Home brewer sees beer get Bristol release

A home brewer has seen a recipe of his go on tap at several pubs in Bristol for the whole of the summer after winning a competition held by a local brewery.

Paul Willies pulling first pint of Saisons in the Sun

Beerd Brewery, owned by south-west brewer Bath Ales, asked home brewers to “get creative” and concoct a beer under 5.5% abv for a chance to see it on tap throughout the summer months.

Paul Willies, a software engineer, answered the call and his “Saisons in the Sun”, a light “farmhouse” style of beer that originated in southern Belgium, using Citra, Motueka, Cascade and Columbus hops was triumphant.

The 12 shortlisted entries were judged by a panel including Shane O’Beirne, head brewer at Beerd, and Gerry Condell, head brewer at Bath Ales and Willies was invited to bath ales’ Hare House brewery in Warmley to brew his winning beer.

Described as a “hoppier” version of the traditional style and with a strong citrus edge imparted by the mix of hops, Saisons in the Sun is on tap The Canteen and No.1 Harbourside.

Willies said: “I have been brewing beer at home for about three years now. My wife bought me a basic homebrewing kit to get me started and since then I’ve been experimenting with different flavours and trying different styles. I jumped at the opportunity for a chance to brew using commercial kit at a Bath Ales owned brewery – I’ve been drinking Gem since my early 20s and would consider myself a real ale fan.”

He added: “I had a great time working with Shane and it was fantastic to be able to taste our efforts at the end of the process. I’m so proud to see my beer brewed on a much larger scale and to see people enjoying it is amazing. I’ll look forward to going out with friends for a pint and being able to point to my beer and say ‘I brewed that’.”

O’Beirne added: “We were really impressed with Paul’s beer. It’s got all the elements of a great Saison with added hops to give it an incredible depth of flavour. Being a refreshing, zesty and light ale makes it perfect for summer and a well-deserved winner.”