Old Cornish stout to celebrate St Patrick's
Added: Monday, March 11th 2013
A recipe for a stout last brewed in 1913 has been extracted from ancient journals at a Cornish brewery and relaunched to celebrate Ireland’s national holiday.
In a nod to the strong bonds of Cornish Celtic heritage, St Austell Brewery’s 1913 Cornish Stout will first be available this St Patrick’s Day (17th March).
The new brew will be previewed on Saturday 16th at the Beer and Mussel Festival being held at Rick Stein’s Cornish Arms in St Merryn.
A revival in stouts has recently swept the brewing industry and the award-winning Cornish brewer looked both west across the Irish Sea and to their own fascinating journals for inspiration.
A 100-year-old recipe that had been lying dormant in St Austell Brewery’s extensive – and dusty – records was carefully adapted to produce an intense 5.2% brew.
Sophie Atherton, who was the first woman in Britain to be accredited as a Beer Sommelier, describes 1913 Cornish Stout as "a full bodied beer with a balanced sweetness and delicate toffee flavours.”
The new stout is also the perfect accompaniment to Cornwall’s spectacular seafood, in particular well-known Fal Rock oysters. Oysters and stout are a classic pairing with a long association, as both were commonplace in the region’s pubs and taverns until the 20th century.
Roger Ryman, Head Brewer at St Austell Brewery, said: “I’m privileged to brew beer at a company with such a long and rich brewing history and was delighted to have the opportunity to revive this original recipe for Cornish Stout for today’s beer drinkers. Today, St Austell Brewery combines the best of the old and new, and despite the computer age, we continue to record every brew we make in leather bound journals just as our predecessors did in 1913.”
Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest porter produced by a brewery. The dark beer dates back to the 18th century and was named after street porters in London. When the manufacture of roasted malts was restricted in Britain during the First World War, British brewers moved to pale ales and lighter coloured beers. Stout brewed by Arthur Guinness, continued inDublin and became synonymous with Ireland.
St Austell Brewery – 1913 Original Cornish Stout will be available from March 17th online at www.staustellbreweryshop.co.uk and costs £2.00 per 500ml bottle or £21.95 for a case of 12 bottles.
