Duchy Originals Winter Ale

Hurry to your nearest branch of Waitrose to snap up the latest Duchy Originals organic beer. It�s one that�s guaranteed to stave off the winter blues and chills. My bottle went to the wrong address, which is why I�m late writing about it, but don�t delay as it�s one of the finest new beers I have tasted for some time.

The beer is Duchy Originals Winter Ale, which weighs in at 6.2% abv. Duchy Originals is the organic food and drinks brand established by Prince Charles in 2003 and already includes Duchy Originals Organic Ale (5% abv), which is one of the best-selling organic beers in the country, stocked in Booths, Morrisons, Sainsbury�s, Waitrose and selected independent retailers.

Both organic beers are brewed for Duchy Originals by Wychwood Brewery and use a variety of malting barley, Plumage Archer, which disappeared in the 1950s. A seed merchant in Cambridge had kept some samples of the barley and it was grown organically on the prince's Highgrove Estate and surrounding farms. As well as Plumage Archer pale malt, Winter Ale is also brewed with organic rye and oats for richness and complexity of flavour. The hops include organic First Gold grown on the Hereford and Worcester border. It is the most successful of the new breed of hedgerow hops that grow to half the height of conventional varieties and are more resistant to pests and disease. The other hop used in organic Target grown near Paddock Wood in Kent. Winter ale is a warm amber/brown in colour and has a rich sultana fruit, biscuity malt and spicy hop aroma. Juicy malt, rich fruit and peppery hops fill the mouth, while the long and complex finish is bitter-sweet with creamy malt, a hint of toffee, rich dried fruit and bitter hop resins The beer is available in Waitrose during winter months, priced �1.89