This Organic September sees the launch of an exciting beer collaboration between two of the UK’s most dedicated organic champions, River Cottage and Stroud Brewery. The collaboration includes two deliciously refreshing ales designed to reconnect people with natural, sustainable and ethical food sources.
The beers have been crafted with the close collaboration of television chef and environmental campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and his team at River Cottage, with their ethos of “Food to Inspire Change”. The inspiration for Hugh harks right back to dabbling with hedgerow brews in the early series of Cook on the Wild Side and River Cottage on Channel 4.
“The tradition of foraging wild ingredients and using them to make delicious drinks goes back centuries,” says Hugh, “It’s such a great way to celebrate the seasons and connect with nature. I think it’s more important than ever to revive those traditions and keep those connections alive. And of course, we wanted to use the finest organic hops and local grains in our beers too. Collaborating with Stroud Brewery was a natural fit, not just because of their remarkable beer-making capabilities but also because their commitment to farming and brewing in a sustainable way, helping to protect and reviving a bio-diverse landscape, align so closely with our own.”
The River Cottage range comprises two completely original and deliciously refreshing pale ales: The Stinger, a golden ale infused with locally foraged wild nettles for a fresh, zesty twist; and the Rye PA, a full-bodied, modern take on the classic amber ale, using malted Rye sourced in the West Country and exclusively British-grown hop varieties.
“Hugh expressed to us the importance of inspiring people through food and drink that is ethically sourced and has a great story,” comments Greg Pilley, founder of Stroud Brewery. “He came to us with the concept for Stinger already formed, and with its lovely zesty notes it worked really well. We wanted to do something a little different with a big aroma for the second beer, and when Hugh tasted another of our Rye-based beers he was charmed. We tweaked it with some unusual hop varieties and the result was RYE PA – our unique interpretation of a classic amber ale.”
The launch of this collaboration coincides with Organic September, a month-long campaign which aims to encourage people to make small changes to their purchasing habits by generating awareness of how organic products and brands support farming practices which amongst other things, protect wildlife and the environment.
The River Cottage beers are available now from River Cottage HQ and online direct from the brewery at www.StroudBrewery.co.uk.
