2022 - Looking Forward
Aaaaand we're back!
Hope you all had a relaxing Christmas and a convivial Hogmanay, either with your loved ones or by the warm glow of a Zoom meeting. Let's keep our fingers crossed that that's the last time we'll have to consider such an option.
January is always a slow start to the year, where we shake off our groggy heads and get back into the swing of things. It always seems a wee bit daunting when I start trying to jot out plans for the year ahead; I have Imposter Syndrome at the best of times, and it comes on strongest when I'm trying to chart out a production schedule for a full year. But time stops for no one, so on we press.
This year, we're going to start with the launch of our brand new, kit-breakingly huge Imperial Stout, Valhalla. This whopper of a beer finally fermented out to 7.7% ABV, giving our ever reliable house yeast a proper Viking funeral. It's tasting absolutely phenomenal, and we hope to have it in bottles at the end of this month – just in time for you to celebrate the end of your Dry January if you're participating in such a thing. It was so much fun, we're already arguing about what's going to be this year's iteration. (If anyone on Arran is growing raspberries, give us a shout!)
After successfully making our bottled beers Vegan friendly last year, this year our goal is to start the transition to making our range Gluten Free/Reduced as well. Pending some lab results certifying our beers are below the PPM threshold for gluten content, we’ll be able to start phasing in the new stock. Watch this space!
Later on in the year, we're looking forward to sending the team down to the annual SIBA BeerX Conference/Trade Show in Liverpool for some much needed rest and recuperation. It's always fun to meet friends and peers from across the industry; if you're planning on coming along, please do stop by to say hello to us!
Looking further forward, we've got some exciting new developments coming from our R&D programme which I hope to be able to share with you shortly. I'll need to remain teasingly vague at the moment, but suffice to say it'll be a pale, very easy drinking beer for the hot months ahead. (We still get summers, right? That's still a thing?)
Finally, on an extremely selfish personal note, I'll be getting married to my long-suffering fiance Rachel in July, so my blogs might jump about in consistency in the month prior and immediately afterwards. Apologies in advance.
All this is to say, I'm extremely proud of all the hard work the team have put in last year, and I look forward to this year being the bright light out of a very long, dark, COVID-y tunnel. Thank you for your continued support of Arran Brewery, either through our Online Shop or via your preferred local retailer.