Coopers Brewery has brought a historic touch to the 20th iteration of its Vintage Ale, using a special barley variety which is named after the original site of the family brewery.
The Coopers 2020 Vintage Ale features Leabrook barley, with the six generation family-owned brewery located at Leabrook in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs from 1881 to 2001, when it moved to its current site at Regency Park.
Coopers Managing Director and Chief Brewer, Dr Tim Cooper, said the Leabrook barley was the last variety released by the University of Adelaide under a barley development program long supported by Coopers.
“We wanted to create something special to mark the 20th Vintage,” Dr Cooper said.
“As well as being a tip of the hat to our original site, it’s also a tribute to the long association we enjoyed with the University of Adelaide and its barley program.
“While there is a strong historic theme to this Vintage, we’ve also embraced some new world hops in its creation and our expert brewing team has benefited from our state-of-the-art malting plant.
“The result is a finely balanced but robust brew with a delightful copper hue. The 2020 Vintage has a full malt flavour, combined with hints of nut and maple. This can be enjoyed straightaway or stored longer in the cellar for a special occasion.”
The Leabrook barley variety, grown on the eastern slopes of the Adelaide Hills, has been crafted by Coopers’ maltster Dr Doug Stewart into pale malt, to which crystal and wheat malt is added to create an authentic Vintage Ale with a special twist.
Like all Coopers ales, the 2020 Vintage Ale undergoes secondary fermentation and natural conditioning and the beer retains an alcohol level of 7.5 per cent ABV.