Oh hello April – about time! Finally we can get back to some semblance of normality. We can see friends and family again, leave the house as many times as we’d like and visit hospitality venues again. Although we will have to sit outside. Thank god April doesn’t have a reputation for inconsistent weather or anything…
So here’s the lowdown on all the happenings at Docks Beers.
The Docks Beers Update
March 2021
Thanks for checking out our first update of 2021!
Firstly, keep hanging in there everybody. We know how difficult it is at the moment. Lockdowns were tough when the sun was blazing; so a wet and cold winter one has been a real test. But keep your chin up, because we now have a vaccine, spring is just around the corner and we’ve got lots of exciting things to look forward to… and that’s just from us! So without further ado, let’s get cracking…
WE ARE REOPENING
STOP THE PRESS! We’ll finally be able to sell you a pint of beer from our taproom next week *raises glass in celebration*.
From Wednesday 14th April, our beer garden at the Church will be open for the first time this year. We’re really looking forward to seeing all our customers, again, regulars and new faces alike. But of course, Covid still looks a long way from buggering off, so it won’t be what we’re all used to. There’s only room for approximately 50 people at any given time, so if you want a table, you will need to book either a 1 or 2 hour slot in advance via our website. Our new opening times will be 12-8pm Wednesday and Thursday, 12-9pm Friday and Saturday, and 12-6pm Sunday.
The drinking slots are filling up, but we still have plenty available. Just select the date and time period you want on our booking widget – it’s as easy as that.
Less than a week after its launch, we are down to our last few cases of the Gose Series!
For those who don’t know, the Gose Series is the first release of Work In Progress AKA ‘WIP’ – our new small-batch project which focuses on particular brewing methods, aspects or beer styles. Each series consists of three beers and only a small number of cases are made available because they are made on our 100L pilot kit. Click here to find out more about WIP. This series features three unique ‘Gose’ beers, each a completely different take on the popular beer style that originated in Germany: Peach Gose (6.8%), Spiced Gose (4.5%) and Orange and Samphire Gose (6%).
More than 60 cases of the Gose Series have already been sold and we have received lots of positive reviews on Untappd and social media. If you like the sound of these limited edition beers and want to try them yourself, you need to act fast because they won’t be brewed again…
Another new beer that was released last month and is going down a storm is Fruits of Labour.
Fruits of Labour a 5.5% triple berry sour, packed with blackberries, blackcurrants and black peppercorns. It’s hopped with Willemette (from the USA) and Tettnanger (from Germany) and they combine to give the beer it’s herbal and spicy finish. If you’d like to learn more about the brew, click here to read the blog by our Head Brewer, Mike Richards.
We’ve been delighted with all the glowing feedback this beer has had. If you haven’t tried it yet, perhaps now is the time? It’s available in cases of 6, 12 and 24, or as a single can as well.
We’ll once again be welcoming some of the UK’s best street food vendors to the Church from the end of the month.
The first street food vendor of 2021 will be Manzoku, who’ll be serving up their authentic taste of East Asia over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend. They will be followed by Broke ‘n Bone BBQ (formerly Little Urban BBQ), the self-proclaimed ‘Burger Bosses’ Little Red Food Truck, Taste of Budapest by Hun Street Kitchen and finally the brilliantly named Takin’ Care of Burgers will be here for the final Bank Holiday weekend in May and wrap up an absolute banging month of scran.
Keep an eye out on our social platforms for more information about these, but for now, here are the key dates for your diary:
Manzoku – Fri 30th April to Mon 3rd May Broke ‘n Bone – Fri 7th to Sun 9th May Little Red Food Truck – Fri 14th to Sun 16th May Taste of Budapest – Fri 21st to Sun 23rd May Takin’ Care of Business – Fri 28th to Mon 31st May
IN THE OFFING
On top of the beer garden opening next week, street food returning soon and the social distancing restrictions lifting further in May (hopefully), there’s loads for Docks Beers fans to look forward to.
Two of our most popular recent seasonal beers, True Grit and Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Fish, have just been re-brewed and they will be dropping next week. Our next brand new release is going to be a big espresso stout which includes real tonka beans in the brew. This is a collaboration with Extract Coffee and if you like stouts, it promises to be a naughty livener! We also have another WIP release up our sleeve that’s almost ready to be bottled. Oh and behind the scenes we’re working not one, not two but three exciting new collabs which we hope to drop over the course of the summer. One is with a YouTube star and amateur brewer, another is with an indie band from South Yorkshire and the third one is with a brewery just over the bridge.
So yeah, lots of good stuff to come. Make sure you follow us on social media for all the latest beer drop information, deals and news from the brewery.
That’s it for now. We’ll leave you to ponder this excellent Czech proverb about the amber nectar.
“A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it’s better to be thoroughly sure.”
