Buxton Brewery 'Yellow Belly' Imperial Stout

OUR CELEBRATED COLLABORATION WITH... OMNIPOLLO, (STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN). A BOLD AND OUTSPOKEN PEANUT BUTTER & BISCUIT IMPERIAL STOUT, HOWEVER, IT IS BREWED WITHOUT PEANUT BUTTER OR BISCUIT.

The Rainbow Project challenge created by Siren Craft Brew (Wokingham, UK), brings together 14 breweries to make 7 collaborative beers themed on the colours of the rainbow. In 2014, we drew ‘Yellow’ out of the hat and were paired up with the Stockholm based Omnipollo.

We all sat down and discussed what we could brew based on the idea of ‘Yellow’. After some time, we arrived at the consensus that the prime meaning or idea expressed by the colour yellow is cowardice. Our next challenge was to transpose this idea, and our sentiments around it, into a beer.

The political situation throughout Europe was in turmoil at the time, National Front, Sverigedemokraterna, British National Party, EDL, Dank Folkeparti, Vlaams Belong, Lega Nord, Fremsrittspartiet, Saanfinländarna, Golden Dawn…the list goes on and on. From Omnipollo’s Henok Fentie; “One thing that struck us while the preliminary political polls were being presented during election night was that the actual support for the Swedish fascist party was in reality 40% higher than what people had disclosed when asked (face to face) what they voted for just after casting their ballot.  At the same time the polls were more or less accurate when it came to other parties on the political scale.”  What does this mean? One thing that it could mean is that although people vote extreme right they are on average not as prone to admitting to it as people voting for other parties are.  Being a coward can mean many different things, but protesting anonymously at the expense of people’s freedom and right to co-exist without showing your face is one meaning that is particularly relevant at this moment in time.

So, with all this in mind, for our ‘Yellow’ beer, we made an 11% Peanut Butter and Biscuit Imperial Stout. Except there are no peanuts or biscuits in it, and it is in no way yellow. We then dressed it in the most hateful, cowardly-anonymous costume we know of.

This beer, whilst attempting to make a commentary on the current political winds blowing through Europe, is above all, meant to be enjoyed as a celebration of all things new, open minded and progressive.

Taste, enjoy and don’t be prejudiced.

ABV: 11%