Kent brewery collaborates on special-edition beer to mark Earth Day

Gadds’ Brewery based in Ramsgate and Toast Ale have joined forces to collaborate on a special-edition beer to mark Earth Day.

Named ‘Earth Day Pale Ale’, the modern cask beer has notes of passion fruit, peach, grapefruit and tropical fruits that showcases innovative action for the planet.

Eddie Gadd, head brewer and owner of Gadds’, said: “We’re not claiming this beer will save the planet, but we hope it opens discussions about how we can all help make a difference.

“Ours is the most ancient of industries, steeped in history and carried out using artisanal methods bestowed on us by previous generations. But that doesn’t mean we can’t change and adapt, whilst retaining the fundamental way we make beer and the consequent fabulous pint.”

Stuart Robson, brewer at Toast, added: “Collaborating with Gadds’ has been a great opportunity for us all to trial new ideas and learn from each other, ultimately resulting in a great tasting beer that has a lower environmental footprint. We’re looking forward to sharing learnings widely, and inspiring and supporting more breweries to invest in our planet.”

Gadds’ has a solar array to power chillers, and an air source heat pump for space heating at the brewery. The innovative small brewery recently trialled new technology for small-scale carbon capture.

East Kent Golding hops, grown just down the road from Gadds’, were used with other UK hops to create the modern ale. Other techniques used to minimise the environmental footprint of the beer included high gravity brewing and the use of enzymes for cleaning instead of caustic chemicals. The final beer is also vegan-friendly.