Launch of Brand New Redchurch Beer for February
Dry January
Is now behind us and its time for a brand new and exciting Redchurch beer. Singapore Sling IPA, a mid-strength hazy IPA at 5% ABV, made with a blend of different hops for that pineapple flavour, and infused with real cherry purée.
The Background
One great thing about the pandemic was a chance to experiment. With extra time on our hands last year, we decided to step out of our comfort zone and try something totally new. Inspired by the popularity and range of flavours in cocktails, we wanted to see if we could infuse these flavours with beer. As an Essex brewery, what better place to start than a Redchurch Pornstar Martini. After a lot of research and experimentation, we struck the perfect recipe for our Pornstar Martini Pale Ale. With fantastic aroma of passion fruit and vanilla on the nose, and distinctively a beer in terms of flavour and taste. We were absolutely blown away by the popularity of the brew! So far we’ve brewed it 4 times, totalling to over 22,000 litres, and it’s been our fastest selling beer in the history of our brewery.
The Feedback
We’ve received from all kinds of people of all ages and genders has been amazing. Of course this is a somewhat outdated stereotype these days, but lots of men still only drink beer, and lots of women still don’t usually drink beer at all.
Continue the Theme
Of cocktail infused beers, and so it was time to experiment once again…
We thought about which other popular flavours and types of cocktails out there would work well with beer. We decided to go with something that will compliment the Pornstar Martini Pale Ale. So Redchurch Singapore Sling IPA was born! The cocktail its self was invented in Singapore over 100 years ago, and typically contains gin, Cointreau, Bénédictine, grenadine, pineapple juice, lime juice, and bitters. It has a very fruity flavour and is red in colour. So we wanted to replicate these flavours and appearance, whilst still making sure the finished product is undeniably a beer.
We used a combination of Eldorado, BRU-1, and Citra Cryo hops to give the beer a distinctly IPA flavour, while also giving those pineapple vibes. We added a small amount of orange blossom for that Cointreau zing. Then a generous amount of real cherry purée to give the brew a big Singapore Sling flavour, whilst also giving it a red tint on the eye. We’re delighted with the final result & we can’t wait for you to try it!
The History
There are many myths surrounding the origins of the Singapore Sling. Many believe that it was a deliberate modification of the Gin Sling to make it more appropriate for ladies while others believe that it was a cocktail specifically concocted for the colonial upper class. Commonly referred to as the “Commander’s Drink”, this gave rise to the Hainanese dialect for it, “Si Ling”, which is where “Sling” was derived from.
Another myth claims that the cocktail was designed to look like a fruit punch as it was socially unacceptable for women to drink in public then. The Singapore Sling, however, with all its colourful and unassuming glory gave many the impression that it was fruit juice—allowing ladies to have a chance to have a sneaky tipple at any time of the day.
The Launch Event
Singapore Sling IPA iwas launched on Saturday 19th February 2022 at our Harlow Brewery and Taproom. First drink is on us. So come down, bring your friends, have a good time, and try something new!
Our Cocktail Beers
Singapore Sling IPA and Pornstar Martini Pale Ale compliment each other well and will available to buy in mixed cocktail themed packs. We’re keeping an open mind about expanding our cocktail inspired range even further in future. So if you’ve got any ideas for something you’d really like to see, let us know!
Available On Line
Singapore Sling IPA is available form our brewery shop and our on line shop from February 17th