Swindon brewery Arkell’s Bee’s Organic Ale, which is made with organic honey, has created a buzz among judges at a major show and claimed another award.
The premium beer collected the top award in the Honey Beer class at this year’s National Honey Show – the latest in a series of trophy wins since its launch in 2001 by the family-owned brewery and the second this year.
Bee’s Organic Ale (4.5% ABV) is made using organically-grown malted barley, hops and honey, which give the golden premium bottled ale a light, fresh taste.
Coincidently, Arkell’s Brewery sales director Nick Arkell has been keeping bees since 2010 – although as it is not organic it cannot be used in Bee’s Ale.
Nick said: “Our hives have produced lots of honey this year, thanks in part to the warmer summer weather and I would love to supply all the honey needed for our beer, but sadly it’s not organic and we couldn’t guarantee a consistent supply.”
Arkell’s head brewer Alex Arkell recently visited Nick’s beehives to learn more about the vital ingredient of his award-winning ale.
He added: “To satisfy the thousands of people who buy Bee’s Organic regularly we’d need a consistent source of supply so at the moment we buy from a trusted commercial supplier, but I loved seeing Nick’s beehives and it’s definitely given me a taste for honey – I’m going to learn more about beekeeping.
“What I really love about honey is that, along with the other ingredients of our beers such as malt, hops, barley and yeast, it’s a completely natural ingredient and it’s been used in all sorts of ways for centuries.”
The ancient Greeks believed that honey could help men and women live longer.
Pictured: Nick Arkell, left, shows off his hives to Alex Arkell
