Windsor & Eton Brewery and Pioneer Brewing Company have teamed up to relaunch Whitbread Pale Ale after a four-decade hiatus.
Last brewed in 1976, the beer is being brewed under license by Windsor & Eton Brewery and, in a nod to the beer’s heritage, will be available exclusively at the Draft House pub, just a few hundred yards from Whitbread’s last London site at the Chiswell Street Brewery.
The new beer is a bright pale amber colour with light biscuit malt notes and a refreshing aroma from a blend of five hops, and a light bitterness on the finish. It will be available to order as a 4% cask beer and 4.4% 330ml bottles.
Windsor & Eton master brewer and co-founder Paddy Johnson said: “Whitbread Pale Ale has a very personal significance for me. When I was a kid, my dad used to have a wooden crate of bottles delivered to our home every month for his personal delectation, so when [Pioneer Brewing Company brewer Hugo Anderson] approached me to talk about bringing this beer back, it brought a whole load of happy memories flooding back.
“My goal was to create a classic sessionable beer that brings out the subtle fruitiness of British hops. Using a strain of the original Whitbread yeast gives the beer a beautifully clear golden colour.”
Hugo Anderson added: “When we were looking for a craft brewer to work with, Paddy and the team at Windsor & Eton Brewery were an obvious choice. While they brew some award-winning keg beers, they have an impeccable reputation for the quality of their cask beers. It has been a really good partnership as we have evolved the recipe to create a pale ale that looks to our heritage as well as to the future with a beer that uses both traditional and modern British hops to create a new classic.
“Whitbread Pale Ale hasn’t been brewed on the banks of the Thames since 1976 so it’s a very special moment for Pioneer Brewing Company to be able to write a new chapter in the history of this great beer.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024