Shane Murphy of Dot Brewing was in the process of launching a new core range of beers when I talked to him.
“We are delighted with the beers and they seem to be going down well with beer drinkers. We poured them at the Rascals Beer Festival and had to go back to the brewery on Saturday night to refill our kegs! We wanted to give the best value to our customer, and I think we have achieved that.”
“We’ve had an insane amount of cost increases; you see it everywhere in the supermarkets and at the petrol pumps, but the pressure is less obvious with producers. We have had three rounds of price increases since January alone. The utility costs for running a kettle and cooling a tank are enormous, and our supply chain is tricky.
“For instance, most aluminium comes from Russia and Ukraine, but there is a squeeze on malts, labels and all the other materials – we have retained our original retail price by adjusting our processes while still retaining quality.”
The new range includes a delicious refreshing Pilsner called Solo, conditioned for six weeks. Then there is Loose, a session IPA made using a different kind of yeast that retains complex sugars. “It’s a body-builder so you get a low abv with a bigger, bolder beer,” Go Go a New England IPA, which is all about sweet fruits, stone fruits and mango, and Alto Double IPA – “fruit juice for adults is the best way to describe it, with a pillowy mouthfeel and higher body and texture.”
This September they will complete the range with Easy Amber, an American Amber.
