Following on from our now-sold-out Limited Edition Hopped Gin and its sequel, Second Edition Hopped Gin, the Third Edition is now here! We were thinking about making a third version, but we had one problem – both of the previous editions had used hops that came from outside the commercial hop system, not quite foraged, but self-seeded and local to the brewery. Having moved to Walthamstow (and, sadly, since the demise of the plants we got the first set of hops from, which were just around the corner from our new place), we no longer had access to such a rich source of hops for our gin.
Luckily, just at the time we were contemplating this, Glenn, our general manager, was talking to his brother-in-law in Plumstead, who just happened to have a neighbour with a load of hops in his garden that he didn’t know what to do with, so they were offered to us.
These hops smelled amazing – richly fruity and resinous – so we jumped at the chance and a massive bagful was used in the distillation to produce our Third Edition Hopped Gin. It’s citrusy, but in a different way from the first version, much more limey and a bit more intense. The surprise, though is the hint of cucumber on the back end of the sip, making it a really rounded flavour to go with the rounded mouthfeel that all our hopped gins have.
Third Edition Hopped Gin is now available from our online shop and in our taproom, as well as for trade clients, in 70cl, 50cl and 20cl bottles (the perfect stocking filler!) Needless to say, we also have it pouring on the bar in the taproom!
Some readers may be distraught to hear that our Limited Edition Hopped Gin has nearly sold out. If you love it get your last orders in quick before we completely run out of stock! But, never fear – this week was a very exciting one for Beerblefish because our second batch of hopped gin was distilled!
Our Second Edition Hopped Gin will be coming very soon – it needs bottling and labelling, and then it will be ready for release into the wild. We’ve kept the base recipe the same as for our first edition, but we’ve used different hops.
Do you remember when we found the hops growing up the gates of the industrial estate where the brewery is back in September? We had planned to put them in a green hop beer, but we never quite got around to it so we changed tack and decided to put them in the new gin instead. They’ve been safely stored since we picked them, so they were ready and waiting for their mission.
There were two plants growing – one of them had the spicy, minty aroma of a Fuggles variety and the other smelled more like a hop from the Goldings family. We think that this combination gives the new gin a slightly different character from the first edition.
We’ve also listened to customer feedback on our first edition and we’re going into three sizes of bottle this time. So you’ll be able to get the second edition in our standard 70cl bottles, as well as a smaller 50cl option and a dinky 20cl size – the perfect stocking filler.
As soon as we’re able, we’ll be putting all three sizes up on the online shop, so keep an eye on our social media for news. And get in quick if you fancy comparing our two editions – there should be a small overlap before the first edition runs out!
There really aren’t all that many sleeps to go now until Christmas day! For many people, this is likely to be an odd festive season, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make the best of it. At Beerblefish HQ, we’ve been planning what we’ll be offering in the run up to Christmas so that you can get all the beer and gin you need in plenty of time.
Gift Ideas
We’ve just added a load of extra gift ideas to the webshop. There is a variety of gift packs to choose from, with both gin and beer options available, and why not add a t-shirt? Don’t forget that we can send Christmas gifts direct to your loved ones – just tick the “ship to different address” box at checkout and put in their details. If you’d like us to put a message in with the gift, please leave us a note in the free text box. We don’t usually put prices in our packages unless you ask us to, so there’s no worry on that front.
Markets and Fairs
We’re going to be busy over the next few weeks to give you as much opportunity as we can to get your hands on your festive beer! Here’s the calendar (so far) in the run up to the big day:
Sunday, 29 November – 10-14.30 – Stroud Green Market (Stroud Green Primary School, corner of Perth and Ennis Roads, N4 3HB)
Saturday, 12 December – 10-16.30 – Forty Hall Christmas Fayre (the courtyard at Forty Hall, Forty Hill, Enfield, EN2 9HA – ticketed event, please book in advance)
Sunday, 13 December – 10-14.30 – Stroud Green Market (Stroud Green Primary School, corner of Perth and Ennis Roads, N4 3HB)
Sunday, 13 December – 10-15.00 – Forty Hall Farmers’ Market (Forty Hall Farm, Enfield, EN2 9HA)
We might add one or two more in if we get the opportunity but, as with everything these days, it’s all subject to COVID-19 restrictions, so keep an eye out on our social media and our events page for all the latest information.
Brewery Shop
The brewery shop will be open as usual on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 12 to 5pm for takeaways of beer and gin. The last day we’ll be open before Christmas is likely to be Saturday, 19 December – keep an eye out for more info nearer the time.
Special Events
On 30 November, our friends at The Little Green Dragon Ale House in Winchmore Hill are running a virtual Christmas Beer Tasting with renowned beer judge, taster and writer Christine Cryne which will feature our 1820 Porter. To register and buy a tasting pack, go to the pub’s webshop – packs will be available for collection on Friday, 27 November or delivery to postcodes local to the pub.
Surprises
We’ve still got a few exciting products up our sleeves (no, not literally) that we’re hoping to get to you before Christmas – watch this space in the next couple of weeks!
I’m pretty sure that no-one else has a much better idea of what day it is than we do, other than that it’s approximately Easter and probably still 2020! While we’re all busy staying at home and washing our hands, we’ve found some time to bake. “What’s this got to do with Beerblefish?” I hear you cry. Well, we’ve been baking with gin. Our award-winning Limited Edition Hopped Gin, to be precise.
Usually, we would strongly suggest drinking gin (in moderation) rather than baking with it, but these are different times, and different times call for a different approach. We’ve heard about many gin and tonic cakes over the last couple of years, some more successful than others, so we wanted to see if we could create something to suit the slightly citrusy flavour of our Hopped Gin.
Most of the G&T cakes we’ve had in the past tried to incorporate the gin and/or tonic into the cake itself (often meaning you can’t taste them) or put them into a rich buttercream, which can be a little overwhelming. We wanted to try to preserve the delicate flavours and some of the heat of the gin, so we got down to some serious research and came up with Hopped Gin and Tonic Drizzle Cake.
Here’s the recipe for you to try at home. However, please shop responsibly and don’t stress yourselves out trying to find ingredients that might be a little scarce in some places right now – the recipe will still be here when this is all over!
Ingredients
For the cake:
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g butter
100g light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp milk
Zest of 1 lime
For the drizzle:
75g granulated sugar
5 tbsp Beerblefish Limited Edition Hopped Gin
5 tbsp tonic water
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180℃/170℃ fan/gas mark 4. 2. Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper (all the easier if you have a loaf tin liner). 3. Put the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter (or use an electric mixer). 4. Add the light brown sugar and mix. 5. Mix in the beaten egg and add milk until the batter is smooth and will drop from a spoon. 6. Stir in the lime zest. 7. Put the cake in the oven and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours, until golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 8. While you allow the cake to cool a little, mix the Hopped Gin, tonic water and granulated sugar together in a small bowl. 9. Use a skewer to prick holes in the cake to about half the cake’s depth and pour the drizzle over the top of the cake – the liquid should run into the holes, leaving the sugar to form a crust on top. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin. 10. If you feel like it, decorate the cake with some lime slices. 11. Serve with a Hopped Gin and tonic!
We hope you enjoy your gin and tonic cake and we wish you all a very Happy Easter!
Right from the first sip of the first bottle of our Limited Edition Hopped Gin, we knew we were onto something, but we were still thrilled and a little surprised to learn this week that it had been awarded a Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Competition in the gin category (and it classes as a straight gin, not a flavoured gin, because of the way it’s made) is fierce, but it was tough enough even getting it to San Francisco in the first place, with a lot of paperwork and planning and, of course, a last minute rush! On top of that, we knew the judging was taking place over 13 to 15 March – just as the USA started to close down due to coronavirus – so we were constantly checking to make sure there were no announcements of a cancellation!
This was the 20th San Francisco World Spirits Competition; it was founded in 2000 as a way to recognize exceptional products in the spirits industry. The 2020 Competition had almost 3,000 entries. The 51 judges of the 2020 Competition are established spirits-industry experts and the SFWSC is considered to be the most influential spirits competition in the world.
A Silver Medal means that our Limited Edition Hopped Gin is outstanding in its category, it shows refinement, finesse and complexity and it’s among the best examples of the gin category. That’s right, it’s a World Class Gin!
We’re getting towards the back end of the long, dark days of winter and all of the “nuary” initiatives that come with the first month of the year. We’ve dealt with Veganuary (twice!), Tryanuary and, to a point, Dryanuary, but we’re yet to take a look at one more – Ginuary!
Since we launched our Limited Edition Hopped Gin back in November 2019, we’ve been happily sipping it with a single ice cube or adding a splash of our favourite tonic water, but we’ve been inspired to try something new for the new year – gin cocktails.
Some of the team have just come back from a holiday in Gran Canaria, full to the brim with ideas about sunshine drinks and the long lost days of summer. Beerblefish Hopped Gin has a rounded mouth-feel and citrusy notes thanks to the hop addition, so it’s a great base for a Spanish-themed trio of fiesta drinks, inspired by the sun, sea and sand.
We’ve tried to make these recipes quick and easy so you can impress your guests (or yourself!) in a flash.
Agua de Valencia
This is a classic Spanish drink that works really well with a Hopped Gin. This is the short version – if you want a longer drink add a bit more orange juice and cava. It’s not typically served with ice, so make sure your juice and cava are well chilled before you start.
Serves 2, takes 5 minutes (longer if you squeeze your own orange juice).
100ml good orange juice (if you can squeeze your own orange juice, even better!)
100ml cava
Method:
Mix all the ingredients together into a jug and pour into large wine glasses. Add a slice of orange to garnish if you’re feeling fancy.
G & (Earl Grey) Tea
This is quite a delicate drink. You need to make the tea really strong for the flavour to come through well once it’s chilled, so don’t worry about the tea bag to water ratio! We like to make and serve this one in a teapot.
Serves 2, takes 5 minutes to mix plus 30 minutes cooling time for the tea.
Ingredients:
150ml boiling water
2 Earl Grey tea bags
50ml Beerblefish Hopped Gin
50ml Licor 43
50ml good orange juice
Ice cubes to serve
Method:
1. Make tea using the boiling water and the tea bags and leave to steep for 5 minutes.
2. Remove the tea bags and leave the tea to cool (put it in the fridge once it’s at about room temperature).
3. Once the tea has cooled, add the Beerblefish Hopped Gin, the Licor 43 and the orange juice and give it a swirl.
4. Fill a large whiskey glass with ice cubes and pour the drink over the ice. Add an orange slice to garnish if you feel inclined.
Raspberry Fizz
This is an indulgent drink for a special occasion. Or a not so special occasion. Or even no occasion at all. You choose. If you can’t find creme de framboise, you can try the more readily available creme de cassis instead – it gives the colour and sweetness we’re after, but with a blackcurrant flavour instead of raspberry.
Serves 4, takes 5 minutes.
Ingredients:
8-10 fresh or frozen raspberries
50ml Beerblefish Hopped Gin
50ml creme de framboise (raspberry liqueur)
350ml cava
Method:
1. Put two or three raspberries in the bottom of each of four flute glasses.
2. Mix the Beerblefish Hopped Gin and the creme de framboise together in a small jug, then pour the mixture over the raspberries, dividing equally between the glasses.
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