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(Courtesy Hook News)
A UK craft brewery has created a new ‘gimmick beer’ that literally turns Guinness Draught’s distinctive creamy white head on its head…And the UK can’t get enough of it.
Here’s the deal…
With ADHD-addled craft beer fans increasingly in the hunt for the new and the different, brewers sometimes delve into the world of gimmick beers and come up with unlikely things like glitter IPA’s to keep fans interested.
And now Team Toxic, a Liverpool brewery, has come up with major league gimmick beer, which no matter its taste (or your take on gimmick beers to begin with) is a visually stunning effort that’s generating considerable buzz.
The beer, which is actually named Sinistral, has quickly become known as the ‘Reverse Guinness’ on account of its milky white color and distinctive black head. And according to the Irish Post it’s selling like crazy.
(Team Toxic’s Gazza Prescott and Sue Hayward)
The idea behind Sinistral, comes from a truly niche beer style with a history dating back to tat least the 18th century according to Food & Wine. Sometimes called Albino Stouts and more commonly White Stouts, the style remains a rarity because no matter the taste, it’s conceptually confusing to be drinking what looks like a pale ale but drinks like a stout.
Team Toxic’s Gazza Prescott and Sue Hayward explained to Unilad that Sinistral (which refers to being left-handed) came from their discontentment with the world’s white stouts….
“They are usually brewed by leaving out the dark, heavily roasted grains that lend beers like Guinness their appearance – however, they’re often more golden or pale amber in color. We wanted to brew a white stout that’s actually white, a reverse Guinness if you like.”
How the brewery actually pulled this off remains a Team Toxic secret. But BeerAdvocate forum visitors are suggesting different kinds of adjuncts.
Hayward describes Sinistral’s pitch black head as ‘completely edible, natural and vegan’ but she’s not going much further than that… “A lot of people think it’s squid ink, but they’re wrong. We’re not telling!”
