What makes the beer unusual, if not unique, is the fact it
was brewed at the summit of Ben Nevis, the UK’s
highest mountain. Somewhat unimaginatively,
the beer is called “Ben Nevis,” and Northern Monk
believe it qualifies for the title of “highest altitude brew” in British
history.
Few would argue with that claim, but I’m sure many would ask
why did four members of Northern Monk’s staff, including founder, Russell
Bisset, hike all the way to the summit of the 4,000ft peak, carrying the 90 Kg of
equipment and ingredients necessary for this unique brew? The initial brewing stages of mashing and boiling were presumably performed
at high altitude, and the brew was then carried back down from the mountain, to
undergo primary fermentation.
The beer then underwent two months ageing in a whisky
barrel, donated by the Ben Nevis Distillery in Fort
William. As if all this was not enough, the beer includes ingredients foraged from the mountain, such as
blaeberries (also known as bilberries) and "Dew of Ben Nevis" water, which is
also used in the production of Ben Nevis Whisky.
Although there are only 50 bottles of this heavily hyped beer available, are there sufficient people, prepared to fork out a grand
each, for a small bottle of beer - BA Imperial Stout or not? Given the hype and all-round, one-upmanship
surrounding much of the craft-beer industry, there probably are enough people with more money than sense
beer connoisseurs, who will snap up this
limited edition brew; even at such a ludicrously inflated price!
None of this sells the beer for me, (certainly not at that price!), and where does this glorified PR stunt leave the ordinary drinker? Northern Monk brew a wide range of excellent beers, which are generally well-received by an increasingly discerning audience, so what were they trying to prove with this one?
The first bottles of Ben Nevis beer
were auctioned off earlier this month, at an event held at Northern Monk's Manchester outlet. In keeping with their
monastic theme, the brewery refer to this taproom as the "Refractory," and have a similar establishment in Leeds. More than £7,000 was raised on the night ensuring funding for the
first project.
Northern Monk Founder, Russell Bisset, said: “This has been
a groundbreaking project to be a part of. "When we launched the For the
North Foundation, our intention was to create pieces of high-impact activity
that will raise awareness and encourage donations. Brewing the UK’s
highest altitude beer at the summit of Ben Nevis seemed
like a pretty good place to start!”
Make of this, what you will. Is this altruism of the highest order, is it just an over-blown publicity stunt, or is it something in between? One thing's for certain, even if I'd just won the lottery, I wouldn't be buying a bottle!
Make of this, what you will. Is this altruism of the highest order, is it just an over-blown publicity stunt, or is it something in between? One thing's for certain, even if I'd just won the lottery, I wouldn't be buying a bottle!
2 comments:
A cynic might suggest that the charity angle is just a tactic to deflect criticism from the publicity stunt that has created what must be the most inaccessible beer ever brewed. If they want to attract cash to their charitable foundation there are more effective methods that would gain support from a much wider range of participants, like a much more accessible limited edition beer sold in much greater volumes.
ElectricPics, when first drafting this post I was tempted to describe the whole Ben Nevis stunt as a “glorified d*ck waving contest.” I drew back from this, particularly in view of the charity angle underlying the beer and its “provenance.” (An over-used word, if ever there was one!)
However, the exercises still smacks of a group of brewery workers deciding, after a beer-fuelled get-together, to come up with a headline grabbing idea, which they could then use to raise money from their charitable foundation. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course, but your suggestion of a more affordable, limited edition beer, sold in far greater numbers, sounds far more sensible.
Perhaps I am just getting old, but stunts like this fail to impress me, and if we look at the whole thing logically, brewing on top of a 4,000 foot adds nothing in the way of flavour or character to the beer, that could not have been achieved or created in the relative comfort of Northern Monk’s own brew-house.
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