Triple Hop IPA, Batemans

Triple Hop IPA (5.3%)

As Bateman’s Brewery in Wainfleet, Lincolnshire, prepares to celebrate its 150^th anniversary, it has launched an IPA that uses all-American hop varieties: Summit, Sabro and Idaho-7.

The beer is a seasonal special on draught in its 50 pubs but a regular in bottle. It will help the pleasure of the anniversary next year as the Bateman family raise a glass to a long history of brewing that has survived many trials and tribulations.

The major challenge was in the 1980s when two members of the family, who had a controlling shareholding, announced they planned to sell up and move to the Channel Islands.

Chairman George Bateman, his wife Pat and their two children battled for several years to raise the cash to buy out their relatives. They were helped immeasurably when in 1986 their premium bitter, XXXB, won CAMRA’s coveted Champion Beer of Britain award.

The media coverage came to the attention of a director of the Midland Bank who invited George Bateman to a meeting and offered to lend him the money to buy out his brother and sister. The brewery was saved and Bateman’s brewed a special beer called Victory Ale.

George and Pat have since died but the brewery is in the safe hands of their son Stuart and daughter Jaclyn. Jaclyn is the marketing director while MD Stuart involves his family in the company. His children Harri, Edward and Eliza will eventually work for the brewery full time.

Triple IPA, Stuart says, bridges the gap between West Coast and East Coast versions of IPA produced in the United States. West Coast interpretations burst with hop character while East Coast IPAs tend to have a good balance of both malt and hops.

Bateman’s IPA has a big orange, lemon and lime fruit note on aroma and palate from the hops but there’s a fine balance of honeyed malt.

The beer is available online from shop.bateman.co.uk at £27.50 for 12 bottles.