Calling all elite tasters! We’re working with Yakima Chief Hops™ on a series of beers using their experimental hop varieties - and we need your help!

As these hops are in the Elite Trial phase, and not on the market yet, we’re offering you the chance to win a £50 voucher for our online shop in exchange for your opinion on them.

We’ll be releasing five beers using these hops during this month and you can test them all to gain as many entries as possible to the prize draw.

New Beers Out Now

Khimaira 586 - 6.3% Heller Bock

This experimental variety brings an intense hit of pineapple to our base Khimaira recipe. A light malt base allows HBC 586 to be the star of the show in this single-hopped beer.

These hops have been added to the whirlpool, twice during fermentation, and once during conditioning - so it's safe to say that this one is full of flavour. Over the course of ten days, these staged additions create layers of hoppy goodness.

The Khimaira (formerly Chimera) series has already featured Mandarina Bavaria, Galaxy, El Dorado, Taiheke and more, but we’re astounded with the results from this hop. Our very own Master Cicerone, Rob MacKay, has already pegged this one as his beer of the year!

Khimaira Talus - 6.3% Heller Bock

Formerly known as HBC 692, this experimental hop has now been named Talus, and imparts aromas of tropical and citrus fruit, pine, with floral notes. Following our base Heller Bock recipe, this beer is also dry-hopped over several days, piling on the flavour.

This variety delivers a unique final product; try both Khimairas to find out just how different they are!

405.03 HBC 522 - 2.8% Table Beer 

Our low-alcohol table beer seemed like the ideal foundation to test out this variety. HBC 522 imparts citrus and floral notes; if you're a fan of Centennial or Cascade then you'll enjoy this hop. 

We've added a whack of hops into the whirlpool and then followed this up with two rounds of dry-hopping. The result is a beer that’s sessionable, low in alcohol but with the flavour turned up to eleven. Don’t let anyone tell you that low-alcohol beers have to be bland!

Available in 500ml bottles, this beer is perfect to share with friends over a meal or good conversation. You can even crowdsource your tasting notes for this one if you’d like!

Spectrum #081 HBC 472 - 5% Grisette 

Hopped with HBC 472, this Grisette features surprising notes of oak, vanilla, melon, and citrus peel.

Pale malt, buckwheat, flaked rice, and carapils make for a delicately flavoured base for this beer, allowing these hops to impart as much impact as possible. Last month, we released a Kombucha Grisette as part of our Spectrum series and this month we’re taking it to the next level with these hops.

This beer is crisp and refreshing, with the experimental hops adding an unexpected twist. Though the combination of flavours may seem unusual, this beer is approachable and supremely enjoyable.

Spectrum #080 - 6.5% Black IPA with Charred Lime 

Alongside this line-up of experimental beers, we're also releasing another beer from our brewer-led Spectrum series.

This Black IPA with charred limes may not be brewed with experimental hops, but that doesn't mean you overlook it.

With some cajoling from our Lead Brewer Pete, our wonderful colleagues in the kitchen hand-peeled and charred a whole box of limes to be added to this beer - you can almost taste the regret of signing up for the job. 

Coming Soon

Dessert Menu: Sticky Toffee Pudding - 10% Quad

We put the next Dessert Menu concept out to a vote on social media. Over an intense poll, sticky toffee pudding won and we’re delighted! This beer will be a quad, packed with deep, rich flavours reminiscent of the dessert.

Lead Brewer Pete is busy devising the recipe to bring this fun idea into hedonistic reality. This beer will feature heaps of dark brown sugar, dates, and all the hallmarks of this indulgent dessert. Dessert Menu: Tiramisu is on sale now; treat yourself in our online shop if you want a sneak peek at what to expect from this series.

We hope that you enjoy testing out these beers – if you do pick them up then you can fill out our survey with your thoughts.

Coming up next in our series of polls, we have one that might just divide the nation. We’ll be brewing a beer inspired by it and we’ll need your help to decide the nation’s favourite.

We’re keeping it tight-lipped for now, but we’ll give you one clue: you’ll vote on the beer and we’ll roll with it.

Until then, stay safe and support your local businesses!

Team Drygate