Convivial IPA: A Beer To Celebrate Women In Our Industry
If you’re a fan of craft beer (and if you find yourself reading this, we’re going to assume you are) you’ve probably encountered a fair few UnBarred collaborations over the years. We love to work collaboratively with other breweries and folks in all sorts of creative industries, always bringing fresh ideas and perspectives to our beer-crafting practice. In this, our latest collaboration, we’ve created something really special with innovation and inclusivity at its heart: this is Convivial.
In tandem with legendary beer writer Melissa Cole and award-winning drinks cartoonist Em Sauter, we (the women of UnBarred Brewery) bring you an exquisitely balanced Cold IPA with Earl Grey and orange.
This brew is our toast to all women in the beer industry, its inventive recipe being a hat-tip to the innovation & creativity that we bring to the world of beer. As with many industries, the vast majority of players in the beer world are male. Here at UnBarred we wanted to shine a spotlight on the brilliant non-male members of our own team and to call in others to join the conversation about female visibility and progress in the beer scene.
The aim of this collaboration is to celebrate women who work in (and drink) beer, and equally to welcome more women into the fold. That uplifting and inclusive spirit led us to define our beer as just that: Convivial.
You might be familiar with Cold IPA’s if you tried Skelter, a beer we launched in 2022. Cold IPA’s are in essence IPA’s that have been fermented with a lager yeast at a warmer temperatures and use rice in the mash. On account of this quick, efficient fermentation, Cold IPAs don't contain many leftover un-fermented sugars so have a light, crushable profile. Think more hop-forward than a lager and with a slightly higher ABV, yet cleaner and crisper than an IPA. That’s a tasty hybrid!
We supercharged Convivial with the zests of over 200 fresh oranges which we peeled by hand and put into the whirlpool to impart a vibrant citrus character to the beer. We added the juice of the remaining fruit into the kettle and blended in a house-made orange tincture to perfect our final profile and to avoid any waste too!
Convivial uses a combination of UK Admiral Hops and US Amarillo hops, both for a herbaceous, juicy hop profile and to celebrate the US & UK heritage of us as the women who brewed the beer itself. Amarillo is an absolute stalwart hop at UnBarred Brewery as it forms the signature hoppiness of our beloved Joosy Pale!
On the palate, Convivial gives you lively citrus notes from hand-zested oranges, layered over a base of clean, bright malt.
It makes for a super refreshing finish, finessed by floral tannins from Earl Grey tea sourced from our friends at Brighton-born company Bird & Blend.
In true Cold IPA fashion, Convivial is more hoppy and complex than a lager and even more crisp and crushable than a traditional IPA plus. For an added bonus, this luscious brew is gluten-free!
We chose to create a beer that was going to be something new, yet also something accessible: to excite long-standing beer quaffers and also to delight newcomers. To us, celebrating the impact of women on the beer world means making something creative, fresh & vibrant to exemplify that these are the very assets brought into the industry through gender diversity.
Convivial is available in 30L Keg or in 24 x 440ml cases direct from UnBarred Brewery, via Sellar or through specialised wholesalers.
