THE DRAFT HOUSE COLLABORATION SERIES

Collaborating on a new beer with another craft brewery is about as good as it gets; everyone learns something new and it fosters the spirit that underpins our entire industry. Craft beer flourishes when breweries collaborate. With collaboration running through our DNA, we have been working on a way to thread together a series of partnerships to take this to the next level. First announced as part of our Blueprint, we are kicking off the year in style.

Well, three styles.

We have worked with a trio of global pioneers on three incredible beers for our Draft House pubs. And they are out now.

American Pale Ale (5.0%) brewed with Sierra Nevada

The forerunner of not just a style but an entire movement, the Pale Ale first created by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company back in November of 1980 kick-started American craft brewing. So you can imagine our excitement when Scott from Sierra Nevada came to our Columbus brewhouse, joining forces on a 5.0% Pale Ale to be an exclusive to Draft House. Highly aromatic thanks to the US hops, this beer is piney, citrus-forward, paying homage to the style that took America by storm.

German Lager (4.5%) brewed with Victory Brewing Co.

No other global brewer has dialled down into the flavour and spirit of European lagers like Bill Covaleski at Victory. Prima Pils is a world-beater. Bill is a world-beater. So we were psyched to also bring him to Columbus to brew with us, and in this case create a German-style Pilsner. Earthy and floral, this beer is crisp and balanced and would be a perfect gateway for a lager fan into the world of craft-brewed lagers (and beyond).

Wheat Beer (5.5%) brewed with Schneider Weisse

In 1872 Georg Schneider pioneered the brewing of wheat beer in Bavaria, and 147 years later Schneider Weisse remains at the top of its game, now managed by Georg Schneider VI. They are the masters of this beer, without question. So when head brewer Hans-Peter came to Ellon to brew a 5.5% wheat beer with our Global Brewmaster Jason Pond, it was an incredible brewday. Lightly floral with classic clove and banana aromas, this beer is exactly how a wheat beer should be.

From today we are pouring these beers at the following Draft House pubs:-

Birdcage, Columbia Road E2

Camden Road NW1

Chancery, Plough Place EC4A

Farringdon, Charterhouse Street EC1M

Queen Charlotte, Goodge Street W1T

Hammersmith, Shepherds Bush Road W6

Northcote, Northcote Road SW11

Old Street EC1V

Paddington, S Wharf Road W2

Seething Lane EC3N

The Tankard, Kennington Road SE11

Tower Bridge, Tower Bridge Road SE1

Westbridge, Battersea Bridge Road SW11

The reason we sought these collaborations out is very simple. We believe that if you are looking to discover what craft beer is about, then first impressions count.

That’s because if you get the very best introduction, you will never pick up a glass of bad beer again. For those who have resolved to spend this year getting into beer, we have spent months working with this trio of masters on these classic beer styles of the world. No genre-defying ingredients or radical brewing fads. You don’t need them when you brew a 5.0% Pale Ale with Sierra Nevada.