Brew kit at Harbour Brewing Company, Cornwall. Photograph: Adam Sargent
Harbour Brewing, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, and Hawksmoor are to collaborate on a series of limited edition beers that are designed to push the boundaries, and highlight beer’s versatility as a drink that pairs perfectly with food.
Harbour Brewing and the Open Gate Brewery will be combining their brewing credentials, expertise and passion for innovation to create four beers, based around flavours that perfectly complement the most popular dishes on the menu at Hawksmoor.
The collaboration will culminate in a month-long menu takeover at Hawksmoor Borough restaurant, from November 1 to 30.
Harbour Brewing’s R&D brewer, James Rylance, said: “Old school brewing is about balancing bitterness and sweetness. While this approach is great for producing traditional beers, it doesn’t naturally lend itself to food pairing, which requires more flavour variety and subtlety.
“The resource and expertise at the Open Gate Brewery has really opened new doors of knowledge. Working closely with the team there, as well as the Hawksmoor team, we have developed four beer recipes, complex in their creation, but with simple and clean flavours that mirror each of the dishes.”
‘There is a beer for every occasion’
Head Guinness brewer at the Open Gate Brewery, Peter Simpson, said: “In the Open Gate Brewery we have always explored the vast array of flavours that beer can bring, either through the raw materials used or the brewing process itself.
“I believe that there is a beer for every occasion, including food. Working with Harbour Brewing and Hawksmoor gives us a unique opportunity to explore the flavour of beer using some non-traditional ingredients and more complex brewing techniques.
“One of the main goals of this collaboration is to demonstrate that there is a place for beer at the dinner table. Wine does not need to be the go-to drink for a meal; beer can be enjoyed with any food — you just need to find the right beer.
“Key to any collaboration we do is that everybody involved learns something new, and we all learned lots from this experience. For me that is what makes this collaboration so enjoyable and worthwhile.”
The beers will pair with Hawksmoor dishes such as this chateaubriand. Photograph: Toby Keane
The first collaboration beer will be an alternative aperitif, based on the flavours of a gin and tonic, and infused with herbs and botanicals.
The second will be created to pair with Hawksmoor’s most popular starter of roast scallops with white port and garlic. While the dish would normally be paired with a dry white wine, the beer pairing will be a light lemon verbena saison.
An oak barrel-aged beer, with the depth, complexity and tannins of a Rioja, will be paired with the British rib-eye steak main course at Hawskmoor. The beer will be made with sour cherries, and fermented in foudres — large wooden barrels used most commonly in winemaking.
To finish, a barley wine aged in American oak white wine barrels will be paired with the popular sticky toffee pudding.
Will Beckett, one of the founders of Hawksmoor said, “We’ve been passionate about beer for years; even before we started Hawksmoor 12 years ago we owned a pub with an extensive beer list and we’ve always tried to stock and support great breweries. This collaboration has been a lot of fun for everyone, and I hope our customers will enjoy it as much!”
Two of the beers will be created collaboratively in Ireland. and the Open Gate Brewery team, led by Peter, will travel to Harbour Brewing in Cornwall to create the remaining two.
Further details of the Hawksmoor menu takeover will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Guinness Open Gate Brewery, in Dublin
» More awards for Harbour Brewing Co
» ‘Home and away’ collaborations for brewers
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