Beer drinkers are all set to be tickled pink with the launch of a pink raspberry beer which we have brewed to promote the work of a local charity.
With the Breast Cancer events such as the Wear it Pink day supported nationwide, I am chuffed to say that people in Norfolk are able to show their support in a rather unusual way – as they can Drink it Pink as we have teamed up with local charity Keeping A Breast.
Keeping A Breast is a Norfolk based charity which offers support groups for women across the UK who are facing or considering reconstructive surgery after treatment for breast cancer.
They are always busy in October as it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and charities across the UK ‘Pink it up’ in some form to promote awareness of breast cancer.
Lisa Becker and the team from Keeping Abreast wanted to focus on their specific area of support – in breast reconstruction awareness (BRA) and ran a PinkOctoBRA Day which this year saw the arrival of a specially brewed pink ale.
The team have been very fortunate this year in that Norwich Inns Group – a group of around 50 pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants across Norfolk chose them as their charity for 2018.
One day Lisa was joking with Craig McLaren from Norwich Inns about how a pink beer would be a fun way to raise awareness.
Needless to say, Craig was on the phone to us as we are one of the local breweries which supply Norwich Inns outlets – and he knew that we already produced a Moon Gazer Raspberry Gold beer.
The plan was to see if that beer could be adapted to be made pink, a challenge which was not as straightforward as you may think.
Our Raspberry Gold beer already has a pink hue to it but Craig and Lisa had their hearts set on something more dramatic, something which would be noticed in pubs and get people talking – which ultimately is what we are trying to achieve.
Adding a lot more raspberries would do the trick but we need to keep the flavour balanced so Bruce worked with a fruit and colouring supplier on understating how we could enhance the pinkness without radically changing the flavour.
After a fair bit of testing this involved the addition in the brewing process of elder berries and also beetroot juice which added colour but were flavour neutral, we are very pleased with the results, and the flavour is still very much that of light raspberries.
The charity was also delighted when the Norwich Campaign for Real Ale Branch agreed to serve the ale in the Norwich Beer Festival to help raise awareness. So, a massive thanks to CAMRA from us too!
The beer- appropriately named by the charity as A Breast Bitter – will be served at The Norwich Beer Festival and also in Norwich Inns outlets across Norfolk including The Wig and Pen and The Eagle, in Norwich, and the Pub on the Shrubs in Gorleston, we will pop a full list up very soon. >
Do track it down and do enjoy the fruits of our labour and spread the word about the great work that Keeping A Breast do.