My earliest memory of beer was gifted to me by my Grandad. Each week my Grandparents would take my brother and I to the local working men's club after our homecooked, garden sourced Sunday lunch for the afternoon's bingo. A place full of ex miners and their families brandishing their dobbers.
This was the late 80s and the beer scene although not being perceptive to it at the time, or indeed old enough to drink, consisted of macro brewed and regional family brewed beer often served on keg "creamflow" dispense. However the club did have Bass , and my Grandad would order for me a Bass shandy. No doubt predominantly lemonade with a splash of Bass. However I do recall developing quite an appetite for this beverage and looked forward to my weekly visit.
At the time I had no idea that this beer was Bass, or that it was a top fermented ale. To me I just enjoyed the taste of it mixed with lemonade. Shortly after this discovery I found myself at a pub in a sunny Trent Lock with my Dad, and on asking me what I would like to drink I confidently declared "shandy"! My suspicions were aroused when he exited the pub with a drink that looked nothing like what I was accustomed to, significantly paler and on the first sip was outraged at the unrecognisable taste. You guessed it, whether my Dad ordered it or not, what I ended up with was a Lager shandy. This was the pivotal moment that sparked my interest in beer.
Fast forward many years and armed with more knowledge on the subject of beer, my favourite style was assertively hopped pale ales. Favourites at the time (early 00s) where Old Empire, White Shield and Fuller's Bengal Lancer. This was just prior to the explosion of punchy US hops such as Citra into the UK brewing scene.
As you will likely be aware Fuller's sold the brewing arm of their business in 2019 and at the end of 2024 the company that took on the brewery discontinued Bengal Lancer. When I heard this I knew I had to brew a tribute to this beer. I'm not often one for nostalgia but with so much of the UK brewing legacy and history being decimated on what seems a daily basis it seemed the perfect opportunity for our first cask special of 2025.
Armed with Mitch Steele's fantastic IPA book which I knew had a recipe for Bengal Lancer provided by legendary Derek Prentice we took on the task to brew our tribute to Bengal Lancer. A pale malt base with the addition of medium crystal for an orange glow we have hopped with Goldings and Fuggle on the hotside and Golding and Target cold side and fermented with a British ale yeast*. Mirrors a 5.3% English IPA will be available in cask from the end of March 2025.
*Malt from Simpsons and Bairds maltings. Hops from Hukins Hops. Yeast Lallemand Windsor.