Butcombe Brewing Co has launched its own flavour of crisps, available in its managed pubs across the UK, created with The British Snack Company.
Working with the snack specialists, Butcombe chefs and brewers trialled various flavour combinations and profiles before settling on Steak and Butcombe Ale Pie, using Butcombe Gold Ale as the hero ingredient. The popular golden ale has the added bonus of being gluten free.
The ale is freeze dried to create a concentrated, powdered form of the beer. This is then combined with other ingredients to create the flavour. This part of the process was worked on in partnership with Taste Connection, just up the road from the Butcombe Brewery in Wotton-under-Edge.
“This was a fantastic project to work on,” said Alice Bowyer, director of food at Butcombe parent Liberation Group. “Who wouldn’t love creating their very own crisp flavour?
“We are already well known for our innovative bar snacks and award-winning beer, so it was only a matter of time before the two collided!”
All the potatoes used to make the crisps are grown on a farm near Colchester, in Essex, where they are also cooked. They are sliced, gently fried by hand, then tumbled in the seasoning to create the crisp.
Thomas Lock, founder of The British Snack Co, said: “As a brand that was born in pubs, we are absolutely delighted to be partnered with Butcombe and were very excited to be asked to help develop this unique steak and ale pie flavour crisp, made with real Butcombe ale.
“The first thing I did after we first produced them was sit down and enjoy them with a pint of Butcombe Original. I’m happy to confirm they are a match made in heaven.”
