Hook Norton has revealed its 2017 range of limited edition beers, each of which will appear monthly alongside the brewer’s core range.
January Joker (4% ABV) is a dry beer for a dry January. It is stuffed full of playful Jester hops, crafting an intense, punchy aroma with notes of grapefruit and tropical fruit, delivering a light and dry finish. Also out this month is Double Stout (4.8%). brewed to an 1898 recipe. Black malt gives and enriches the dark, ebony colour and delivers an unmistakable toast flavour alongside hints of chocolate, coffee and caramel, while brown malt adds dryness.
February brings Six Nations rugby and Nice Try (3.8%), a smooth, malty, amber beer with a light fruit aroma, beautifully balanced and easy drinking ale. Then, at Easter, Hop To It (3.8% returns with its blend of Challenger and Jester Hops.
May brings with it another celebration. Last year Hook Norton celebrated 167 years of brewing by creating a beer at 6.7%. This year, oh yes, there will be one at 6.8%. In June, it’s the turn of the brewery’s shire horses to be celebrated. Mane Tail (3.7%) features a trio of UK hops — Jester, Chinook and Cascade — delivering refreshing lychees, minty green tea and a subtle splattering of pineapple.
In the anticipation that July heralds the start of a great British summer, Haymaker (5%) will appear — a strong pale ale with plenty of Goldings hops. Still toiling in the fields into August, there will be refreshment for thirsty workers in the form os Harvest Hop (3.9%), which i slight and fruity with a “cosmopolitan hop burst”.
For September, there is Copper Ale (3.9%), rich and red with a twist of plummy fruits, while October showcases strong, zesty and full0flavoured IPA Flagship (5.3%). Admiral hops give a fruity mouthfeel with marmalade richness and a citrus explosion on the tongue.
Flying out of the brewery come November will be Greedy Goose (4.2%), a dark copper ale with an aroma of soft dark fruits with hints of blackcurrant. It is rich on the palate with a dry and nutty taste. And the year is rounded off with Twelve Days (5.5%), a strong dark beer with rich flavours of dark fruit, malt and caramel with nutty overtones.
