Beer Burnley Watermelon Crush (with Local Brewing Co) & Wit Me Away

The perennial fruit gatherers at Burnley are back plundering trees again. For their second Fruits of our Labour collaboration with Local Brewing Co, who use beer to provide meals to those in need through their partnership with SecondBite (and recently rebranded from A Local Beer), they follow their banana bread brown ale with Watermelon Crush. Again, the beer makes use of sourdough bread destined for the bin and, while watermelon is often showcased in sours, here it’s found in a hazy pale, where the distinctive flavour is joined by some lifted citrus thanks to Citra and Mosaic hops.

Wit Me Away, on the other hand, contains fruit too but the beer has its feet far more comfortably placed in tradition than a watermelon-laced hazy. The Belgian witbier is made with orange peel, coriander and nutmeg and is entirely the work of Burnley brewer Giulia Smith; not just the recipe but the can design and transportive name too. It’s funny how cyclical the beer world can appear at some times: here’s a beer that’s hazy, incredibly pale, has a creamy mouthfeel, and is made with adjuncts from the kitchen pantry yet still can be considered a classic style. Spicy and floral thanks to both the Belgian yeast and the actual spices, Wit Me Away also brings notes of citrus zest and finishes with a gripping bitterness.

Will Ziebell