Scotch Bonnet

8% Alc/Vol. Bottle and Keg Conditioned. 12-18 months old at release.  Nano batch brewed, 220- 660 litres from one or more former whisky/merlot barriques, blended. Vegan. Bronze medal, AIBA 2016. Label art: from William Mossman, circa 1745. Core range.

Flemish Old Brown ales, or Oude Bruins are a style of sour ale, traditionally brewed in the Flemish speaking province of East Flanders. It is a regional curiosity that has survived the pressures of modern tastes. Our first batch of Scotch Bonnet began life as a Belgian Scotch ale, barrel aged in a rare N.Z. Whisky barrel. It has a touch of manuka and peated smoked malt and rubbed shoulders with our sour Red Bonnet barrel, which transformed the beer over time, a year, to resemble an Oud Bruin or a Flander's old brown ale...We liked the result so much we cultured the soured yeast from the barrel to make more. Further aged in the bottle. Subtle sourness and sweetness in this beer is hard to define within narrow style parameters. The character of this beer will become more complex and sour over time. Unlike many of the Belgian originals, our beer is not pasteurised, nor back sweetened. Ideal for cellar aging. 

Food pairing: Lunch AND dinner, but only if you’re in Oudenaarde, Belgium. Proper bread and butter. Kippers. Mussels. Stoofvlees, and witloof, sauerkraut or braised cabbage. Stoemp. Soft goat or strong cheese. Thai curries. Fruit desserts or rich chocolate dessert. Malt whisky.