So, we are busy working on a new brew as part of this year’s Dark Skies Festival – a two-week long festival of events and activities hosted by the Norfolk Coast Partnership.
The festival takes place along the North Norfolk coast and will be a celebration of the incredible dark skies and landscapes of the county’s coastline.
We were delighted to become involved in the project – Norfolk is widely known for its big blue skies, but to have a festival which will raise awareness of the value and beauty of the night skies is really exciting.
Our own inspiration from and connection to the night sky can already be seen on our logo with our Moon gazing hare but for this beer we will take the connection one step further by using some ingredients which themselves have a strong connection to the night.
The night-time wildlife is a wonderful thing, when the daytime pollinators such as bees and butterflies hand over to the moths of the night shift and plants such as honeysuckle, catch fly and evening primrose release their scents to attract them.
Although we will predominantly be using hops to flavour the new beer we will be also adding some of these night-time flowers which are found around our brewery to add a gentle floral aroma and create the night time interest.
We hope that the ale – called Moon Gazer Dark Skies – will be enjoyed in pubs and hotels across the county and will help raise awareness of the value of Norfolk’s night time skies to tourists and residents alike, and that it is a resource that should be treasured and protected.
We obviously see the value of our dark skies in helping attract tourists to the county – especially outside of the summer months, but its value is also for residents as the calming, well-being effect of dark skies without light pollution adds to the tranquility which makes our county and coast so special.
Hopefully as well as having folks enjoying the beer it will encourage people to talk about the importance of the dark skies, and how we can all play our part in protecting them by minimising light pollution and appreciation the night time wildlife.
The beer will be a golden ale, brewed using Maris Otter barley grown along the North Norfolk coast and will use British hops to give a gentle floral, citrus flavour. It will be available in pubs across Norfolk for the duration of the Dark Skies festival which runs between 6-22 September.
For details of events taking place for the festival and how you get involved visit: www.norfolkcoastaonb.org.uk #norfolkcoastdarkskies