For a family-owned brewery with over 250 years of history, there is really nothing more traditional and authentic than brewing organically: in 1758, all beer was organic! Melbourn Bros. Brewery in Stamford, England, was established in 1825. After many decades of brewing pale ales and stouts, this steam-powered regional brewery began to experience obsolescence of equipment and slowing sales. It closed in the 1970s.
Samuel Smith’s Brewery purchased and restored Melbourn Bros. Brewery in the 1990s, keeping as much of the well-preserved Victorian equipment as possible: the copper kettle; the belt-driven malt mill; the 1876 mash tun. The 1910 Gainsborough boiler that powers the brewery was carefully rebuilt and reconditioned.
Melbourn Bros. began by producing fruit beers, an innovation for Samuel Smith’s. In 2009, after sourcing organic ingredients and receiving organic certification, Melbourn Bros. became a Certified Organic brewery. Samuel Smith’s Organic Apricot, Cherry, Raspberry, and Strawberry ales were launched to huge success – each took a Gold in the US Open Beer Championship: Strawberry in 2009; Raspberry in 2010; Apricot in 2012; and Cherry in 2014.
All four Samuel Smith organic fruit beers are available in 550 mL (18.7 oz.) “Victorian pint” bottles, but due to demand for a smaller size for on-premise, and also due to the growing popularity of multi-packs at retail, Organic Apricot and Organic Strawberry are now also being sold in four-packs of 12 oz. bottles.
Tasting Notes:
Samuel Smith’s Organic Apricot Ale is rich and full-bodied; the color is a glowing hazy orange. Apricots contribute to a stunning fruit beer: the ripe, aromatic bouquet supports a sweet, summery flavor with just a suggestion of stone-fruit tartness.
Samuel Smith’s Organic Strawberry Ale offers a soft and subtle flavor, making the character of this fruit beer extremely sophisticated and refined. The smooth malt and aromatic strawberry flavors merge together in an elegant fashion, with fresh, ripe strawberries shining through.
Samuel Smith’s Organic fruit beers are Registered Vegan and Certified Organic by the UK Soil Assn. and the USDA.
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