Lacons Brewery is launching a heritage brew originating from a 1963 recipe found in the archives, available for a limited time in East Anglia pubs.
First brewed in the same year as the Great Freeze, 1963, Lacons Old Ale is a dark brew that, says the brewer, warms the cockles of one’s heart with its distinct malty flavours.
A classic chestnut colour, the traditionally styled beer is predominately dry with a malty base. Bitter on the palate with slight undertones of cherries and plum, it is easy drinking at 4.1% ABV and bursting with Willamette and Cascade hop flavours.
Old ale is a term commonly applied to dark, malty beers with low hop bitterness, and is sometimes called strong ale or stock ale.
Old ales were introduced before the Industrial Revolution — the beer was brewed then stored for months or even years in unlined wooden vessels known as tuns. The style has re-emerged in recent years, due to the evolving tastes of beer drinkers and the success of some major brands such as Theakston’s Old Peculier and Robinson’s Old Tom.
