The Duke

Origin Story

Our head brewer in Bellaire, Ryan Hale, has cranked out some incredible beers this year! Amazing new conceptual beers and some of the tastiest versions of our beloved Short's classics. Therefore, the timing seemed perfect for one of his very own new R&D beers to be ready to go for the party on Saturday. As we saw in March, brewers can incorporate different methods during the conditioning of a beer in an effort to create pleasant nuances that enhance certain characteristics exemplifying stylistic guidelines and definitions. Seen frequently among European brewers, practices like Nitrogen infusion in styles like Irish Red Ales and Stouts, impart differences in appearance and mouthfeel that allow these beers to stand out from their CO2 conditioned counterparts. Nitrogen conditioning is not a required practice for any of these beers, it has merely become expected and anticipated by beer fans who have fallen in love with these styles. Another beer that has gotten notoriety from similar gas substitution practices is a Nitrogen infused English Extra Special Bitter (ESB). This practice is not seen in all ESB's, but there are a few traditional English brewers who consistently produce this beer style under these conditions. A common belief for why they would choose this alternative carbonation is that it characterizes the more traditional cask version of this ale, which was how this beer would have been showcased historically. Ryan always being a fan of historical brewing styles, thought this would be a really cool one for us to try. We have only made one ESB prior to this new beer (Autumn Ale) and already have the Nitrogen draft pouring capabilities in place from Uncle Steve's and Irish Red, so Ryan got the green light to brew "The Duke", his English inspired nitrogen infused ESB.