Fiona Taylor, of Christopher Piper Wines, discusses a new Devon-brewed lager
We are very lucky here at Christopher Piper Wines (CPW) to all be involved in the buying process of new wines, new vintages, interesting spirits and for the first time, since I've been here (quite a long time) we have introduced a Devon-brewed lager.
Yes, lager! Sometimes a cold, tall glass, slippery with beaded condensed droplets and full of crisp, hoppy bubbles is just what is required. Thirsty yet?
Utopian is a very exciting brand new, sustainably-powered craft brewery, producing some deliciously pure and original craft lagers, made only from British grown ingredients. Established by Richard Archer and Stephen Cox, their ambition is to generate as much of their own energy as possible using sustainable sources. The brewery has been built on a farm in mid-Devon and uses anaerobic digestion to recycle waste, from both the farm and the brewery, to generate heat and power. A water treatment and re-cycling facility will shortly be introduced.
Utopian only use British whole grain malts and hops in their lagers. British growers produce more than 30 different hops with a huge range of interesting flavours and character. UK maltsters also create a wide range of malts from British grown barley, wheat and ryes providing a huge range of taste and colour options. Their signature Premium British Lager is influenced by the Bavarian Helles style, and sees a slow, low temperature fermentation followed by a long, cold conditioning, giving the lager a crisp, clean finish whilst allowing all the wonderful flavours from the malt and hops to fully develop and shine. Light golden in colour, with depth of flavour and balance.
Tradition meets innovation with Utopian's Czech influenced British Pilsner, brewed with the recently developed British flavour hop, Jester. Generous kettle hopping gives this beer a wonderful bouquet of stone fruit, citrus, and spicy pine, while the slow low temperature fermentation and long cold conditioning, rounds out the body and sets the stage for an assertive bitter finish. Deep golden in colour, hop forward yet beautifully balanced, this is a new classic.
All the Utopian's packaging is recyclable, with both lagers being in 440ml aluminium cans, available online and the CPW shop in Ottery.
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