THE UK’s only Trappist brewery has released a second beer which is now on sale in a bottle designed and manufactured by glass specialist Beatson Clark.
Mount Saint Bernard Trappist Brewery in Coalville, Leicestershire has brewed a blond beer to join its Tynt Meadow dark ale – both of which are sold in the 330ml amber beer bottle from Beatson Clark’s standard range.
Trappist beers are traditionally sold in bottles because they undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle – a process that is described as ‘ideal’ in glass. It means the beer matures in flavour for the first three years, and because of the inert nature of glass it can have a longer shelf life than that if the bottle isn’t opened, something that isn’t possible in other packaging materials such as cans.
“Because of this process, if the bottles are kept in the right conditions – out of UV light, at a consistent room temperature – and the crown and bottle is kept sealed so that no oxygen can get in, the beer will last indefinitely,” explained brewery manager Peter Grady. “The flavour profile of a Tynt Meadow changes drastically over the course of the first three years and, in our opinion, less so after that. This is why we put three years on the bottle, but it will last much longer than that as it’s packaged in glass.”
As the bottle is made from amber glass, it offers extra protection from the harmful effects of UV light.
“The bottle design is exactly the same – it has already become quite iconic and recognisable,” Peter added. “The only differences in the packaging are minor adjustments to the label and the gold-coloured crowns on top.”
