Introducing Baron, Coastal Crushers & Pet Nat Perfection!
H E L L O
C L A P T O N C R A F T
F A N S !
Valentine's Day may have been and gone, but there's plenty of booze to fall in love with this time around! Kicking things off, we give you the lowdown on the internet's hottest brewing property Baron. In contrast, we have familiar faces in Verdant and Time & Tide returning with juicy joy in hand. Meanwhile, in the wine world, there's gluggable Pet Nats from the Australian Riverland courtesy of Delinquente. If that's not enough we've got super limited Cloudwater Birthday brews over on the Webshop, as well as Manager picks ranging from Polly's, Villages, Partizan, Gravity Well, and more. But first, onto this week's headliners!
B R E W E R Y
O F T H E
W E E K
Once a regular of our Finsbury Park store, we knew that the practically one-man band of Baron was going to be a smash hit on our first sip of Jack's beers. It's rare that we see a new brewery hit the ground running to such an extent, but their approach right from the outset has been second to none. A self-confessed "playground for beer, where no two batches are the same", each effort coming out of the farm in Great Hormead, East Hertfordshire has been lovingly crafted, challenging our conception of tried and tested. Focussing on highly hopped Pales and fresh Lagers his 1000L brewhouse allows for nimbleness, and easy evolution, while never being beholden to managing expectations. But, crucially with his own small (but state-of-the-art) canning machine, their consistency has been dialled in from the get-go, a true rarity in the scene.
As such we're delighted to introduce a quartet of Baron's freshest and finest this week, all encapsulating his ethos perfectly. Up top, we have a duo of refined Lagers, led by Infinite Monkeys, a crisp, fresh, and easy-drinking offering. With a tight carbonation and mouth-coating bready malt notes, this is no one-trick pony, featuring a lagering time of six weeks it's eternally quaffable with a deftly complex touch. Following up the German-inspired dark Lager, or Dunkel Cap Doffer boasts a more generous, rich flavour, though it's just as moreish with a clean, bracing finish. Canned straight from the tank; with no fining or filtration, and certainly no pasteurisation, you could kid yourself for being in a Munich beer hall, no passport necessary.
Jumping over to the juicy side Bear Trap has our name written all over it. A West Coast Pale Ale hopped with Ekuanot plus a touch of Centennial and Citra, this is a gently spicy, dank, and piney affair with enough bitterness to lure you in for that next slurp. Finally, Shindig is a no holds barred fun and fruity New England IPA. A soft, lemon sherbert, tastebuds party this is dry-hopped with tangy Motueka, backed up by gooseberry-like Nelson Sauvin and slick Simcoe.
As always we've got double loyalty points in-store on our headliner, though we'd encourage you to make haste as these small-batch sensations aren't likely to hang around! If you haven't already joined the club, be sure to ask at your local or shoot us an email at info@claptoncraft.co.uk and we'll do the rest.
H A Z E F R O M
C O A S T T O
C O A S T
We're delighted to have a two-pronged attack from some absolute favourites, all the way from the East to the West Coast respectively. Up first, we have the ever-on-point Time & Tide! And, we just couldn't miss out on a fresh batch of the all-Citra session slurper Spratwaffler. Oozing with bright citrus and vibrant mango notes it's a feat of flavour to volume brewing at just 3.7%.
Adding to the core classics, we have the crispy-clean Helles Lighthouse Lager as well as another all-day drinking Pale banger, Rat Park. Hopped with Galaxy, El Dorado, and Vic Secret this is all silky, stone fruit succulence. Rounding things off DDH IPA Manfred dials up the juice factor, adding a touch of bitterness for a true tropical treat.
Live and direct from Penryn we've also got a bounty of Cornish crackers from Verdant. Headed up by mainstay Marylou, a lip-smacking peach and apricot-esque New England Pale and People, Money, Space, Time - a soft and sluggable Session IPA balancing melon magic with a citric sharpness. Not wanting to alienate the purists, they've also delivered big on an authentic Munich Dunkel. Underpinned by deep malt flavour, a satisfying grainy quality, and a hint of smooth, dark luxury this is a dry, drinkable masterstroke.
Of course, it'd be remiss of us not to feature some more hazy heaven, and Written In Water is certainly that featuring lashings of gooseberry, white grape flavour, and just a hint of that insane Pina Colada hop, Sabro. In addition, we have the mammoth Your Limitation, It's Only Your Imagination. Grapefruit, oranges, and pine needles are the order of the day here in a deceptively easy-drinking, fluffy DIPA with a light but full body via the wheat-centric malt bill. Tuck in folks!
S O U T H
A U S T R A L I A N
S L U G G E R S
Growing up on a vineyard in the Riverland, South Australia Con-Greg Grigoriou never thought to follow in his father's footsteps. However, a few years ago, while working for an advertising agency in Melbourne, he tasted his first truly interesting Riverland wine and something clicked - why weren't people producing more unique, high-quality wines in his homeland?
Taking advantage of the region's dry Mediterranean climate, he decided to utilise small plots of single-vineyard Southern Italian varieties, working organically with wild yeast. Endeavouring to make pure, delicious - or as he would put it, “smashable” wine his vision was complete upon signing up local Adelaide street artist Ankles to design the edgy, eye-catching labels. Amid a sea of Big Wine, Delinquente has really bucked the trend, breaking rules and in turn conveying a unique, fun aesthetic with party-ready terroir-driven wines to challenge our preconceptions.
Evocative of his rationale the softly sparkling Pet Nat, Tuff Nutt, is made from Bianco d’Alessano, an uncommon grape from Puglia in southern Italy. Packed full of tropical fruit, with a savoury, moreish finish, it’s destined for a picnic (if it ever lasts that long in your fridge) or a spontaneous Friday treat. A jewel-bright pink Pet Nat Weeping Juan is a glossy, Vermentino (90%) and Nero D'Avola (10%) blend. The former brings vibrant citrus and stone fruit, while the latter cuts through with bright red fruit, both in turn lending a wonderful yeastiness like freshly toasted fruit bread. With a similar fine spritz, both encapsulate the level of seriousness we sometimes need in our wine! Glou Glou indeed...
M A N A G E R
P I C K S
T H I S W E E K
OPHIE - CLAPTON
🇧🇪 BRASSERIE DUPONT 🇧🇪
Saison Dupont - The undisputed, quenching farmhouse favourite.
Moinette Blonde - Full, round & fruity w/ a herbal, spicy bouquet.
Moinette Brune - Gently sweet, laced w/ a yeasty, caramel complexity.
MEL - WALTHAMSTOW
🦜 POLLY'S 🦜
Oaty - Full on fluffy NEIPA w/ a medley of sweet berry & mango flavour.
Floret - Infinitely drinkable core range slammer, Peachy Pale perfection.
Finding Dark Magic - Equally indulgent & restrained Export Stout. A proper beer.
SERGIO - WOOD STREET
🏎 BOXCAR 🏎
Dark Mild - Arguably a modern classic. Drinkable, nutty, earthy joy.
Native Place - Polished, punchy & pithy citrus Pale.
Emma's Colour - Bright, intense DDH IPA w/ dank Citra & Nelson Sauvin hops.
CHIPPY - ST JOHN'S HILL
🃏 WILD CARD 🃏
Sagittarius - Idaho 7 & Galaxy Pale, a creamy fruit punch bowl.
Scorpio - Fragrant, floral & deeply malty Black IPA.
Capricorn - Grassy, lush NEIPA w/ a welcome whisper of bitterness.
ILARIA - KENTISH TOWN
🐦 SQUAWK 🐦
Toco - Luscious Pale boasting dried mango & candied fruit flavour.
Limon - Zingy, puckering & irresistible salted lemon Sour.
Vita Maris - Pillowy hazy IPA, a sweaty pineapple crowd pleaser.
FIONN - FINSBURY PARK
🪐 GRAVITY WELL 🪐
Galaxies Apart - NEIPA w/ vibrant notes of roasted mango & tangerine.
Special Circumstances 3.0 - Light SIPA w/ spiky stone fruit & citrus flavour.
Vacuum Decay - Thick, luxurious chocolate, coconut & vanilla Impy Stout.
DAVE - BALHAM
🎉 PARTIZAN 🎉
Iced Tea Saison - Floral, juicy blend redolent of a Japanese Summer.
IPA - Straight banger from the Bermondsey brethren. Vivid & balanced.
Lager - Unfiltered Pilsner w/ a biscuit-like sweetness & crisp finish.
LARA - FOREST HILL
🏡 VILLAGES 🏡
Little Gods - Light, juicy Sour w/ white grapes, raspberries & blackcurrants.
Low and Slow - Easy-drinking, no-frills Lager made the authentic German way.
Witch - Black IPA belter! Roasty, toasty malt meets floral, dank hoppyness.
C L O U D W A T E R
B I R T H D A Y
B A N G E R S
We're delighted to be able to raise a glass (or rather a can) to Cloudwater's 7th Birthday following their celebrations this weekend past! Forerunners of the UK craft scene, their innovation, passion, and empathy for the culture is nearly unrivalled and we're delighted to have some mega bevs online to crack open in their honour. You can read more about their PARTY! TIPA, DIPA, Imperial Stout, and Hopfenweisse on the Webshop, but fair warning these might be gone in the time it takes to blow out seven candles...
Thankfully, we've also got a litany of other treats from the Manchester maestros. This includes Ness Atlanta, their DIPA take on a much loved Triple IPA featuring saturated hoppy fun of stone fruit and pungent pine. While, Hummel sees them dial-up their usual DDH recipe for even more tropical fruit and dank resin goodness. If that wasn't enough we have the comforting, luscious Baltic Porter Material Science, the zingy quaffable Table Beer And Relax... and Pastore Sour IPA special Il Ritorno Del Sole plus a multitude of sharing stunners and killer core range crushers. Who needs a cake anyway?
We hope you enjoyed our rundown, have a great weekend whatever you're doing!