Cheers to Rotherham Day with launch of official beer

Rotherham Day attendees will be feeling 'ale' and hearty - after Chantry Brewery announced it is launching its own official beer.

Recently the subject of national media attention after a visit from Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, Chantry has created a special Rotherham Pale for the big day on September 18.

Straight from the brewery at the Gateway Industrial Estate in Parkgate, the 4 per cent proof ale will go on sale in more than 20 pubs, clubs and bars across the borough from Monday, September 7.

Rotherham Day is set to bring together businesses, charities, schools, community groups, sports clubs and residents from across the borough.

Plans for the inaugural event were announced earlier this year at a special event attended by charity, business, community, sport and education leaders at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

They joined Rotherham United honorary life president John Breckin, TMP Mortgage Network chief executive Scott Thorpe and managing director Nick Jenkinson, who said the aim was for the day to expand year by year and become a “game-changer” for the town, with activities and events across the borough.

The motto of the day is 'honouring the past, celebrating the present and inspiring the future.'

Now the special day will have its own welcome refreshment during the day-long celebration of the borough– and AESSEAL communications manager Andrew Mosley went along to check on its progress.

He said: “With hints of lemongrass and mango, the beer will be the latest addition to Chantry’s award-winning range.

“The eight-hour brewing process had already started when I arrived to watch director Kev Warburton and brewer Nigel Daniels work their magic.

“Crushed grains were steeping (mashing) in hot water to change the starch into a sugary liquid called wort, before being fed through to the copper to be boiled and sterilized, with the first hops, in this case the dual-purpose First Gold, added for flavour.

“I am told First Gold has an aroma profile of geranium, magnolia, apricot, tangerine and orange marmalade – a great start!

“Kev says the majority of the flavour will come from the late hop, Styrian Wolf, which offers a clean floral bitterness, and provides notes of citrus and tropical fruit.

“The liquid is then left to cool down, and yeast is added during the fermentation process, turning the sugar into alcohol over five to ten days.

“It then goes into the conditioning room where the yeast is extracted and the finished product is filtered, carbonated and run off into kegs.

“There’s far more science involved than I anticipated with exact temperatures adhered to and readings taken throughout the process, which will determine whether the strength of the beer is correct.

“The whole thing can be messy work, but the tanks are spotlessly clean, with Nigel telling me: 'I get in there and clean them out. It takes about 20 minutes and it’s like having a sauna it’s so hot.'

As Kev runs the Rotherham Pale through into the kegs, I get a sense of the aroma of the beer, which is, by the way, gluten free.

“I can’t wait to try it!”

Other events planned for Rotherham Day include a family celebration at the Edward Dunn Memorial Hall in Maltby, an open day at Rotherham Hockey Club, free historical walks around the town with guides from Rotherham District Civic Society, free football sessions, and red celebrations at the Dragon’s Tap at The Stag.

A red envelope hunt with prizes and vouchers will be held at Parkgate Shopping, discounts will be available from Staniforth’s bakers, and charity events will be staged across the borough, while workers throughout the town have pledged to wear red and decorate their businesses.