Mind Games
Thornbridge
Regular price £9.00
Unit price per
Country
UK
Style
Saison
Size
375ml
%ABV
8.5
From Thornbridge:
Mind Games is a collaboration with our good friends at Firestone Walker Brewing Company. We knew we wanted to produce a barrel-aged beer, and while Matt Brynildson, their head brewer, was working in Europe last year, we took the chance to travel to Bordeaux together for some inspiration. Whilst there, we met up with Alex Sakon of ASC Barrels and together we toured the region’s Chateaux, Coopers and Cognac distilleries in search of inspiration for a new beer. We had thought we had decided on the beer we wanted and the Cognac barrels we were going to age it in; however, just as we were leaving the barrel yard, a chance encounter with a truckload of freshly emptied gin barrels changed our minds! As soon as we smelt the inside of them, we knew we wanted to use these to create something unique.
We both agreed that a strong Saison-style beer would work best for this project, so we brewed a classic version, using Savinjski Goldings hops and three different Saison yeast strains. It’s not often we get to make a Saison here at Thornbridge, so it was with great pleasure that we propagated the three different yeast strains and perfected a very gentle spice mix for the boil. After fermentation, we racked the beer straight into the gin barrels, where it stayed for 8 months in total, gaining a touch of oakiness and pleasant gin character. With Matt working hard in Belgium, samples had to make their way in the post so he could check on the beers development! Often with ageing projects, there can be a lot of difference between each barrel, but this time however, there was surprisingly little variation, which simplified the blending process considerably. On the final tasting, we did notice that we wanted a touch more acidity, so we added a small proportion of kettle-soured beer to balance the final pH. We finally bottled it with Champagne yeast, aiming for a fairly high carbonation (as is traditional for a Saison).
We’re really happy with the result and very pleased we can finally release the beer. As for tasting notes, Mind Games is an almost bright, golden colour with initial peppery notes of chamomile and candied orange. Classic Saison estery characteristics of lemon, pineapple and vanilla come through on the palate, with a gentle impression of juniper and toasted oak.
styles/Sub styles
flavours
Delivery Info
Shipping Policy
1) CLICK & COLLECT
When checking out choose the following option on the Shopping Cart page: ‘Store Pickup (Free)’. Then select the shop you wish to collect from.
Choose your collection day from the box below. Please note the latest collection date permitted is 14 days from the time you place your order.
Orders placed before 9am Monday can be collected from Tuesday anytime between our opening hours. Orders placed after 9am Monday and before 9am Thursday can be collected anytime after 4pm Thursday.
Cask ale pre-orders must be placed before 5pm Wednesday for collection after 4pm Thursday. Orders placed after 5pm Wednesday will be ready to collect the following week from 4pm Thursday.
Orders must be collected within 14 days unless agreed beforehand.
2) SHIPPING
A) LOCAL DIRECT DELIVERY
We charge a flat fee of £4.95 (or free on orders over £40) for direct delivery to all Hertfordshire postcodes. For local delivery choose ‘Local Delivery (Hertfordshire)’ from the Shopping Cart page.
Then enter your postcode to check if you are eligible for local delivery. If your postcode is eligible you can proceed to checkout. *See below a list of Hertfordshire towns included in our local delivery area.
Orders placed before 9am Monday will be delivered Monday to Wednesday (most will be delivered Monday but some will be done on Tuesday or Wednesday during busy periods). Orders placed before 9am Thursday will be delivered Thursday to Friday (most will be delivered Thursday but some will be done on Friday during busy periods).
Cask ale pre-orders must be placed before 5pm Wednesday for delivery the same week on Thursday. Orders placed after 5pm Wednesday will be delivered the following week on Thursday.
B) UK WIDE VIA COURIER
We charge a flat fee of £6.95 for delivery within the UK mainland (excluding the Scottish Highlands and Northern Ireland). For UK mainland (excluding the Scottish Highlands and Northern Ireland) deliveries choose ‘UK Wide Shipping’ on the Shopping Cart page.
We can ship to the Scottish Highlands however due to the increased shipping costs for delivery to these areas we charge a higher fee of £16.95. For Scottish Highlands deliveries choose ‘Shipping - Scottish Highlands’ on the shipping method page. Please note free shipping is not applicable to the Scottish Highlands.
We are currently unable to ship orders outside of these areas (including Northern Ireland).
Orders (excluding physical gift card orders which are sent via Royal Mail 1st Class Signed For - please allow up to 5 working days for delivery) are shipped on Mondays and Thursdays on a next day delivery service. Orders placed before 9am on Monday will be shipped Monday for next day delivery and orders received after, but before 9am Thursday, will be shipped Thursday for next day delivery.
Most UK mainland deliveries will arrive the next working day once shipped, however please allow 2-3 working days for unexpected delays. Orders shipped to the Scottish Highlands may have longer delivery times.
Deliveries are made Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.
If you have any queries regarding your delivery please contact us.
For our full terms & conditions including returns please click here.
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