication to quality and the world of pubs and beer.” 48

Roger Ryman, st.Austell’s head brewer since 1999, added: “We’re genuinely quality first here, it is our primary concern and in every decision we make, the impact on beer quality is our first consideration. We do not entertain mediocrity in anything that we do. We’ve broadened our horizons in terms of style and, in the last ten years, we’ve embraced innovation. We’re never complacent enough to ignore what’s going on around us in the world of brewing locally and globally.” In 2009, st Austell unveiled a new bottling line and two years later, 120 years after it was built, the st Austell brewhouse was updated with state-of-the-art brewing equipment capable of blending the style and the significance of the past with the science and art of modern ale-making. “We’re very proud of our history and we celebrate it but we’re not shackled by it,” added Ryman. “We’re always looking to the future.”

Quintessentially Cornish st Austell may be one of the largest and most forwardthinking regional brewers in Britain but it remains quintessentially Cornish. Talk of ‘terroir’ in brewing is often dismissed as marketing mumbo-jumbo but st Austell’s beers are genuinely Cornish in character. e vast majority of those who work for the brewery come from Cornish families, the Cornish spring water is filtered through Cornish granite, the Maris Otter and Cornish Gold barley is sourced from Cornish farms owned by Cornish farmers and flavoured by Cornwall’s coastal climate. It is, in short, really quite Cornish. What’s more, the brewer’s fortunes and growth over the last decade or so has mirrored that of its home county. Cornwall, as you may well have noticed, is cooler than the other side of the pillow. In the last ten years, Cornwall has shed its cream tea and kiss-me-quick clichéd reputation and become a food lovers’ paradise brimming with award-winning restaurants and artisan producers. Following the opening of the £130m eden Project (a thinking man’s greenhouse) and the growing reputation of Falmouth as a hub of creativity, there’s a blossoming art 51

community to complement a booming tourist industry and an exciting extreme sports scene. “Cornwall is a great place to brew beer – it’s growing some of the best barley in the world at the moment and the water down here is a brewer’s dream,” said Roger. “But brewing Cornish beer means more than that. everyone in Britain knows where Cornwall is – it’s got a very strong identity and so do our beers. People associate our beer with good times. st Austell beers are like a laidback lifestyle in liquid form”. st Austell Brewery is proud to be supplied by long term partners Tucker’s Maltings in Devon, as they have been since Walter Hicks attended the opening dinner at this traditional floor maltings back in 1901. Cornish Gold malt, made from barley grown specifically to be used in st Austell beers, is an exclusive innovation between these local family owned businesses in Cornwall and Devon. “We were using Munich-style malt to brew Tribute. is flavoursome malt contributes a deeper colour and intense flavour, and is blended with pale malt in the Tribute grist. It’s gently dried in a kiln to pick up its colour rather than being intensely roasted like the traditional dark malts that contribute colour in beer.’’

“I got fed up with people asking why we were using German style malt to brew Cornish ales, so in 2003 we teamed up with Tucker’s Director Richard Wheeler to work out how we could develop a uniquely Cornish malt, from Cornish barley which would deliver all the colour and flavour we wanted in our beer. e result of this collaboration is Cornish Gold malt. Our beer has never tasted better and we have never looked back’’. In a recent development, Richard shared the secrets of Cornish Gold with Chris Garret, Head Maltster at Warminster Maltings. Tucker’s now share production with Warminster to keep st Austell Brewery supplied as demand increases along with the popularity of Tribute Ale.

BEERS & FOOD MATCHING Tribute 4.2% First brewed under the name “Daylight Robbery” to celebrate the eclipse in 1999, and rebranded as Tribute to celebrate the brewery’s 150th anniversary in 2001, Tribute is st Austell’s most popular beer. Made with a triumvirate of hops (Fuggle from england, styrian Golding from slovenia and late-hopped with Willamette from the Pacific northwest, usA), its tight bitterness is balanced by a malt sweetness that comes courtesy of Cornish Gold and Maris Otter pale malt grown right here in Cornwall. A contemporary beer for the modern market, Tribute is a treat with hearty dishes showcasing caramelised characteristics such as sausage & mash with onion gravy; steak and ale pie and, lest we forget, a Cornish pasty.

Trelawny 3.8% Delicate yet deeply drinkable, this session sip gets its distinctive peachy, apricot notes from Galaxy hops grown in Tasmania and its quaﬀable character from classic english Golding and a unique new english variety, endeavour. Rich amber in colour, it drinks well above its modest ABV and its citrusy, zesty character suits Chicken Caesar salad and sushi. It won’t trample over lightly seared tuna steak and is perfect with light pasta dishes.

Proper Job, Draught 4.5%, Bottle 5.5% Inspired by America’s craft brewing revolution – and in particular an IPA brewed by the Bridgeport Brewery in Portland where Roger spent a month’s sabbatical in 2004. Brewed with American Willamette, Chinook and Cascade hops, its palate is packed with pine and peaches with a crunchy, biscuit base that comes courtesy of Cornish grown Maris Otter barley. An American-style IPA, it can go toe-to-toe with fiery dishes and fatty textures and intense flavours. It’s ideal with Indian curries and no other beer goes better with a juicy hamburger.

Hicks Special Draught, 5% named after st Austell’s founder Walter Hicks, HsD is a legendary Cornish ale first brewed in 1973. Deep, dark, drinkable and quintessentially Cornish, its full-bodied flavours find favour with big, hearty dishes like pheasant, roast duck and meaty stews. A muscular Maris Otter backbone (both crystal and pale malt) is fortified by roasted barley before being spruced with earthy Fuggles and Goldings hops.

Dartmoor Best Bitter, 3.5% superb session ale bursting with rich malt and fine fruit character. An easy-drinking ale adorned with warm bready notes and a flint-dry finish, it goes down like a newborn giraﬀe on roller-skates. A quaﬀable english ale calls for quintessential english pub grub – a packet of crisps, peanuts, pork pies or scratchings, a Ploughman’s or a pasty. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to start with ‘p’.

Admiral’s Ale, 5% A burly, beautifully balanced bottle-conditioned beer first brewed to celebrate the 200th anniversary of nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805. Amber bronze in colour, it’s brewed uniquely using 100% local Cornish Gold malt. Roger Ryman blends the grapefruity Cascade from America with the rich grassy bitterness of styrian Golding to create a snappy, spicy hop bitterness that, along with the bottle-conditioned bubbles, breaks through the batter in fish and seduces a sunday Roast.

Korev, 4.8% simply meaning beer in Cornish, ‘Korev’ is a delicate dovetailing of Cornish spring grown malt and Czech and German hops. Contrary to popular belief, brewing a lager-conditioned beer that’s consistently balanced is incredibly diﬃcult. “Brewing lager is like running down the beach with no clothes on,” says Roger Ryman, “there’s nowhere to hide and any flaws are laid bare!” More a Helles than a Pilsner, Korev’s malt softness and gentle bitterness adds a new dimension to delicate dishes with a touch of caramelisation - such as seared scallops, light chicken dishes and tuna steaks. 58

Clouded Yellow, 4.8% named after a butterfly, this unfiltered wheat beer flutters between Belgium and Bavaria in style. First brewed for the st Austell Celtic Beer Festival in 2000, it’s brewed with 50% malted wheat yet, unlike traditional wheat beers, doesn’t source its fruity ester character from a special yeast strain. “I didn’t want to risk introducing a foreign yeast strain into the brewery as there was a risk of cross-contamination,” recalls Roger. so, instead, Roger fashions the fruity character of a German wheat beer by borrowing techniques from Belgium and adding coriander, vanilla pods, cloves and maple syrup. Light, herby and spicy, it complements citrus flavours in salads and makes magic with moules mariniere and is a brilliant brunch beer with eggs benedict. German identity, Belgian application yet Cornish in creation.

Smugglers Vintage 6.0% & Smugglers Grand Cru, 11.5% One of Roger Ryman’s best brewing ideas has been to breathe life back into smugglers, a big, burly barley wine that, in the past, had a special place in the heart of Cornish drinkers.

“It hadn’t been brewed since 1994 and we wanted to add a twist to it and, inspired by Belgian brewing, experiment with some oakageing and the blending of beers.” so, after brewing an 11% barley wine, Roger matures it in whisky barrels for six to eight months during which it languidly matures and picks up wonderful notes of whisky and wood. Awoken from its slumber, it’s then blended with a younger yet complex dark beer (brewed to around 5%) to make an awesome example of ale-making alchemy that’s superb with cheese. Rich and smooth with hints of tangy marmalade, toﬀee, autumnal fruit, figs, prunes and a port-like finish.

smugglers Grand Cru, meanwhile, cranks up the complexity and adds a French flourish using the Methode Champagnoise. smugglers is decanted into Champagne bottles at the Camel Valley Vineyard in Cornwall, dosed with Champagne yeast, corked and then caged to create an incredibly intricate eﬀervescent after-dinner ale. It’s best sipped from a brandy balloon alongside a chunk of mature cheddar or a pungent Vacherin – the bubbles peeling the richness from the palate and wiping it clean for another memorable mouthful.

THE LAST WORD BY JAMES STAUGHTON since my great-great grandfather Walter Hicks mortgaged his farm for £1500 to become a maltster, st Austell Brewery’s success has been founded on making great beer that pub-goers and beer lovers enjoy drinking every time. More than 160 years later, there has never been a more exciting time to be a beer drinker. e world of beer is bursting with exciting innovations, new ideas, flavours and techniques – all broadening beer’s appeal to a wider audience. Here in Britain, there’s a definite shift away from multinational megabrands to tasty, crafted products with local provenance, great ingredients and authenticity. Interest in Britain’s true national drink has been reawakened and st Austell Brewery is fiercely proud to be part of this. I trust our Passport has been entertaining, informative and that it will help you continue your explorations of the world of beer with confidence. We also hope you will choose st Austell Brewery beers to accompany you on your journey towards elbow-bending enlightenment. Oh, one more thing – if you come down to Cornwall then come and say hello and, maybe, if you’re lucky, we could have a beer. Cheers,

As one of a small number of independent family brewers left in Britain, the St Austell Brewery has grown steadily from the initial vision of a young Cornishman called Walter Hicks in 1851â&#x20AC;Śto become part of the fabric of Cornwall.

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