Author: regan

Reckon, your favourite beer is indie? You might be surprised to find out it’s not. Because, in just one year, 100 breweries shut their doors in the UK – a hundred!! And sadly, most of them were independent.

You heard it right, folks. In early 2024, there were 1,715 breweries in the UK. Compared to 1,815 back in 2023 (reported by the Society for Independent Brewers and Associates). That’s a huge drop! And a devastating one at that. The question is… Why?!

Well, the effects of COVID-19 were still taking their toll: inflation, rising debt, tighter margins, and the list goes on. But a key issue is that many beer drinkers are (unknowingly) choosing a pint of global mass-produced beer over a local brew [inserts sad face]. With that in mind, independent brewers across the UK have joined forces to raise awareness of beer brewed by genuine independents through the new Indie Beer campaign (which starts today!).

In this blog, we’ll take you through what “independent beer” actually means. How it’s different to ‘craft’ beer. And how to spot indie beer in your local supermarket!

So, what’s the difference between independent and craft beer?

This is a question that trips up even the most passionate beer fans.

The words “independent” and “craft” are often used interchangeably. But they don’t mean the same thing. In fact, the definition of craft beer has blurred over recent years.

A lot of people assume that beer marketed as “craft” must be brewed independently. WRONG! This might have been true once. But not anymore. Why? Because plenty of once-craft breweries have been bought out by the big global drinks giants.

The real difference between independent and craft beer? Ownership.

Large-scale companies now mass-produce many so-called “craft” beers. So, just because it looks crafty or local – it doesn’t mean it actually is.

But don’t worry – it fools the best of us!

Loads of craft beer lovers still think brands like Camden, Brixton, or Beavertown are independent (spoiler alert… they’re not). Just because the label says “craft” doesn’t mean it’s independent. Because craft doesn’t mean what it used to!

Take these names, for example. They’re not craft. They’re not independent. They’re macro breweries.

• Camden Brewery – now owned by AB InBev.
• Brixton Brewery – acquired by Heineken.
• Beavertown – is now under Heineken’s wing.

As such, a lot of independent brewers are now using the term indie instead of craft, to differentiate itself from large scale brewing production.

That’s where the Indie Beer mark comes in…

So, what actually counts as independent beer?

Short answer? It’s a craft beer brewed by an independent brewery.

According to The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA), a brewery is considered independent if it:

• It is an independent beer brand that is permanently based in the UK.
• Produces no more than 1% of the entire British Beer Market per year.
• Is not controlled by a global beer company.

As well as that, SIBA state that independent beer is brewed by real people who truly care about flavour and beer quality. And are mostly small and local. Just like us.

Read more about Indie Beer in SIBA’s own words here.

How do you know if a brewery is independent?

Look out for the Indie Beer mark.

This logo is phase one of the Indie Beer campaign created by SIBA. It’s a symbol designed that recognises quality craft beer, brewed by truly independent breweries here in the UK.

Keep an eye out for the Indie Beer logo on cans, bottles, and pump clips.

You may even spot it on posters and beer mats at pubs, bottle shops and brewery taprooms (it’s dotted all around our place)!

If you can see the mark. The brewery is independent. Easy. Use the Indie Beer Checker tool.

Phase two of the Indie Beer Campaign by SIBA – the Beer Checker tool. The folks at SIBA also launched a new Indie Beer Checker Tool. Where you can find out if any brewery is indie in seconds.

Just type the name of any brewery into the search bar to find out.

Give it a try here.

And what is Indie Beer Week?

Indie Beer Week is a campaign created by SIBA to celebrate and raise awareness of the independent beer movement. And all the wonderful people behind it.

The nationwide campaign runs from 11th to 20th April 2025 and celebrates all things indie, with loads of independent breweries getting involved.

Expect local tap takeovers, special brews and meet the brewer nights. It’s a full-on ode to independent beer!

How are we getting involved in Indie Beer Week?

We’re super excited to be involved in the first-ever Indie Beer Week. In our eyes, the beer comes first. So, we’ve teamed up with another local brewery for a very special beer collaboration.

We can’t say much more than that just yet. But trust us. It’s going to be big! Keep an eye on our socials to stay in the loop! Indie Beer Week runs from 11th – 20th April 2025.

Cheers!

#TheBeerComesFirst

As the crisp autumn air settles in and winter lurks around the corner, there’s nothing quite like a heartier brew in front of the fire – and no, we’re not talking about tea! Question is: what beers are you cracking open?

We’ve put together a list of our favourite autumnal beer styles to help get you started. Check them out below!

Oktoberfest Beers

Ahhh Oktoberfest. Arguably the best festival of the year for beer lovers, right?!

If you’re not familiar, Oktoberfest is the ultimate celebration of beer and Bavarian culture. It takes place in early autumn and is packed with oompah music, bratwurst, and lots (and lots) of beer.

Traditional Oktoberfest beers (like Marzen or Festbier) are brewed in March, lagered through the summer, and ready to enjoy by autumn. They’re typically malty, smooth, and uber drinkable. And we get very excited about them!

While the official Oktoberfest might be over for 2024, there’s no need to put away the steins just yet. Many breweries (including ours) continue to offer festive Oktoberfest biers and other German-inspired brews well into the colder months.

We bloody love Oktoberfest like we bloody love lager. So, we celebrate it with a brewery bash every year. And guess what? We’ve still got a few beers to prove it.

So, grab a 1-litre Maβ (as the Germans call it), a couple of tinnies, and enjoy a taste of the festival at home. Here’s what we’ve got available (all vegan and gluten-free beers too):

• El Hefe: 5.4% Hoppy Hefeweizen

  • Our non-traditional German wheat beer.
  • Banana. Coconut. Tropical.
  • Hazy from suspended yeast.
  • Brewed & dry-hopped super-early to allow maximum bio-transformation.
  • Super-fruity aromas from Citra, Simcoe, Sabro & Perle.
  • Medium-bodied with low bitterness.
  • High carbonation, and a creamy mouthfeel.
  • Vegan and gluten-free.

• Vienna: 4.8% Vienna Lager

  • Malty. Crisp. Refreshing.
  • A Vienna-style lager made with just Vienna & Munich malts, Sheffield water, and Habsburg hops: Saaz, Mittelfruh, and Celeia.
  • Perfectly balanced.
  • Vegan and gluten-free.

• Helles: 4.1% Session Lager

  • Clean. Crisp. Refreshing.
  • Vegan and gluten-free lager inspired by the easy-drinking beers of Munich.
  • A traditional German-styled pale lager that’s bright, clear, and refreshing.
  • Lighter in strength but with just enough flavour.
  • From our core range. So, an ideal festive brew or an all-year-round favourite.

Stouts and Imperial Porters

If you’ve ever heard a beer lover talk about “stout season,” they’re probably referring to autumn and winter. Sure, any season can be stout season if you really love them. But, with rich flavours of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt, porters & stouts are the perfect beery companion for the colder months.

Porters came first and were the first beers brewed in large scale. They’re full-bodied brews layered with toasted malt and chocolate flavours. Whereas Stout (originally meaning ‘strong porter’) tends to have more roast and coffee-like flavours. Who knew?

Imperial porters tend to be higher in ABV, should you want to get a little merry at Christmas time, with all those flavours dialled up to max.

Let’s be honest – nobody craves a heavy dark beer on a sunny day, but when the cold rolls around, a cosy pint of stout or porter is the crème de la crème.

• Veneto: 4.7% Tiramisu Stout

  • Creamy. Cocoa. Coffee.
  • Gluten-free session stout.
  • Named after the birthplace of everyone’s favourite Italian pud – tiramisu.
  • Brewed with Alturra Arabica coffee beans, Marsala wine and cocoa.

• Luxe: 7.6% Imperial Porter

  • Decadent. Silky. Chocolate.
  • Brewed with Ecuadorian cacao nibs (from our pals at Bullion Craft Chocolate in Sheffield) and Madagascan vanilla.
  • Strong. But, super smooth with sumptuously rich flavours.
  • Vegan and gluten-free.

• Luxe Salted Caramel: 7.6% Imperial Porter

  • Smooth. Caramel. Chocolate.
  • Think Luxe – with an addition of salted caramel.
  • Super limited-edition, so grab it while you can!

Ruby Ale

Ruby ales are a middle ground between light and dark beers. Reflecting the colour of autumn leaves with their deep amber to red hues. Combine that with a rich, malty sweetness and fruity aroma, and you’ve got a beer that offers the warmth and comfort you need when it’s baltic outside.

Whether it’s at home by the bonfire or at your favourite taproom, if you want a beer that combines the richness of darker brews whilst staying refreshing, a ruby ale is a pretty good shout!

• Rosso: 7.6% Ruby Ale

  • Toasted. Marmalade. Berries.
  • Gluten-free imperial ruby ale.
  • Loaded with toasted and roasted barley, oat, and wheat malts.

• Rosso: 8.5% Whisky Barrel-Aged Ruby Ale

  • Toasted. Berries. Whisky.
  • Whisky barrel-aged Imperial American Ruby ale.
  • Six months in barrel has bumped up the alcohol.

Cheers!

#TheBeerComesFirst

Big news! We’ve rebrewed our first-ever international collaboration, INVICTA, after being inundated with requests to bring it back. And it’s a big, fat, juicy New England IPA.

The release got us thinking—we want people to enjoy it the right way! So, we wrote a guide on how to enjoy NEIPAs, including brewer-approved tips for drinking a NEIPA properly.

Here goes!

What Are New England IPAs (NEIPAs)?

New England IPAs, also known as NEIPAs, are a type of India Pale Ale that originated in the northeastern U.S. states of Vermont and Massachusetts. They typically have the following characteristics:

• ABV Range: Usually between 5-7%.
• Appearance: Often cloudy or opaque.
• Flavour Profile: Characterised by low bitterness and juicy, fruity flavours.

Most craft beer lovers would agree—a good NEIPA is hard to beat. But where did it come from, and how has it become so popular?

A Brief History of NEIPAs

Rooted in the craft beer scene of New England in the 1990s and early 2000s, NEIPAs emerged from the use of new hops and brewing techniques. Brewers in the region aimed to create beers with more flavour and aroma than standard IPAs.

The experimentation paid off, and the popularity of NEIPAs quickly spread from New England across the globe, influencing the craft beer scene internationally.

Several standout brewing companies played a key role in this phenomenon, such as The Alchemist Brewery in Vermont, known for brewing the highly sought-after Heady Topper IPA, and Tree House Brewing Company in Massachusetts, famous for its juicy, hazy IPAs.

How Are NEIPAs Brewed?

NEIPAs are brewed using a combination of high-protein malts and American hops. The high-protein malts contribute to the beer’s hazy appearance, while American hops, like Citra, Mosaic, Idaho 7, and Centennial, impart fruity, citrusy flavours.

Generally, NEIPAs are brewed with more hops than other IPAs, and the dry-hopping process can be more rigorous, often involving multiple dry-hopping stages to enhance aroma.

In addition to specialised strains of yeast, the extra hops give the beer its hazy appearance and fruity flavour profile, which many beer enthusiasts, including our Triple Point team, love.

NEIPA Characteristics

• Hazy appearance: Typically, cloudy or opaque, resulting from the high-protein malts used in the brewing process.
• Juicy, fruity flavour: Often described as having a juicy, fruity flavour profile, with notes of tropical fruit, citrus, pine, and stone fruit—super refreshing and tasty!
• Low bitterness: Unlike traditional IPAs, which can be quite bitter, NEIPAs tend to have lower bitterness levels, allowing the fruity flavours to shine through.
• Intense aroma: NEIPAs are highly aromatic, with strong, fruity, and juicy aromas. You can recognise this style of beer from a mile away!

Why You Should Try NEIPAs

• Endless variations: Each NEIPA offers a unique spin on the style.
• Appealing appearance: The cloudy and opaque look is fresh and inviting.
• Packed with flavour: The hazy appearance indicates a beer that is full of flavour.
• Great food pairings: NEIPAs pair nicely with a variety of foods, from spicy dishes to rich, meaty burgers—you’re sure to find a pairing that hits the spot!

We have a variety of NEIPAs available on our website. Be sure to check them out!

Brewer-Approved Tips for Enjoying NEIPAs

Recommended by our brewers:

• Serve it cold: Ideally, at around 5-7°C. This will help enhance the beer’s crisp, refreshing qualities.
• Use the right glassware: A tulip or snifter glass is best for enhancing the beer’s aroma and flavour profile. If you’re looking for some new glassware, check out our online shop.
• Pair it with the right foods: From spicy food to creamy cheeses, NEIPAs are versatile. They go exceptionally well with burgers. So, if you’re visiting our taproom, be sure to try the Twisted Cheese from Twisted Burger Company.
• Experiment with different breweries and variations: There are numerous breweries and variations of NEIPAs to explore, each with its own unique flavour profile and brewing techniques. Don’t be afraid to try new things—you might surprise yourself!

FAQs About NEIPAs

Are NEIPAs gluten-free?

Not usually. NEIPAs are typically brewed using barley and wheat, which contain gluten. However, like all our beers, our NEIPAs are certified gluten-free (and vegan!), so you can still enjoy a pint of the good stuff!

See how we make our beers gluten-free in our blog here.

What’s the difference between NEIPAs and regular IPAs?

Typically, NEIPAs are less bitter than traditional IPAs and have a hazy appearance with a juicy, fruity flavour profile. Regular IPAs tend to be clearer and more bitter.

Can I age a NEIPA?

NEIPAs are not typically aged, as their flavour and aroma can degrade over time. It’s best to enjoy them fresh.

Are NEIPAs more expensive than other types of beer?

They can be more expensive due to the specialised ingredients and brewing techniques used, as well as the higher hop content. However, prices can vary depending on the brewery, region, and ABV.

Looking to try one of our vegan and gluten-free NEIPAs? Don’t miss out on claiming 10% off your online order when you sign up for our mailing list. You’ll find the sign-up form at the bottom of the webpage.

Cheers!

Ey up, we’ve done it again. We’ve won World’s Best Gluten Free Beer at the World Beer Awards. For the second time!

And it was our 8% New England IPA ‘BOMBORA’ that came out on top.

Not only did Bombora take home the title of the World’s Best Gluten-Free Beer, but it also earned:

• England’s Best Gluten-Free Beer
• England’s Gold Gluten-Free Beer
• And even snagged a cheeky silver medal in the design category!

If you’re not familiar, the World Beer Awards are a big deal in the beer world. Celebrating the very best beers from around the globe. So, for Bombora to be recognised as the leading gluten-free beer is a massive achievement for us.

Our Head Brewer, Alex Barlow, summed up how we’re all feeling:

“We’re over the moon to have won World’s Best Gluten-Free Beer again! Not to mention England’s Best Gluten-Free Beer for three years running. Our mission is to provide great quality beer for all – regardless of gluten intolerances! So, this is an achievement that the team and I are incredibly proud of.”

This Isn’t Our First Rodeo!

Yep. This isn’t the first time we’ve won these awards.

Our TINTO (10.3% mocha imperial stout) was awarded England’s Best and England’s Gold Gluten-Free Beer in 2023.

Our TRIVERGENCE (8.5% double IPA) was named the World’s Best Gluten-Free Beer in 2022.

Absolutely buzzing! We’re planning to rebrew Bombora later this year to celebrate. Watch this space.

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There’s no denying that craft beer has taken the UK by storm over recent years. Growing in popularity worldwide, with some styles, like hazy pales and sour beers, really taking off here in the UK. Despite this, we often get a lot of people coming to our taproom unaware about the different styles of beer. So, we’re here to let you know – in simple terms, what’s what.

From lagers to IPAs, there are so many different styles of beer to choose from – over 100 of them in fact. So, if you’re looking for the best style of craft beer – we can’t tell you that, because they’re all great in their own way and may suit different occasions. But whether you’re an aspiring beer connoisseur or just want to confidently choose a beer at your favourite taproom – we’ve got the key points you need to know to aid your decision.

In this blog, we’ll introduce you to some of the key, most popular types of craft beer (our personal favourites). And, of course, highlight some of our own Triple Point Brewing examples for you to enjoy.

Cheers!

So, what exactly is craft beer?

Craft beer is simply a term for beer that’s been brewed by small, independent breweries like us! Using traditional brewing techniques and focusing on quality and innovation, craft breweries produce smaller amounts of beer compared to large breweries.

Unlike mass-produced beer, craft beer is often more creative, as breweries focus time and resource into experimenting with different styles and flavours of beer.

Fun fact, usually, a large brewery’s ‘crafty’ beers aren’t hand-crafted at all! As a small, independent brewery based in central Sheffield, we love hand-crafting our beers. Here are some examples of our favourite styles and interpretations.

Lagers

If you’ve drunk beer, you’ve almost certainly tried a lager before. It’s one of the youngest, yet one of the most popular beer styles in the world, having been around a mere 400 or so years. Lager is termed a ‘bottom fermented’. This means, unlike ales, the yeast collects at the bottom of the fermentation tank. It can also prefer lower temperatures, compared to ales. Leaving a crisp, clean, and refreshing brew – because that’s what we want from a lager, right?

Triple Point Brewing recommendation: ‘Kerlsch’ (4.9%). An ale-lager hybrid (originating in Cologne) that’s clean, crisp, yet rounded. Gently fruity and aromatic. Using Cryo Amarillo, East Kent Goldings, and Strisselspalt hops. Try ‘Vote for Pedro’ (5%) as a crossover between crisp lager and hoppy pale ale. Or, for the ultimate refreshing craft lager, keep our flagship Helles (4.1%) Bavarian-styled brew.

Pale Ales

Whether you’re into it, or just starting out. Pale ales are a must-try for anyone interested in drinking beer. These golden to amber-hued brews combine for a more malty, medium-bodied, and often a ‘hop-forward’ experience – this basically means the first aroma you get from the beer is hops. They’re warm-fermented, so the brewer’s yeast creates more floral and fruity flavours. Completely delicious.

If you’re new to craft beer, you might feel nervous about trying the hoppier types, but don’t let it scare you! The great thing about pale ales is that there’s something for everyone. Always uber-drinkable but packed full of flavour & nicely balanced. From British to American pale ales, the family has grown over time. But there’s lots of variety available. For example, varying ABV strength, brightness, haze and cloudiness. And, of course, in the hop varieties used. So, you’ve got plenty to try out…

Triple Point recommendation: ‘Cryo’ (4.2%) – our best-selling hazy pale ale. Fruit bomb, super smooth, heavily hopped but with low bitterness. Using Galaxy, HBC586, Cascade, Centennial and Citra hops.

India Pale Ales

Although still considered a pale ale, India Pale Ales – more commonly known as IPAs, have evolved into a style of their own. They tend to be hoppier, more bitter, and carry a higher ABV compared to more traditional pale ales (usually within the 5% – 7% mark). Branching out a little further, you’ll find that American-styled IPAs are more citrussy and fruity, with emphasis now on tropical fruit flavours like mango, passionfruit, and pineapple. They tend to be stronger too, with alcohol percentages randing from 7%-11%.

Triple Point Brewing recommendation: ‘Bullseye’ (7%) – our new heavily dry-hopped IPA. We’re not kidding when we say we hit the bullseye with this one! Passionfruit, mango, and grapefruit flavours throughout. Using three of our favourite hops that hit the spot with pinpoint accuracy – Amarillo, Citra, and Simcoe.

Sours

Less interested in a hoppy profile? Fancy something a little tangier & more unique? Then pucker up! You need to try a sour beer.

Sour beers are intentionally brewed with wild yeast or bacteria which creates an acidic, tartness or sour taste. Sounds a bit intimidating to some, but they’re actually very enjoyable. Many people love to embrace the sourness. Let’s face it, wine & ciders balance sour with sweet fruit flavours. But if extreme sourness isn’t what you want from a beer, don’t worry! You’ll find plenty of slightly milder sours that are refreshing with a fruity flavour profile. It’s a beer style that goes down nicely in the beer garden during the summer.

Triple Point Brewing recommendation: ‘Catharina: Strawberry and Lime’ (4.5%) – a vibrant Brazilian sour beer from Santa Catharina, with outstanding strawberry and kalamansi lime flavours. A super-fruity yet zingy, refreshing summer-style beer. The ultimate beer garden brew designed to refresh in the hot sun.

Stout & Porters

A classic Porter or Stout can’t go amiss. Particularly as the weather cools. Both are easy to identify thanks to their rich dark appearance. But what about the flavour? Stout and Porters tend to present deep flavours of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, and sometimes a little smokiness. It’s a style of craft beer that goes down a treat during the winter months.

You’ll find traditional English stouts and porters are smooth, with a velvety mouthfeel. Whereas imperial stouts and barrel-aged variants can be bold and bit more intense. It’s a nice variety. Triple Point Brewing recommendation: ‘Tinto’ (10.3%) – our mocha Imperial Stout brewed with Altura Arabica coffee from our pals over at Cafeology in Sheffield. Although it’s strong, it’s easy drinking and enjoyable. With big coffee on the nose, creamy chocolate from Bullion Craft Chocolate (also based in Sheffield) and some Belgian chocolate powder for good measure.

So, there you have it. Five different styles of beer that are extremely popular in the UK and beyond. Next time you’re in a brewery taproom (hopefully ours), give one of these a try. You won’t regret it!

#TheBeerComesFirst

With the weather getting warmer, it’s finally beer garden season. Which can only mean one thing… A trip to your local! But when you come to a taproom like ours, it can be overwhelming knowing what to drink – unless you’re a seasoned craft beer drinker of course. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of some must-try beers this summer. Backed up by a few of our brews for additional inspo.

Sours

First up, sour beers. The ultimate thirst-quencher thanks to its acidity and layers of fruitiness. Sours are becoming increasingly popular with more and more breweries experimenting with different fruity flavours – us included! ‘Catharina’ is our latest fruit sour beer loaded with peach, raspberry, and vanilla. Gently hazy with soft aromas and, in the words of our team, ‘it’s $@#*! delicious’.

Lagers

If you’re after something fruity, refreshing, and hoppy, you can’t go wrong with a session lager. Our ‘Helles’ is a classic everyday slurper, bursting with character and drinkability thanks to its Admiral, Mittelfruh, and Amarillo hops. Session beers are usually lower in alcohol compared to other types of beer, making it a better shout for those long days at a BBQ or summer party.

Pilsner

A light and crisp pilsner is also hard to beat. Served extra cold for extra deliciousness. Our Cryo-hopped Keller Pils ‘Tangelo’ is a fruity take on this classic style, with tangerine and pink grapefruit flavours and Amarillo, Cryo Amarillo, and Cryo Citra hops.

Cask Beer

Next up, cask! We love cask beer at Triple Point. But too often we’ve made it a seasonal thing for us, only brewing winter-focused cask, like Bitters, Golden Ales, and Stouts in the cooler months, and a shifted focus to hoppy pale ales in keg during the summer. This year we’re brewing cask beer for the summer too, designed for beer garden drinking in the sun. Our Fresco is a 3.5% hoppy pale ale with Admiral, Cryo Amarillo, Cryo Citra and Cryo Mosaic. Its big fruity notes at a super session strength, it was made to be enjoyed in your favourite beer garden!

Indian Pale Ale

Finally, a New England Indian pale ale (NEIPA) is ideal for those lazy summer evenings. They tend to be more tropical, or fruit flavoured than other IPA’s. We brew NEIPA’s a lot. They might be one of our favourites to brew – and drink. While stocks last, we recommend trying ‘Round T’ Corner – our latest collab with Sheffield’s most iconic live music venue – The Leadmill. A juicy NEIPA filled with Amarillo, Citra and El Dorado hops. No wonder it’s gone down such a treat. Well, there are five for you. But, of course, there are loads of other tasty beers to try this summer. So, grab a cold one and soak up the sunshine! Hopefully, see you in our beer garden soon. Cheers! #TheBeerComesFirst

If you’re looking for a thirst-quenching sour that’s uber-drinkable and loaded with light, fruity flavours, you’ll be buzzing to hear all about our latest ‘Catharina’ sour beer. Say hello to Catharina: Strawberry and Kalamansi Lime (4.5% ABV). Brewed with summer in mind, our goal was to create the ultimate beer garden brew that you’ll love drinking on a hot, sunny day – whether you’re an avid craft beer lover or not. And, following in the footsteps of our last peach melba-inspired Catharina, it does exactly that. People are loving it. It’s our second brew of the series this year, and the fourth in the series overall. Trust us when we say, they just keep getting better and better each time – so we can’t wait for you guys to try this one.

The Beer

A 4.5% strawberry and kalamansi lime sour beer. Vegan and gluten-free. Featuring a little bit of El Dorado hop and a lot of love from the Triple Point team. A quenching Brazilian style sour that’s gently hazy, with soft aromas and designed to refresh in the hot sun. Perfect for beer garden drinking. If you’re unsure about what a sour beer is or you haven’t tried our Catharina yet, here’s everything you need to know.

What Is A Catharina-Style Beer?

Generally, sours are a type of beer known for their distinct acidic, tart, or sour taste. They don’t follow a strict brewing process, so they all vary in flavour with some being super sour, and others light and fruity. Some of the most popular sours come from Belgium, but Catharina is a Brazilian-style beer that originated in southern states, such as Saint Catarina. It’s wheat-based with fresh fruit added after the fermentation process, resulting in a fruity sensory profile that can be enjoyed pint after pint. Or can after can. The style evolved from a strong German influence in southern Brazil, where German-style beers like Berliner Weisse were popular. Today, these types of beer are still very popular and influential (unsurprisingly). Given how hot it is in Brazil, the main goal of a sour beer is to refresh. This is ideal because it’s getting pretty hot in UK summers too! Unlike some sour beers which can be overly sour (which we wanted to avoid), Catharina sours are typically light and carbonated, making them perfect for hot weather and beer garden drinking.

What Made Us Want To Brew A Catharina

Our head brewer spent some time in South America judging one of the world’s biggest beer competitions where he was inspired by the Catharina style. When he came back and told us about it, we knew we had to brew our own version. Because no other brewery has really done it in England before – not in Sheffield. And especially not a vegan and gluten-free sour beer. We wanted to make something novel. Something refreshing to go down in our beer garden. So here we are. We kept the name nice and simple, calling it ‘Catharina’. And it bangs. This isn’t our first rodeo. We brewed two Catharina sours last year. Strawberry and guava. And mango and passionfruit. And a peach melba one this year. Will we brew another? Probably. Watch this space. Available on our website and at beer shops across the UK. Why not try it for yourself? Shop Catharina here. #TheBeerComesFirst

Cirrus/5%/ Hazy Pale Ale We brewed Cirrus because it’s the beer we all want to drink. Big flavour, great body, and a sessionable ABV. It looks beautiful and it tastes beautiful. Ever since starting Triple Point we’ve looked to the best in the industry for our inspiration. Our intent hasn’t been to copy, but to raise our sights and then aim to do something at a similar standard, but in our own way. The Solo and Dyad series were inspired by The Kernel in London, who have been brewing beautiful pale ales with a focus on hops for around 12 years now. We took the idea brewing a fixed base beer and altering just the single hop, or two hop combinations. The plan was to showcase the taste of an individual hop, or to explore how two different hops interacted with one another. Cirrus – A white, whispy, high altitude, cloud of tiny ice crystals. We were “blown away” by Northern Monk and Magic Rock’s Taprooms and whilst we haven’t got to their level yet, it’s where we want to be. And we will get there eventually. When we went into lockdown, we bought a lot of beer from a lot of breweries, locally from the likes of Abbeydale and SMOD and nationwide from; Deya, Verdant, Brew by Numbers, Whiplash, North and more. We wanted to see how our beers compared and what we could learn. And to be totally honest, we felt that with the hop-forward beers we were okay, but not in the upper echelons of the beers we were trying. This was frustrating, “why aren’t we at the top?” was the ever-haunting question. We’ve got an incredible brewer, an incredible brewery, Sheffield water which is the perfect canvas on which to brew a beer, what is it that’s holding us back? I think the reason was, as we became busier and busier as a brewery, we just didn’t take the time to step out of our box and look at what everyone else was doing and honestly compare ourselves with the best. We were just comparing ourselves against yesterday (we tended to do quite well in that comparison). The one good thing that came out of lockdown for us was that it gave us the opportunity to look at what the best were brewing and then experiment. My personal pick of the bunch was always DEYA, we ended up going through every Something Good or Saturated in… that we could get our hands on. While those were the hype beers and were fantastic, the real win of getting a DEYA order in was the 4 pack of Steady Rolling Man that was inevitably ordered alongside the other beers. The fact that we looked forward to the 5.2% Pale ale when it arrived next to all these new hop monsters, always seemed crazy. In the world of craft beer, so much of the industry is about what’s new this week, I mean, even DEYA’s social media channels were all about ‘what’s new this week,’ even so, we’d always get a few STR’s in. We had to try to brew something in that space!

So… Cirrus…

Our Aim – Make a juicy, pillowy, soft beer with a big, beautiful, bouncing hop load. It had to be super drinkable, and super tasty. So people (i.e. we) wanted to drink loads of it. Let’s start with the malt, extra pale marris otter (to make it look pretty and give it a strong base flavour), lots of wheat and the most oats we’ve ever used in a brew, to get that soft, pillowy, medium bodied mouthfeel. As always, we’ve used Sheffield water, and added Calcium Chloride for softness. Combined with our house ale yeast which provides a gently fruity, floral flavour and nose. Now onto the main attraction, the HOPS. After some experimentation we’ve ended up with 5 different hops in the brew, and 5 separate additions. A combination of T90 and Cryo hops. The aim with this is that no one hop stands out, and instead we have a selection of hops that create a tropical, citrussy party on your tongue. It’s also Gluten-Free Certified and Vegan, so everyone can enjoy. We called it Cirrus because we wanted the beer to feel like a floaty, hoppy cloud in your mouth. Despite sounding slightly lame as a name justification, we actually quite like it, so we stuck with it. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Cheers!

After choosing the name Triple Point for completely unrelated reasons, it keeps tempting us to “play around” with triple versions of some cracking beer styles (and tongue twisters). And where better to start than a twist on the “mother of all triples” a Belgian Trappist Tripel. The Trappist Abbey in Westmalle was founded in 1836 and first brewed a “table beer” in the same year. By 1856 they had added a stronger brown beer known as Dubbel (“double” in Dutch) and then in 1936 they added an even stronger (9.5%) pale ale which they called Tripel (the first of its kind). Generally, the more malt is added to a brew, the more fermentable sugar is collected and the greater the alcohol strength of the finished beer. A middle-age tradition was to indicate beer strength on casks with a single X for weakest, XX for medium and XXX for the strongest beers. Three X’s became synonymous with the word “tripel”.

Tripel Karmeliet

Tripel Karmeliet was launched in 1996 and has received great acclaim ever since. It is a favourite of ours and it was to this beer that we turned, quite literally, for the source of our own Tripel. At its heart a Tripel is a pale ale. And it has to be pale. To achieve that we need the palest ale and lager malts, though malt alone tends not to get us to the lofty heights above 9% alcohol. One of the distinctive characteristics of a Tripel is the use of Candi sugar. Fully fermentable, adding no colour, yet leaving an aroma reminiscent of candy sweets which beautifully complement the typical pear, apple and peach fruit aromas so characteristic of the Belgian ale yeasts. In our case we selected and cultivated the Tripel Karmeliet yeast from a handful of bottles (nothing went to waste!). It was this yeast that gave us a three stage (another Tripel!) fermentation to achieve the final 9.3% ABV.

Fermentation Curve

We haven’t seen a fermentation curve like this before. Have you? After decades of training, maybe this yeast just knows that it needs to have 3 goes at a Tripel. Like all good pale ales, there’s a balance between malt and hop character. In fact, the bitterness IBU’s (International Bitterness Units) of a Tripel equates to that of many an IPA, so it’s got sufficient to balance the malts, sugar and alcohol without being cloying. Typically, the hops used will be understated, noble European varieties such as British, Belgian or Slovenian Goldings, Czech Saaz or Hallertau varieties. Added at the start for bitterness and a little late aroma for a balanced, integrated character. There is certainly no dry-hopping in the classic Tripel. Having seen very few craft variants of the Tripel style, the opportunity of play a twist with the hops seemed too good to miss. We had managed to get hold of a small amount of Australian Galaxy (no mean feat) paired with New Zealand Wakatu and Wai-iti for late boil and whirlpool additions. The passionfruit and peach, floral and lime characters mingle with pear, pineapple and peppery spice aromas from the Karmeliet yeast for a complex, mellow yet assertive flavour we hope you will love.

What Would The Trappists Say?

We have tried to carry this theme through to our packaging. An abbey style image with gold letters acknowledging the source of our inspiration (and yeast), but then instead of a traditional bottle, a somewhat irreverent New World can. What would the Trappists say? With a low yield, the majority of our New World Tripel will be available in 440ml cans, however we have snuck a portion into our 400L Sauvignon Blanc wine barrels for a bit of extra maturation. Watch this space to see how that goes. Santé!