Month: March 2022

Introducing Voyager – There & Back Again, our first ever TRIPLE IPA! Weighing in at 11.2%, making it the biggest beer we’ve put on full release to date, and available right now!

For our 25^th anniversary last year, we released a small series of riffs on our classics, with Cryo Heathen, Fresh Hop Heathen and Double Deception all going down an absolute treat. Revisiting the recipes for our core beers and having the freedom to play around with them a little is something the team really enjoyed, so we’re carrying on the theme with this incredibly special release of our flagship IPA.

The brew itself was a logistical challenge as we required a lot of sugar from our grain for the yeast to feast upon to reach such a lofty ABV. A huge 1300kg malt bill (predominantly our house malt, low colour Maris Otter from our suppliers Crisp Maltings, with just a little Caramalt for added sweetness and colour) was just too big for our mash tun to handle, so this meant a double brew day for Christie (and on a Sunday too!). But as ever he was up to the challenge and our wort was soon safely through and ready for some hops!

We’ve kept the same hop combination as for “regular” Voyager – Citra, Centennial and Mosaic, which were all added to our hopback as well as being used as dry hops – Citra and Mosaic in T90 form, and some Centennial Cryo to really boost all those amazing citrussy flavours. The Centennial Cryo was added midway through fermentation to provide a bit more hop interest and a little bit of juice – the flavour at 11.2% is boooooozy, so that extra fruitiness helps to round out the flavour of the beer. 

Rather than our house yeast (which is best suited to our usual 4% ish pale ales and the like so would not have had a nice time with this beer at all), we fermented our first ever triple IPA with the old classic US05. This keeps everything nice and clean and when making a beer this strong there aren’t many yeasts you can rely on to chew through all the sugar as effectively and reliably as US05 (unless you’re going down a funkier route). 

Overall, it’s the same old beautiful Voyager, but beefed up in pretty much every way possible! The same West Coast bitterness meets East Coast fruitiness that you know and love, but with all those tasty tropical notes singing even more loudly and an added intensity in the finish. And as with “regular” Voyager, we’ve added Brewer’s Clarex as part of the brewing process to mop up the gluten (more on how this works here), so it’s a rare treat of a GF TIPA!

The artwork shows our good ship returning from its momentous journey, continuing the “same but different” theme of this very special beer. And yes, the name is indeed a reference to The Hobbit. If we take one more step it’ll be the farthest away from home we’ve ever been…

Cheers!

Sheffield Beer Week is BACK from March 7^th to 13^th, and we’ve got two beers released for the occasion themed around our fantastic beery city – plus a whole host of events for you to get involved in!

In keeping with the local theme, we’re very excited to introduce our new dry hopped heritage pale ale, Sheffield Rocks (4.1%). Our homage to our hometown’s wonderful brewing history – the essence of the archetypal Sheffield beer for the twenty first century! Brewed in collaboration with local brewing legend Stuart Noble, using 100% UK ingredients and dry hopped with Pilgrim and UK Cascade. Read more here! And we’ve also re-released a familiar favourite, but with a new name and fresh new look. Huckster Cryo, our collaboration with our friends down at Kelham Island, Peddler Market, IS BACK – now part of our Brewers Emporium range as Wanderer – Cryo NEIPA (6.0%). Expect all the hazy, juicy, tropical good vibes you know and love in this pillowy New England IPA, packed with Sorachi Ace, Galaxy, Vic Secret and Ekuanot Cryo hops. Both of these new beers are available in cask, keg and can, so look out for them on bars and shelves across our city and beyond!

And we’re incredibly excited to have some real life, in person events booked in too! We’re kicking off with Indie Beer Feast, which is a fantastic precursor to everything Sheffield Beer Week has to offer, taking place on Friday 4^th and Saturday 5^th March at Trafalgar Warehouse in the city centre. We’re pouring alongside absolutely loads of brilliant breweries from all of the UK, as well as local favourites Lost Industry and St Mars of the Desert. Tickets are almost sold out, although there may be a limited number available on the door for each session – keep an eye on Indie Beer Feast’s Twitter page for updates!

On Tuesday 8^th March, two of our very favourite things come together in a special Beer & Snack pairing at the Riverside, Kelham Island. Five keg beers (exact details to be announced, but we can confirm our Sheffield themed releases will be featured), each paired with a delicious tasty treat! Our Dan will be on hand to talk you through each pairing and tell you all about the brewery and our beers. Head here to get your tickets! 

And we’re taking a little bit of Sheffield Beer Week on tour, as on Thursday 10^th March we’re heading down to London! The magnificent King’s Arms in Bethnal Green is hosting us for a Meet the Brewer and Tap Takeover. Join us from 5pm (no tickets required, just pop along!) – there’s a line up of 9 of our beers available across cask and keg, including an exclusive release of Black Mass in keg, for the first time in our 26 year history!

There’s absolutely loads going on all week across Sheffield too, so do make sure you check out the full event listings on the Sheffield Beer Week website. Team Abbeydale are sure to be out in force, so we hope to see lots of you for a beer or two!

Cheers!