Our latest collaboration a German Porter – I’m Already Here – and it really is an ale with a tale…
So, what is a German Porter? I hear you ask. Well, it is a style whose defining characteristics include deep, espresso-like colour and malt-forward flavour with a low hop bitterness and an underlying sweetness.
Or in other words a very moreish, warming dark beer.
We are delighted to be brewing this beer with Sean and Ruth of Brid’s Cross brewery (pronounced Breed’s Cross) of Rochdale.
Sean has links to East Anglia and had previously enjoyed Moon Gazer beers at pubs such as The Racehorse in Westhall. Sean also has a passion for brewing and all of his ales are inspired by, and named after, folk tales and mythology associated with the British Isles.
Obviously sooner or later Sean would use a hare in one of his beers, which we duly spotted on social media and liked – because we like hares too!
Before you knew it, we had agreed to a collaboration and after a few suggestions on social media the idea of a German Porter was born. A style neither of had brewed before.
To add to the beer’s authenticity, we are using 100% German malts and hops. Usually, this style used Munich malts to a very high percentage of the malt bill – up to 70% to add to a very rich mouthfeel and malt forward body. The espresso colour is achieved by the addition of dark roasted malts but crucially they are de-husked, so you add colour but not any astringency.
As for the hops we are using German grown Perle hops – which although very sparsely used will add a slight hop profile and aroma of spice, cedar, and orange.
However, the final key ingredient is the tale – the ale needs a tale – and one that happens to be German and ideally involve a hare!
Thankfully, The Brothers Grimm obliged with their tale from Saxony about the story of the Hare and The Hedgehog – a fairly dark fable where two hedgehogs conspire to repeatedly beat a hare at a race – shouting from the finish line to the hare after the start of each race “”Ick bün all hier!” – which translates to I’m Already Here. Hence the name of the beer. We will leave you to discover the full tale.
The beer will also use vegan finings to be in keeping with Sean’s brews.
Limited edition in pubs from w/c 25 November.