Isle of Skye Brewing Company has produced the UK's first craft beer to a recipe personally created by a Michelin starred chef to match his food menu. Yer Ben is Tom Kitchin's first signature ale, named after his late beer-loving maternal grandfather Ben Robinson, and goes on sale at his Edinburgh gastro-pub Scran and Scallie from today. Talks are already underway with upmarket retailers Waitrose and M&S to sell the 5.5% abv bottled beer, which joins the Uig brewery's core collection along with Skye Red, Black and Gold. It will also be on draft at Scran and Scallie in due course.
The bespoke gourmet beer, described by the classically French trained Kitchin as "citrussy, feminine, and full of flavour", taps into the growing demand from younger customers for local beer with strong provenance. Pairing local beer with locally sourced food has been popular for some time, but this is the first time the smell, taste and appearance of a real ale has been personally influenced by a chef specifically to complement the flavour of his food.
Kitchin collaborated with Isle of Skye Brewing Company's head brewer Pam MacRuary, a qualified chef in her own right, to create a modern beer that would match his gastropub menu, specifically Newhaven lobster, oysters, gravadlax, crispy pork belly, pate, fish and chips, cheese and even new-season grouse. He visited the brewery several times to acquaint himself with the smell and taste of various hops and barley, and steered MacRuary towards what he wanted. The final product is made with Challenger, a traditional English hop, with Scottish malt and barley, Skye Brewery's own strain of yeast, and Skye water from the Fairy Glen. MacRuary describes it as "a rich, light golden ale with floral character, a bit of spice and a small amount of citrus flavour that is not too intense".
"This ale is unique to Skye and to Tom Kitchin," she told The Herald. "You could use the same ingredients of the same weights and measurements elsewhere, but it wouldn't taste the same.
"The days of going to the pub and getting drunk are over. Real ale has come on leaps and bounds over the years. Now people are making ales specifically for food like shellfish. As a result, there is more involved in making beer. It has to have certain flavours to match food."
Tom Kitchin said: "Just as champagne can be enjoyed with lots of food, so can beer if it is made with the best ingredients it possibly can be. I am very proud of Yer Ben."
Managing director Kenny Webster, who purchased the brewery in March 2013, said sales of Skye ale have increased by 29% in the last 12 months and that he was confident further growth of 25% this year was on target. He predicted production would double by 2017 following the recent purchase of five new tanks to meet demand. Working with a Michelin starred chef was a new departure.
He said: "This is completely different from anything Skye Brewing has done before and we have really enjoyed having some fantastic input from Tom Kitchin. We are sure it will be a huge success and are thrilled to have had this unique experience."
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