Old Bear Brewery honours the Brontës and Nelson

Yorkshire brewer’s experiment pays off

Brewers at the Old Bear Brewery in Keighley, West Yorkshire, UK, have taken the wraps of their latest creation – a 12.5% ale that lends more than a nod or two to both the Brontës and Admiral Nelson.

The Duke of Brontë ale was created by Head Brewer Ian Cowling who put together a new brew which was fermented to nine per cent before racking and adding champagne/wine yeast.

The ale was initially brewed as a one off for a beer and music festival at the Flowerpot pub in Derby, but word has spread and it is now set to make an appearance at the Leeds Beer Festival between 15 and 17 March, and the Darlington Beer Festival which falls on the same weekend.

A batch of the special brew will also be bottled and sold at selected off-licences.

The beer’s name comes from Lord Nelson who was given the title of Duke of Brontë by the King of Naples, as a thank you for helping restoring him to his throne in 1799.

It is also the name of an Italian estate in eastern Sicily, close to Mount Etna, which was granted to Nelson by the King.

Old Bear’s Head Brewer Ian Cowling, said: “Patrick Brontë, or Brunty as he was originally called, was a huge fan of Nelson who at the time was this great national hero.

“So when he arrived in England from his native Ireland in the early 1800s, he opted to change his surname to Brontë in honour of him.

“We racked our brains for ages, looking for a name for our special beer that on one hand would have a good Yorkshire connection, but on the other would be relevant in other parts of the country, and Duke of Brontë fitted the bill perfectly.”

From Blue Sky PR. You can also visit the Old Bear Brewery homepage, here.