10th April 2006

Hooky strikes gold with a brand new beer

Hooky Gold, at 4.2 per cent ABV, is the latest seasonal draft beer to be created by Hook Norton – and it will be on sale in pubs throughout May and June. Hooky Gold is a pale, crisp beer; the Maris Otter malt gives it a bold, clear, confidence, while the traditional English Fuggles and Goldings and American Willamette hops give it the best of the old and the new worlds.

Hooky Gold is the first of the north Oxfordshire brewer’s beers to use American hops.

Grown in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, the Willamette has moderate bitterness with a spicy, noble aroma and even a hint of soft fruit. Derived from the Fuggles hop it is a now a variety in its own right.

The traditional English Goldings are low in alpha acids but high in essential oils and give it a moreish bitterness, while the Fuggles are probably unsurpassed at providing flavour to beer. "Hooky’s new beer marries English tradition with American pizzazz. It took real teamwork to produce Hooky Gold as our sales team helped select the hops," said Hook Norton Managing Director James Clarke.