Winter Sun Deep Dive

Bringing you a little bit of sunshine during these winter months. A sneak peek into how we developed Winter Sun, our Beer of the Month. 

If, like us, you are getting tired of the nippy winter weather, then you need to check out our Beer of the Month; Winter Sun. We thought hard about what our customers would want to enjoy during the Winter season and decided that the prospect of tapping a fruit-infused IPA would make travelling home under dark dusky skies, a little brighter. 

“It may be cold outside but it’s a tropical vacation in your house”.

Jason, Innovation Brewer

Bring me sunshine

The brewing team had been experimenting with fruit-infused IPAs for a few months, but would usually look at developing this style in the summer. However, whilst housebound we were all looking for a bright spot in our lives and the tropical chill of pineapple, passionfruit, and a hint of mango felt like the perfect combination to fight back the winter months.

We’re all about that base. 

When it came to developing and creating this Pinter 2 Beer, Winter Sun, we designed a base that could go in multiple directions, allowing the brewing team to experiment with multiple fruit options (keep your eyes peeled in the future). The PPM (Pineapple, Passionfruit, Mango) combination blew the team’s socks off but they had to get the perfect balance of each to make sure the final taste was spot on. A bit of trial and error and they hit the mark flawlessly

“We discovered that we loved the fruit combination of Pineapple, Passionfruit, and Mango”

Not all flavours are created equal 

Our brewers hunted high and low, trialling versions of the same flavour from different companies. Jason explained “we discovered that we loved the fruit combination of Pineapple, Passionfruit, and Mango but one source had a synthetic note to it more so than the other so although the description was the same, in a side by side comparison the choice of ingredients was obvious”.

To the hip, hip hop and we don’t stop.

We knew that to bring the best out of Winter Sun, the Hopper was going to be essential. The hop aroma and flavours mellowed during fermentation so by hopping post-fermentation, the Hopper really brought Winter Sun to life. The Hopper gave us a natural fruit flavouring that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Our brewing team took a little bit of inspiration from everywhere. There's no shortage of fruity IPAs, but it was the Hopper that inspired them to experiment and utilise the Pinter’s engineering to the max. 

And there’s more….

If Winter Sun is your jam, Jason has more recommendations for you; “You also need Stonebridge dry-hopped Belgian ale, Blackhorse Road cider, and Tropical Debate” to really experience how the brewing team has taken Fresh Beer to the next level using the Hopper. 

We are so excited for you to try this Pinter 2 Beer of the Month, and we can’t wait to bring you more Pinter 1 and 2 beers this year… 2022, it’s going to be good.