A new quality ale, Brighton Best, by award-winning Sussex Brewery WJ King, is already becoming the beer of choice for young people in the city, according to publicans.
The beer, now available in over 30 pubs in the city, was formally launched at The Hampton on Upper North Street and has been hailed by locals as both a delicious beer and a welcome tourist attraction.
Tom Dabin, 22, assistant manager of The Open House, said: “It’s very easy to drink – a lovely all round easy drinking beer, which is already catching on fast. Most of my customers are young people and I like to offer a little taste to people who haven’t tried it before and they always go for it.”
Lilli Murdock, 24, manager of the Ancient Mariner in Hove, said: “It’s already one of the most popular beers in our pub after being on tap for just a week or so.”
Over 100 publicans, local dignitaries and media attended the launch and got through at least four barrels of Brighton Best in just one hour, washing down delicious local food including the beer as an ingredient, including sausages, fish in beer batter and vegetarian goulash.
Head Brewer Ian Burgess, who recently left Harveys of Lewes, where he served as number two brewer for 19 years, to join the W J King team, has created the light to golden ale to meet the growing demand from younger and more discerning drinkers for handcrafted cask beers, which can be enjoyed all evening. He gave a masterclass to guests to explain how and why Brighton Best was created.
Commenting, Nigel Lambe, Chief Executive of WJ King, who bought the brewery in June along with Ian Burgess, said: “We really felt that there was an opportunity to create a beer specifically for the younger and more knowledgeable ale drinker in Brighton who really cares about the provenance of the food and drink they consume and are looking for local products, such as Brighton Best.
“The new beer will fit in alongside our existing range of award winning Sussex ales including Horsham Best Bitter, Red River and King’s Old Ale, all of which will be undergoing a makeover in the new WJ King style.”
Adam Bates, Head of Tourism & Venues in Brighton & Hove said: “As a tourist city, we hugely welcome this beer, which will provide yet another reason to visit the city and enjoy our wonderful food and drink offer.”
Whilst Steve Gullon, bar manager at The Hope, a local real ale pub, said: “I like it a lot and my customers are giving great feedback. It is a session beer at 4 per cent and has a crisp, fruity taste – perfect for sitting in and enjoying two or three of an evening.”
With a 200 year tradition of brewing some of the most respected and enjoyed Sussex ales, WJ King has evolved into a new style of micro brewery, using only the finest natural and local ingredients and traditional brewing techniques to produce the best quality local ales.
See www.kingbeer.co.uk to find out where to taste the new beer.
