It is 10am on a sunny crisp September Wednesday and I am in the Visitors’ Centre at Marston’s with a slight sense of disbelief. Around the table sit a number of esteemed beer writers: Martyn Cornell (multiple award winner, author and blogger of the “Zythophile” fame), Adrian Tierney-Jones (another multiple award winner, writer for The Daily Star, Daily Telegraph, The Times, editor of “1001 Beers: You Must Try Before You Die” and blogger), Colston Crawford (the Derby Telegraph’s “Beerhunter”) and Stephen Pratt (writer for many CAMRA publications) and I am desperately hoping that no one asks me to justify my presense!
The reason for this incredible collection of brewing knowledge (and me) is this is the launch of a 7.4% Imperial Stout which will be bottled as No.2 Horninglow. You may have spotted that “Street” has now been omitted, but that’s not why I am here at all. This morning is all about one thing; the beer!
Head Brewer Pat McGinty serves us from a mini-keg and explains that it is still in a raw state; however the general opinion is that it is vinous (I had to look this up, it means wine like) but will mature into a fine Imperial Stout. Marston’s have brewed it with Pale Ale Malt, Roasted Barley, Chocolate Malt, Malted Oats and Malted Wheat, along with Challenger Hops, the Burton Union yeast stain and that all important ingredient; Burton water. The local water with its high Gypsum and low Chloride content is not particularly suited for stouts, hence the Malted Oats for that extra smoothness and velvety feel. No.2 tastes really good now and will improve further in a few months; should you be able to cellar it for a year it’ll be better still due to the bottle conditioning. Earlier this year Burton was treated to Heritage Brewing Company’s version of Bass P2, could No.2 Horninglow even trump that? Only time will tell.
Like No.1 before it, No.2 was developed on the DE14 Nanobrewery kit before being ramped up for the main Brewhouse. The fermentation was in two stages, starting in standard vessels before being transferred to one of Marston’s iconic Union Sets. Pat remarks that to his knowledge this is the first Union Set brewed Imperial Stout ever produced in the town, I am not going to argue. This is a glass of history.
Breakfast is then served, along with more No.2 Horninglow and it slips down even better with food; despite what some may think we Burtonians are not regular consumers of Imperial Stout at this time of day. Whilst this is happening the conversation moves to the aromas drifting from the DE14 Nanobrewery kit, this is the second trial of what will later become No.3 Horninglow, a double dry-hopped IPA, again 7.4% but any further details are a closely guarded secret for now. It smells wonderful though.
No.2 Horninglow will be available exclusively in Waitrose and the Marston’s Staff Shop on Shobnall Road. It is limited to 32,000 individually numbered bottles and expected to be on sale late October.
Spot on piece Ian. I felt much the same as you did. Some of the technical stuff was well beyond me. It’s beer. The union room leaves me awestruck, always. I think the piece I’m publishing tomorrow expresses very similar sentiments all round. Cheers