Northern Irish craft brewer revives 17th century beer

A Northern Irish craft brewery has developed a unique beer from a recipe dating back to the 17th century.

Walled City Brewery, which is based in Londonderry, has created a taste of history in the shape of a beer that was enjoyed in 1689, the date of the historic siege of Londonderry.

James Huey, the founder of Walled City Brewery, discovered the recipe for '1689' that was originally found in the home of George Walker, the city's governor. He found it in the city's archives.

Mr Huey, also the small craft company's head brewer, says those who found the recipe thought it was "an elixir, a miracle beer, and used to treat all manner of ailments". It's now proving popular with local people and tourists who relish the historic connections.
He has already launched 'Boom', a beer that's also linked to the siege and 'Stitch', which celebrates the city's history as a global centre of shirt manufacturer, an industry that's largely disappeared.

"We really wanted to make a connection between the city and the brewery," he adds.
"I spent a lot of time in the library looking up archives to see if there was a brewing or distilling heritage. But I landed on, just by pure chance, an account of the Siege of Derry in July 1689.

"I read that the inhabitants of the city were at the end of their tether and an angry mob decided to get together and search Governor Walker's quarters.

"Within the quarters they found accounts of beer and bread. Governor Walker wasn't meant to be hoarding anything. Plus he was an Anglican minister so he wasn't meant to be drinking alcohol. It was quite a pivotal moment in the siege.

"The mob found what was a very ancient beer style that I had never come across, I started researching this beer and as it turns out it was a very popular beer in the 15th and 16th centuries, but it vanished in the 17th century. It was very much seen as an elixir or a tonic. So Governor Walker would have been drinking this and all the historical accounts say that it was used to treat ailments such as lingering distemper and toothache. It was like a miracle beer."

The new beer has taken him two to three years to recreate. For one thing it's a very strong beer - 11 percent alcohol content, whereas most beers are 4-6 percent. It's also infused with herbs and spices.

He adds: "The third thing was that it was put in a whiskey barrel for two years with 10 uncracked eggs, which is just bizarre. Those things together produce a very unusual style and taste of beer."

The company has also launched Northern Ireland's first brewing academy.