NEWS OF THE BREWS

Pumpkin Ale & Poacher's Choice

Dorset brewer Hall & Woodhouse has launched two new bottled beers in the Badger range - Pumpkin Ale and Poacher's Choice.

Pumpkin Ale has an abv of 4.6% and is described as a sweet and slightly smoky ale with hints of roast pumpkin, cloves and peat. Its release is timed to coincide with Hallowe'en and it is recommended as an accompaniment to pumpkin pie, sticky toffee apples and carrot cake. The back label of the bottle features a recipe for a pumpkin-ale soup.

Poacher's Choice is a liquorice and damson-flavoured beer with an abv of 5.7% and it is the brewer's fourth winner in the prestigious Tesco Drinks Awards. Its robust flavours make Poacher's Choice an ideal accompaniment to game, desserts and mature cheeses.

Head brewer Tim Morris said: "By adding natural extracts to these two new beers, we've been able to enhance their traditional flavours."

Malt & Hops

Wadworth has released one of its favourite seasonal ales, Malt & Hops, despite flood water causing disruption to brewing in Wiltshire. It has the colour of ripe barley and tastes initially of sweet barley before delivering a surge of cleansing flavours and a late finish of appetite-arousing bitterness.

The hop farm that supplies the Devizes brewer was under five feet of water in July, yet staff managed to salvage the harvest.

Malt & Hops, which was first brewed in 1992, will have a limited production of 540 barrels and uses un-kilned green Goldings hops that have only been picked a few hours earlier.

The 4.5% abv beer is available in participating Wadworth houses or via WaverleyTBS and Cellarman's Reserve.

Whitstable Bay

New branded glassware is being made available by Shepherd Neame for its organic ale, Whitstable Bay. The modern, stemmed glasses are aimed at encouraging customers, especially women, to try the ale with food and generally widening its appeal.

The Kent brewer's sales and marketing director Graeme Craig explained: "Whitstable Bay is a clean, refreshing ale, made from the finest ingredients and chalk-filtered mineral water drawn from our own well. It is arguably the beer with the broadest appeal within our profile. It's an ideal match for seafood dishes and serves as a crossover beer for those interested in discovering the depth of flavours offered by real ale."

The 4.5% abv ale is available in 500ml bottles throughout the year and on draught in selected Shepherd Neame pubs.