Calling all Portland beer drinkers. We’ve got something rather special to quench your thirst this week.
Inspired by our brewer Marshall’s recent trip to ol’ Blighty, we bring you our brand new Bermondsey Brown Ale.
This Brown Ale is named after the famous Bermondsey Beer Mile, a cluster of breweries, bars and bottle shops located along a stretch of railway arches South of London’s Tower Bridge.
Coming in at 4.1% this dark and malty Southern Brown ale starts with a heavy hand of crystal malt, followed by a decent addition of chocolate malt to really amp up the overall richness. The result is a dry, light, malty quaffer with deep caramel, dark fruit and bread crust notes.
Now available in cans to-go at our taproom and your local bottle shop.
Coming soon on draft at our taproom…. should be this weekend! Come and help us kick a keg so we can swap it on.
Cheers!
Q&As with our recent England visitor and top man, Marshall Kunz.
> Marshall, what was the purpose of the trip?
M: To research English beer at its peak freshness, experience the pub culture, and see what sort of trends or influence may be coming back across the pond. Basically go and drink a lot of beer.
> Where did you go?
M: London, Liverpool, and Manchester.
> Which pubs and breweries stood out to you and why?
M: My absolute favorite was The Belvedere in Liverpool. Just a really great, tiny pub with a fireplace and an excellent selection of beer cared for and poured properly by Tom and his crew.
The Kernel in London is a brewery making a lot of great beers that are right in my wheelhouse. A lot of balanced and classic styles, malt focused.
Manchester was pretty great across the board.
> What differences did you see between the cities in terms of beer styles, service and presentation?
M: I didn’t notice a huge difference. I had excellent pints everywhere. Maybe a few too many hazies for my liking in London.
> What is England doing that the PNW isn’t?
M: Pushing the limits on lowering alcohol in hop forward styles. I had some great low ABV IPAs that really shined on cask.
> How did the beers you enjoyed compare to what you’re brewing at Away Days?
M: I definitely came away with some new tricks and a better overall understanding of the styles. I have a few tweaks and am excited to brew some new beers, but generally I’d say we’re on the right track!
> What were your biggest take-aways that will inform how you brew English ales going forward?
M: It was all the little subtleties. From flavor profiles, to tap lists, to service, it was all in the details.
> What was the inspiration behind the Bermondsey Brown?
M: My favorite and second favorite pint of the trip was Iron Pier’s Dark Mild. The amount of layers and complexity they were able to cram into a 3% beer was mind blowing. Historically the Dark Mild and Southern English Brown are linked from time to time. Sometimes a brown just being a bottled version of a brewery’s Dark Mild. This beer is me wanting to have a 3rd, 4th, and 100th pint of that beer.