To celebrate the UK’s first ever National Cask Ale Week, Adnams is bringing back a much-loved classic - Adnams Extra Special Bitter. Known to its fans simply as ‘Adnams Extra’, the beer was crowned the Champion Beer of Britain at the Great British Beer Festival in 1993.
According to Rob Flanagan, Sales Director at Adnams, “Adnams is fully supporting Cask Ale Week and wanted to celebrate the occasion by bringing back one of our old favourites. Adnams Extra Special Bitter has reached near cult status amongst Adnams fans who remember the beer with great fondness, we are sure they will be delighted to hear that it is returning. We also hope that resurrection of Adnams Extra will create a buzz of interest in Cask Ale Week for those who have not tried it before.”
On the news that Adnams is brewing its Extra Special Bitter again, Roger Protz, Editor of the Good Beer Guide comments, “I'm delighted to hear that Adnams is to brew Extra again. It deservedly won the Champion Beer of Britain Gold award in 1993. It is an uncompromisingly hoppy and bitter beer, a hymn of praise to that marvelous English hop variety, the Fuggle, famous for its intense earthy bitterness -- the Sauvignon of the hop world. Extra is brewed with the finest Maris Otter pale and crystal malts. Following the copper boil with hops, the beer then lies on a deep bed of Fuggles to absorb even greater hop aroma and flavour. The finished beer has a pronounced malt, fruit and hop character and is wonderfully quenching and rewarding to drink. A classic!” Roger Protz
Cask Marque has teamed up with CAMRA and The Independent Family Brewers of Britain, to launch the first ever National Cask Ale Week. Held during Easter 6 – 13 April 2009 it will include a week of campaigning across the UK to promote the importance and pleasures of drinking real ale in pubs. The week will provide essential support for community pubs whilst also promoting real ale as the unique selling point for the British pub. In addition to launch Adnams Extra Special Bitter, the company is supporting the week with a number of events and activities throughout East Anglia and London.