Docks Beers — Grimsby’s only commercial brewery — has begun the inaugural canning of three new brews ahead of their launch at the end of September. They also unveiled three striking can designs, produced by Aylesby agency Source Four.
Docks Beers director, Will Douglas, said: “Today is a proud day for the team. It is the culmination of two years of hard graft. Our plans for brewing craft beers in cans at a new Grimsby brewery go back to 2016. Since then, we have been getting the brewery up and running, trialling brews to make sure that the first three beers are the highest quality, and getting designs perfected for the cans.
“We’ve finally got the recipes just right and we’re as excited about the beers inside the cans as we are about the artwork on the outside. Source Four’s illustrations capture perfectly the spirit of Docks Beers — putting the graft in craft beer.
“We believe we are the first brewery in Lincolnshire to produce cans for the craft beer market. They show that Grimsby and Lincolnshire can compete with the best of the UK’s craft breweries.”
The taste and look of the canned beers are markedly different to the real ales produced in bottle and cask by parent company Axholme Brewing Co.
Director Shahram Shadan said: “Docks Beers contain more hop varieties in each brew and are colder and carbonated. We can’t wait to see what customers make of them.
“Our new brewery in Grimsby was carefully specified to enable us to produce craft beer in cans. The mobile canning company we’re working with brings their equipment with them and sets it up in our brewery. They then feed our beer onto the canning line direct from our fermentation tanks.
“We wanted designs that reflected the story behind our brand. We brew in Grimsby, we brew by the docks and our brewing is inspired by our location and the hard work ethic of dockers past, present and future. The names of our beers and the can illustrations reflect this. There’s also secret ‘easter egg’ for Grimbarians on every can. Each design contains something uniquely Grimsby.”
The beers
Hard Graft is a 4% ABV, punchy, piney, pale session ale, underpinned by barley and rye malt, with bold flavours from Citra, Simcoe and Sorachi Ace hops. The can features a female welder hard at work.
The 4.5% ABV Graveyard Shift is a dark and rich milk stout made with chocolate malt and coconut. The design on the can shows a shift worker barking instructions into a walkie talkie in the dead of night.
Never Say Die is a robust 6% ABV New World IPA, with a tropical and citrus kick from Magnum, Chinook and Mosaic hops. The design features dockers hard at work in torrential rain.
‘Beautifully designed’
Charles Lumley, brewery non-executive director and owner of Cleethorpes’ specialist beer shop and weekend bar Message In A Bottle, said: “We see so many different cans in, but these are beautifully designed. Our customers are going to love Docks Beers, and visitors to the area will make a bee line to buy the only craft beer brewed in Grimsby.”
Company founder, director and head brewer Mike Richards, said: “I’m pleased with the new beers, which are some of the best I’ve brewed. Our trials allowed us to perfect the taste, but the new brewery is a dream to work with and has made it possible to improve on the test brews.
“This is just the beginning. We will be making two more canned beers before the end of 2018 and at least six more in 2019. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for Axholme beers, which will continue to be brewed in Crowle.”
The cans will be exclusively available from the King Edward Street brewery and taproom for a time, after which they will go on general sale at outlets including Message In A Bottle. Work continues apace to prepare the Docks Beers taproom for opening at the end of September.
