Not tasting notes, but some information about the character, history, and creation of our beers.
A light pale ale, around 3% abv. Malted barley and rolled oats. First batch brewed in 2012, as an attempt to create a low-alcohol beer which did not suffer from being thin-bodied or lacking in character. Like our pale ales, hop aromas are the focus, with bitterness in balance. Read the story of Table Beer here.
5-6% abv. Malted barley. Dry and light-bodied to better showcase the individuality of the hops in both aroma and flavour. A basic recipe is followed, with each batch utilising different hop varieties from around the world based on seasonality, availability, and the whims of the brewer.
6.5-7.5% abv. Malted barley. Stronger, fuller, and with more hop intensity than the pale ale, but aiming to keep all elements in balance. And as with the pales, hops change from batch to batch.
6.5-7.5% abv. Malted barley, rye. More information forthcoming.
4.5-5.5% abv. Malted barley. A sour beer in which wort is acidified in the kettle with lactobacillus bacteria, before a secondary fermentation with yeast. The first kind of sour beers we produced before moving to mixed-fermentation, but still re-appearing every so often. Bright, clean, lemony acidity, and more straight-forwardly refreshing than our saisons. Either dry-hopped or re-fermented with fruit, such as raspberries.
4.5-5.5% abv. Malted barley, wheat, oats. A mixed-fermentation with a combination of yeast and bacteria. May be a blend of beers fermented or aged in oak barrels or foeder. Dry with complex acidity and aroma varying batch to batch. Can be dry-hopped or re-fermented with whole fruit, such as damsons, quince or apricots.
4.5-4.8% abv. Malted barley, wheat, oats. In essence a hybrid of our saison and pale ale, fermented in foeder(a 4000l oak vessel previously used for red wine production) with a combination of Belgian ale yeast and our house mixed culture, then dry-hopped to intensify hop aroma. When young, character is dominated by hops and fruity/spicy belgian yeast aromas, with a more pronounced hop bitterness than our other pales; as the hops fade the elements of the mixed culture can bring acidity and a drier finish.
4.3-4.8% abv. Malted barley, oats. The equivalent to Table Beer in our range of stouts and porters. Not brewed to 'dry stout'-style, per se, but a stout that is dry. Light-bodied but not thin, with more prominent kettle-hopping and then dry-hopping to add some brightness and contrast to the roasty, biscuity, and savoury character of the dark malts.
5.6-6.3% abv. Malted barley. This started out as a recipe based on one from the Barclay Perkins brewery from 1855. We’ve tempered the roast character of the original recipe with some chocolate and crystal malts, but the main difference is that this is hopped in the way we would hop our pale ales and IPAs – late kettle additions and dry hopping. The result is a dark brown beer that promises coffee and cocoa, but then the hops bring lightness, brightness and fruit. Hops vary.
6.8-7.8% abv. Malted Barley. Our love for dark beers at the Kernel led to this beer, a 'Double IPA' of Porters. Our largest hop bill goes into making this intense and rich beer; our EIP turned up to 11. The dry hop brightens the heavy roast flavours, and the bitterness stays with you well after you have finished sipping.
6.7-7.5% abv. Malted barley. Based on an 1890 recipe from the Truman Brewery. We keep our interpretation of this recipe relatively straight. Black. Oily texture. Loads of rich dried fruit and alcohol warmth – rum and raisin. Then a herbal hop bitterness on top of long lingering espresso. Hints of leather, tar, smoke, vanilla and chocolate.
9.0-10.0% abv. Malted barley. Another recipe from the Barclay Perkins archive, from 1856. The Imperial Brown Stouts developed into what became known as the Russian Imperial Stouts, and this particular recipe developed into the Courage RIS, which is most notable because a) it was an excellent beer, and b) it continued to be produced until 1992, as the only surviving link to a certain brewing tradition that was huge in London, and made London famous, for over 200 years. And of course, a tradition which has now been lost. And the beer is black, not brown. Dark black. And round and smooth. Gentle. Coffee and cocoa aroma, then leading to dark fruits, dried fruits, raisin, fig, prune. Even plum. Some sour berries. Through the long finish of hop bitterness entwined with roast and char.
5.3-5.6% abv. Malted barley, oats. Sitting somewhere between Northern English and American brown ales in style. Medium-bodied. Toasted nuts and dark caramel balanced by hop bitterness and gentle hop aromas, with a subtle addition of beech-smoked malt.
5.2-5.6% abv. Malted Barley. Our more regular lager offering, a bitter, dry-hopped pils. Similar to our pale ales, this beer showcases hops for us, and they change from batch to batch.
4.6-4.8% abv. Malted barley. Our first lager beer, brewed at the end of 2019. Fermented in an oak foeder at low temperature, then lightly dry-hopped
4.6% abv. Malted Barley. A little drier and more bitter than a classic dunkel, lightly dry-hopped to allow the malt flavours to come through.
7% abv. Malted barley. A cousin to our India Double Porter, but fermented with lager yeast at low temperatures to smooth some of the rough edges. Another lager beer born out of the Coronavirus lockdown of 2020.
Update 31.01.2024
The Arch 7 Taproom is now open Wednesday - Sunday.
