The British Guild of Beer Writers and the Drinking Studies Network will meet next week to debate change and crisis in Britain’s pubs.
The event will take place at the Canalhouse pub, in Nottingham, from 2pm to 6pm on Tuesday, 10th September, and will include a beer tasting.
In recent years, pub closures have escalated, which has attracted academic attention, delving into the deeper questions of how losing ‘locals’ affects people’s lives.
The afternoon will see presentations from Dr Thomas Thurnell-Read, from Loughborough University, Dr Claire Markham, from Nottingham Trent University, Dr James Kneale, from UCL, and Jed Meers, from York Law School, among others.
After the talks and discussion, Castle Rock will deliver an exclusive tutored tasting focused on brewing beer below the 3.5% ABV duty threshold, including the use of a special yeast strain.
Castle Rock Brewery’s Pilot Project, run by development brewer Danny Pearson, has been trialling yeast strains for a while now, working with innovative new yeast producer called WHC. The most recent strain has characteristics that should make it perfect for lower-ABV beers, and brews that demand a lot of fruity aromas.
Danny said: “Guests will be invited to taste the 4.1% and 2.9% versions of the same recipe of a cask New England-style IPA, comparing a more typical ABV for cask beer with a much lower ABV.
“We want to see how lower ABV affects the perception of flavour characteristics, how low-ABV beer behaves in cask and whether yeast strains such as this could be used to bolster flavour, aroma, and mouthfeel.”
Guild board member and host for the event, Phil Mellows, said: “This should be a great opportunity for anyone who cares about pubs to discuss, in depth, the impact of closures with some of the sharpest minds we have on the subject — and then enjoy a tasting with the brewer of a new Castle Rock beer. It’s sure to be an afternoon well spent.”
Tickets to the event cost £15 for Guild members and £25 for non-members and are available here.
