Cuckoo Ales are currently not brewing. Please check back for updates.
The Cuckoo Ales brewery was established in 2006 by Andrew Nash in order to brew good quality, full flavoured real-ale. Andrew has a history in natural and organic produce having for several years been co-owner of a wholefood shop in Hastings, East Sussex.
Cuckoo Ales were originally brewed in The FILO brewery situated behind The First In Last Out in the High Street, Old Town, Hastings while waiting for new premises to become available. Andy is therefore indebted to the owner Mike Bigg and to Tony Champion the brewer of FILO ales for enabling him to launch his new company.
All ales brewed by Cuckoo Ales are as natural as is possible, the only additives being finings* and Burtonisation* of the water and are brewed to produce plenty of flavour.
Having a background in haematology has given Andrew a solid grounding in scientific knowledge and methods which help in creating and maintaining the consistency of his real-ales.
The Brews:
First Cuckoo
(First brewed March 2006 - 'First Cuckoo Of Spring')
Brewed with a combination of Boadicea and Pioneer hops. These are both English "hedge-row" hops. The beer has a well-bittered, dry flavour and has been well-received by beer lovers. It has an ABV of 4.1% - ideal for a session* beer.
Coming soon - more new brews.
*finings - required because very few people will drink a cloudy beer these days. The most commonly used is isinglass, which is made from fish swim-bladders. (Apparently, the Romans noticed that wine kept in fish and animal bladders cleared quicker - I only recently read this and was always intrigued as to how anyone discovered that a fish bladder would clear beer! A.N.)
*Burtonisation - this is the removal of temporary hardness and addition of permanent hardness, needed to brew pale ales - basically adjusting the water to that of Burton-upon Trent, where the first pale ales were brewed, and involves adding natural salts to the water.
*session beer - a beer which people can have several pints of without feeling the worse for wear!
