Tiny Islay

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5.0% ABV 750 ml A session strength version of Islay Brut, our peat-smoke Champagne beer. Referred to in-house as "the beer no-one was asking for." The first blend came about as man y of our beers do, by tasting barrels, and being led by the flavours which are presented to us. The original idea for this beer emerged at that point, in May 2020, and was released the following spring after a year long refermentation in tank and bottle. We liked the result so much that we have been looking out for suitable barrels for further attempts ever since. Tiny Islay is a single barrel release, brewed in March 2023. The worts was produced from a traditional turbid mash with a decent quantity of maize, giving a more delicate flavour and paler colour than malted barley. It underwent spontaneous fermentation in a small Islay whisky barrel, imparting aromas of maritime peat smoke. Upon tasting the barrel, we were delighted to find the beer possessed just the right balance of dry-bitter and sweet-acid, as well as the necessary body to carry the smoke, without the need for the ABV-boosting sugar additions we have previously utilised to strike the right balance with these smokey beers. We therefore chose to release the barrel just as it is. In perfect balance. Finally, the beer was conditioned in-bottle for four months. A large dose of priming sugar was added to produce a rolling, Champagne-type, carbonation. The resulting beer drinks remarkably easily, with delightful sweet, smoky, and spicy aromatics. Show more