From Vanberg & Dewulf:
We are really excited to announce that for the 1st time we are offering British Ales, and we couldn’t be prouder than to start with the Green Jack Brewery in Lowestoft, UK. Not only is it the easternmost brewery in England, but also one of the most decorated craft brewers in Britain today. Good news for all of you who have been waiting for them since January, the beers have arrived!
There is no doubt about the importance and deliciousness of British Ales. However, we have always shied away from importing them because as good as they are, they’re difficult shippers. Most British Ales are not re-fermented in the bottle (re-fermentation being very important to reducing oxidation) and they are lighter under 6% ABV, (alcohol being an effective flavor preservative). Our whole raison d’etre is to select beers that offer 99.9% the same flavor experience in the US that they do in their home market. The most happy news is in Green Jack Rippa we have found a true, great, British tasting ale that does just that. It ships in bottle as well as any Belgian beer we import. And importantly, the other Green Jack ales coming on this first shipment are in KeyKegs. This means they are virgin filled, with the lowest possible oxygen pick-up. No gas can ever touch the beer, burning off the wonderful, delicate, nuanced malt and hop flavors that are the heart of Real British Ales. By offering Green Jack Ales only in KeyKeg, we all can guarantee our customers that they’re drinking exactly what Tim Dunford, Master Brewer at Green Jack, brewed and nothing else. It’s as close as you can get to drinking Green Jack in a pub in Lowestoft.
A bit of background on how we happened upon Tim's beautiful beers:
In the spring of 2012 we received a box of Green Jack beers at our place in Ghent. The beers were so lovely and characterful that we resolved to pay the brewer a visit at the end of our Belgian sojourn. The storybook impression made by our destination was highlighted by the route we took: from Ghent to Reyjkjavik to Florence to Copenhagen to Esberg and by overnight ferry to Harwich then along the North Sea coast of East Anglia to Lowestoft, the most easterly point in the United Kingdom. The Green Jack Brewery (6000 hectoliter) is installed in a former herring smokehouse at the end of Love Lane. Therein Tim Dunford, the idiosyncratic, playful and witty founder/brewer produces a stunning range of small batch, site-specific, Belgian-influenced beers. They’re not widely distributed (mainly sold in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge) but real ale cognoscenti prize them for their balance, originality and finesse. The UK’s foremost cellarman, Mark Dorber, in whose company we enjoyed them at his Anchor Pub in Walberswick, numbers among them.
All Green Jack beers are brewed with Flagon winter barley, all grown and malted in Norfolk (which Dunford says is in most growing seasons the best barley in the world.) Moreover all are fermented with the same four strains of English ale yeast which can be traced back over 100 years and use whole flower hops. 90 percent of production is cask, 10% in swing top bottles. This is a stupendous little brewery and we think you are going to be delighted by every one of their very special beers! Let us know what you think!
Cheers,
Don & Wendy 
Please note that on this shipment only Green Jack's RIPPA is available in 75 cl bottles (swing top 6 per case) AND 30 liter KeyKegs. All the other beers are 30 liter KeyKeg only.
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