Occupation & Liberation

If you spot some of your fellow islanders promenading in a slightly ungainly, perhaps even wobbly fashion this weekend, spare them any disapproving glances. They have simply been raising money for a serviceman’s charity. But how can this be, I hear you cry.

Well, the Jersey Brewery is marking this year’s Liberation Day by launching a new beer, Liberation Ale. For every pint sold over the weekend ten pence will go to local charity, Holidays for Heroes.

So when you are supping some ale down the at the local you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your pint may be helping to provide holidays for injured British servicemen and women.

Described as well-balanced and moorish (aren’t they all) Mark Crowther from Jersey Brewery explained how the new tipple differs from the more familiar line-up.

Liberation Ale being served

Secondary fermentation

He said: “It is a four per cent cask condition beer, which is different from Mary Ann Beers that we have in the pubs at the moment.

Mr Crowther said that with cask condition beers the emphases is very much on using natural and traditional products. Once blended, the beer is left to mature in the cask in the cellar of the pub.

“This is what is known as a secondary fermentation process. It all sounds terribly technical, but basically it gives you a very nice clean taste; a fresh hand-pulled beer,” he continued.

At four per cent, it is not likely to leave the imbiber singing songs about pixies after a couple of swifties, unlike some of the more industrial strength lagers on offer in the islands’ pubs.

Mr Crowther said: “It is what you would call a classic best bitter, not a premium strength which would tend to be about 5 per cent. It is intended to be a good everyday drinking type of pint.”

Bitter on the retreat?

With islanders’ truly heroic capacity for alcohol there is little doubt the Holidays for Heroes coffers will see a serious boost over the weekend.

However, Mark Crowther is quick to point out that Jersey Brewery is not trying to encourage the spectre of binge drinking.

He said: “What we are certainly not saying is you must drink ten pints in a two hour sitting. We want people to enjoy alcohol in moderation and we are very supportive of the States in what they are doing with alcohol abuse and sensible drinking.”

Pint pulling

Recent statistics show the great British beer has taken a bit of a battering from more trendy alternatives with sales down by 8 per cent. But cask condition beer is bucking this trend and sales are up 3 to 4 per cent.

This coupled the fervour for home grown products – demonstrated by the recent success of Genuine Jersey – have been a driving force behind Liberation Ale.  

Dreadful pun

Mr Crowther said: “We felt Jersey and the Channel Islands were missing having there own flagship cask beer. They have had them in the past, this is one we really want to put some time and effort behind.

Making ale is a complex process involving some outlandish sounding ingredients.

Head brewer Paul Hurly waxes lyrical about the brewing process: “We use Maris Otter Malt to give it bitterness plus Styrian Goldings and Hallertau Hersbrucker hops, which gives it its citric notes.” 

A dreadful pun notwithstanding, Liberation Ale has been a long time in the pipeline and Mr Crowther insists the ale is here to stay.

He said: “This is going to be the flagship ale in our line-up. It is something we have been thinking about for a while, but actually the timing and the name seemed to come together well to support Holidays for Heroes.”