Hopefully you’ve already read our interview with the chaps at Hepworth Brewery about the new management and the resulting sexy new SUSSEX range of cans.
The SUSSEX range marks a new direction for Hepworth’s, creating a more contemporary image for the brewery. They intend that this range will better communicate Hepworth’s status as an innovative, forward-looking business, and places Hepworth’s firmly in the craft beer space.
Please comment below as I’d love to know what you think of the look, and the beers if you’ve tried them..?
Impressions of the SUSSEX branding
I really do like the branding, I think it’s bold and stands out as a leap forward from Hepworth’s typically trad designs.
I can see why the name Sussex appeals as a statement of the breweries roots and loyalty to local producers. However, I think it also concedes that Hepworth’s market is regional, and these products are aimed at existing loyal drinkers who might care that ingredients are local.
Having tasted the beers, I personally see this range as an attempt to keep up with trends for small-pack ‘craft’ beer rather than making truly forward thrusting & ambitious beers that will expand the usual customer demographics.
Hepworth already make a great APA in Crazy Horse (bottled) and a great Low-No in Aztec (bottled), so are the SUSSEX range of beers an evolution in their beer production, or just an evolution in branding?
Join BBB in tasting mode as we give you an insight into each beer from the range…
SUSSEX Pale Ale
INFO:
5.5% – Gluten Free. Suitable for vegans. Combination of Sussex Ingredients and four British hop varieties
TASTING:
Faint nutty aromas.
The malt base offers bready flavours and plum and prune stone-fruit notes.
A pretty light mouthfeel.
A little grapefruit hop bitterness before a biscuity aftertaste.
This beer is perfectly fine. I didn’t love it or loathe it, however I think in terms of body and character it underwhelmed because at 5.5% has the potential for more powerful flavour and impact.
SUSSEX Premium Lager
INFO:
3.5% – Gluten Free, Vegan Friendly. Sussex grown ingredients include malted barley and Golding hops
TASTING NOTES:
Slight floral notes.
Clean and quite crisp, but the carbonation in my glass died quickly which was disappointing.
Beer journey gets a little sweet then finishes with a lingering, unexpected malt flavour. I couldn’t put my finger on this unsubtle flavour, but I can only describe it as the smell of smoked wood-chips.
Very easy to drink, but perhaps slips down a bit too easily.
Lager should be a satisfying drink with balanced malt character. The overpowering malt flavour along with a lack of body meant this didn’t come together for me.
I haven’t picked on the inclusion of ‘Premium’ in the name on the other beers, but I’ll discuss it here; I don’t know why this subjective term has been included on 3 out of 4 beers as I don’t think it provides any special insight.
If we take the beer industry definition of premium Lager as 4.5%+ ABV, this obviously isn’t a Premium lager, so what does Premium mean here? Premium is often used for imported beer, well with natural ingredients, this is basically the opposite.
As you can tell I was intrigued why Hepworth’s decided to make the lager 3.5% but didn’t get a reply from my follow up so it’s still a mystery to me atm…
SUSSEX Low Alcohol Lager
INFO:
0.5% – Brewed with a blend of Czech and German Hops, malted barley and elements of the Agave Cactus to add body and flavour.
TASTING:
Straw to gold colour. Really lovely and clean.
Strong malt aromas. Seemed a bit husky or wood-smoked.
Crisp and thirst quenching though the carbonation died quickly like the other lager I sampled.
Satisfying mouthfeel, clean and silky.
Bright flavours of light wood-smoke, bread and wheat cracker.
Malty but not sweet, perfectly balanced.
Flavour washed out pretty quickly in finish.
This is incredibly drinkable but still gives a little alcohol buzz. As someone who doesn’t drink low-no beers that often I liked it. But it was so damn easy to drink I almost found it too clean, and finished so quickly that it would have been nice to have something challenging in the flavour to slow me down.
SUSSEX APA
INFO:
5% – Made with hand-picked Sussex sourced barley and Cascade and Goldings hops
TASTING:
Deep golden amber colour. A nice colour but noticeably darker than most American Pale Ales.
Floral and stone fruit aromas.
I like the light, almost fluffy, mouthfeel.
General flavours are a little bit piney and plenty juicy.
Really refreshing and soft.
The beer delivers more sweetness than bitterness overall.
Great balance. There’s just enough caramel in the finish alongside the hops.
Hopefully you’ve already read our interview with the chaps at Hepworth Brewery about the new management and the resulting sexy new SUSSEX range of cans.
The SUSSEX range marks a new direction for Hepworth’s, creating a more contemporary image for the brewery. They intend that this range will better communicate Hepworth’s status as an innovative, forward-looking business, and places Hepworth’s firmly in the craft beer space.
Please comment below as I’d love to know what you think of the look, and the beers if you’ve tried them..?
Impressions of the SUSSEX branding
I really do like the branding, I think it’s bold and stands out as a leap forward from Hepworth’s typically trad designs.
I can see why the name Sussex appeals as a statement of the breweries roots and loyalty to local producers. However, I think it also concedes that Hepworth’s market is regional, and these products are aimed at existing loyal drinkers who might care that ingredients are local.
Having tasted the beers, I personally see this range as an attempt to keep up with trends for small-pack ‘craft’ beer rather than making truly forward thrusting & ambitious beers that will expand the usual customer demographics.
Hepworth already make a great APA in Crazy Horse (bottled) and a great Low-No in Aztec (bottled), so are the SUSSEX range of beers an evolution in their beer production, or just an evolution in branding?
Join BBB in tasting mode as we give you an insight into each beer from the range…
SUSSEX Pale Ale
INFO:
5.5% – Gluten Free. Suitable for vegans. Combination of Sussex Ingredients and four British hop varieties
TASTING:
Faint nutty aromas.
The malt base offers bready flavours and plum and prune stone-fruit notes.
A pretty light mouthfeel.
A little grapefruit hop bitterness before a biscuity aftertaste.
This beer is perfectly fine. I didn’t love it or loathe it, however I think in terms of body and character it underwhelmed because at 5.5% has the potential for more powerful flavour and impact.
SUSSEX Premium Lager
INFO:
3.5% – Gluten Free, Vegan Friendly. Sussex grown ingredients include malted barley and Golding hops
TASTING NOTES:
Slight floral notes.
Clean and quite crisp, but the carbonation in my glass died quickly which was disappointing.
Beer journey gets a little sweet then finishes with a lingering, unexpected malt flavour. I couldn’t put my finger on this unsubtle flavour, but I can only describe it as the smell of smoked wood-chips.
Very easy to drink, but perhaps slips down a bit too easily.
Lager should be a satisfying drink with balanced malt character. The overpowering malt flavour along with a lack of body meant this didn’t come together for me.
I haven’t picked on the inclusion of ‘Premium’ in the name on the other beers, but I’ll discuss it here; I don’t know why this subjective term has been included on 3 out of 4 beers as I don’t think it provides any special insight.
If we take the beer industry definition of premium Lager as 4.5%+ ABV, this obviously isn’t a Premium lager, so what does Premium mean here? Premium is often used for imported beer, well with natural ingredients, this is basically the opposite.
As you can tell I was intrigued why Hepworth’s decided to make the lager 3.5% but didn’t get a reply from my follow up so it’s still a mystery to me atm…
SUSSEX Low Alcohol Lager
INFO:
0.5% – Brewed with a blend of Czech and German Hops, malted barley and elements of the Agave Cactus to add body and flavour.
TASTING:
Straw to gold colour. Really lovely and clean.
Strong malt aromas. Seemed a bit husky or wood-smoked.
Crisp and thirst quenching though the carbonation died quickly like the other lager I sampled.
Satisfying mouthfeel, clean and silky.
Bright flavours of light wood-smoke, bread and wheat cracker.
Malty but not sweet, perfectly balanced.
Flavour washed out pretty quickly in finish.
SUSSEX APA
INFO:
5% – Made with hand-picked Sussex sourced barley and Cascade and Goldings hops
TASTING:
Deep golden amber colour. A nice colour but noticeably darker than most American Pale Ales.
Floral and stone fruit aromas.
I like the light, almost fluffy, mouthfeel.
General flavours are a little bit piney and plenty juicy.
Really refreshing and soft.
The beer delivers more sweetness than bitterness overall.
Great balance. There’s just enough caramel in the finish alongside the hops.