Beer
Each year there’s a healthy debate over the coming year’s beers; the sales guy wants just the favorites, the brewers want the extreme and esoteric and the marketing guy wants integrity and principle (whatever that means).
It’s inspired by beers we’ve loved and admired during that year (we consider ourselves great plagiarists) as well as feedback from you, our drinkers.
Permanently Available
Revelation
ABV: 5.7%
A blend of Centennial, Liberty, Cascade, and Citra aroma hops by the sack full – then dry hopped during conditioning using our ‘Hoptimizer’ (Industrial sized hookah).
Hophead
ABV: 3.8%
An extremely clean-drinking pale golden ale with a strong floral aroma and elderflower notes from the Cascade hops. This beer is full-bodied and full-flavoured yet gentle enough to make it a favourite session beer.
Partridge Best Bitter
ABV: 4%
A Best Bitter brewed in a traditional Sussex style using Maris Otter, Crystal and Chocolate malts with East Kent Golding hops. Typical of Dark Star ales, the Best Bitter relies on the heavy handed addition of aromatic hops late in the boil.
Espresso
ABV: 4.2%
A black beer brewed with roasted barley malt and challenger hops. Then freshly ground Arabica coffee beans, blended especially for Dark Star, are added to the copper for a few minutes after the boil to provide a rich and complementary coffee aroma. (Also available in bottle throughout the year). NOT EVERYONE’S CUP OF TEA
Festival
ABV: 5.0%
A chestnut bronze-coloured bitter with a smooth mouthfeel and freshness; a classic style strong bitter brewed as a Dark Star version of Festive, a former great Sussex beer from King & Barnes
Dark Star Original
ABV: 5.0%
The brewery’s eponymous former Champion Beer of Britain. A dark, strong and bitter beer that defies classification. It has a complex malt flavour with a hint of burnt flavour from the mixture of Crystal and Chocolate grist.
American Pale Ale
ABV: 4.7%
The yeast strain used for the brewing of this American style pale ale is specially imported from the USA, along with Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops. The low colour Maris Otter malt provides a perfect light colour and dryness to complement the crisp taste and full aroma of the hops. SERIOUSLY FULL OF HOPS
Seasonal Ales
Sussex Extra Stout
ABV: 4.5%
Jan-Feb
The Black and roasted barley malts are fermented to dryness to provide perfectly balanced full malt flavours. Golding varieties of Kentish hops are used early and late in the boil to add a fresh clean bitterness.
Golden Gate
ABV: 4.5%
Feb-Apr
This beer started the Dark Star love affair with North American hops, using varieties grown along the west coast of the States. With less hops, it’s not as extreme as the classic American pale ales but still full of the zesty spice of New World hops. Strongly recommended for lovers of hops!
Summer Meltdown
ABV: 4.8%
May-Aug
Well-balanced, golden bitter with the warm flavour of Chinese stem ginger and other spices. The perfect thirst quencher for a summer’s evening.
Saison
ABV: 4.5%
Jun-Aug
This is a cask version of the Belgian farmhouse ale, historically brewed to be enjoyed by the farmers during the harvest. This light golden-coloured beer, hopped with Saaz, Styrian and Belgian Goldings and pitched with a specially imported Saison yeast that ferments to dryness and provides a distinctive flavour. NOTHING LIKE WHAT ENGLISH BEER SHOULD BE
Smoked Porter
ABV: 5.4%
Oct-Jan
A smooth dark beer with a mixture of soft hop varieties and a hint of smoked malt. This recipe was stolen from the imagination of Doug Odell of Odell’s Brewery, Colorado during his visit to Dark Star.
Hylder Blonde
ABV: 4.2%
Aug-Nov
A delicate and lightly hopped beer with the fresh fruitiness of South Down’s elderflowers witch are added after the boil to preserve their delicate aroma.
Winter Meltdown
ABV: 5.0%
Sep-Mar
Brewed with Chocolate and Crystal malts to produce this deep bronze-coloured beer with a subtle malty flavour. Bittered by the traditional Golding hop varieties, and then cask conditioned with Chinese stem ginger and other warming spices to add that distinctive aromatic warmth.
Sunburst
ABV: 4.8%
May-Aug
A hint of initial sweetness adds to the fruitiness and grapefruit tang of this summer ale without detracting from its clean flavour and rich hop aroma. (Also available in bottle throughout the year)
Monthly Specials
Milk Chocolate Stout
ABV: 4.5%
Jan
A balance of speciality malts, including roasted chocolate barley malt, produces the rich malt flavours which are smoothed further with the traditional addition of lactose (milk sugar).
Black Coffee Pilsner
ABV: 4.8%
Feb
Inspired by a trip to the Czech Republic, this beer plays upon the intrinsic coffee flavour in the unfiltered dark Budvar. A dark lager, brewed with imported Czech malt, hops from the Zatec region and a traditional Czech yeast strain. The natural coffee flavours characteristic of these malts are enhanced by the addition of coffee beans after fermentation.
Rye and Juniper
ABV: 5.2%
March
No, it’s not a New York deli sandwich! It started with an idea adapted from the traditional Finnish Sahti beer, with its characteristic juniper flavour. . . . but then married with noble and new world hop varieties.
Six Hop Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Apr
A sturdy malt backbone supports the huge weight of hops in this pale ale. Six different varieties are used during several stages of the brewing process, including a big dose of dry hops while the beer conditions after fermentation.
Victorian Mild
ABV: 6.0%
May
Mashed with mild ale malt along with a careful blend of other speciality malts. A mix of European & US hops that are then added in the copper, give the gentle bitterness and provide our take on a less well-known Mild tradition for strength and soft complex flavours.
Summer Solstice
ABV: 4.2%
Jun
Brewed with 100% pale ale malt to produce a very clean taste and a bright golden colour. This beer is bursting with summer flavours from a large dose of Crystal hops & freshly ground coriander which is added at the end of the boil.
