Tyne Bank and Brewdog Newcastle team up for #CollabFest2014

Busy bees from Brewdog Newcastle and the city’s Tyne Bank Brewery have joined forces to produce the North East’s representative for the Scottish firm’s #CollabFest2014.

Brewdog’s second annual bar beer festival has seen each of its 16 bars around the UK working with a local brewer to produce a collaboration beer.

And on Saturday – which for Tyneside drinkers is the same day as Craft Beer Calling and the Sour Beer Weekend – the pair’s apricot and honey infused 6.5% ABV US hopped amber will hit taps across the country.

“The team from the Newcastle bar on Dean Street came down to the brewery last month,” said Tyne Bank’s Sam Capper, whose dad provided the honey from his family’s beehives.

“It was a great day and the Brewdog staff got fully involved with the brew, including digging out the substantial amount of spent grain needed for such a strong beer.

“The beer is hopped with El Dorado, a relatively new breed of American hop which has a subtle bitterness and flavours which enhance the apricots.

“And this bitterness is balanced with bucket loads of honey which blends seamlessly with the fruit, resulting in a complex flavour which unwinds as you drink the beer.

“The beer is cheekily named Amba Necta, spelt so as to avoid certain copyright infringements.”

The Tyne Bank team will be at Brewdog’s Newcastle on Saturday from around 4pm, and will host a tasting of their new #CollabFest2014 beer at 6pm.

“Never before have so many collaboration beers been unveiled by one brewery at one time anywhere in the world,” claimed Brewdog co-founder James Watt.

“This mammoth beer feast is unifying the awesome breweries that are redefining the UK beer scene. From British brewing powerhouses to young mavericks bursting onto the scene, CollabFest will showcase the ingenuity and creativity of the greatest brewers this country has to offer.

“Collaboration is the cornerstone of the craft beer industry and this project is the perfect way to celebrate how far the UK beer scene has come. With exciting new craft breweries launching every week, CollabFest is a testament to how craft beer fever has swept the nation, and the growing demand from the Great British public for better beer.”

The other collaborations for #CollabFest2014, which will also be available on Brewdog Newcastle’s newly refurbished, 32 font bar, are between:

• BrewDog Aberdeen & Cromarty Brewing Co
• BrewDog Birmingham & Quantum 
• BrewDog Bristol & Wild Beer Co
• BrewDog Camden & Pressure Drop
• BrewDog Cardiff & Celt Experience
• BrewDog Clapham Junction & Brodie’s
• BrewDog Dundee & Alechemy
• BrewDog Edinburgh & Tempest Brewing Co
• BrewDog Glasgow & Fyne Ales
• BrewDog Leeds & Ilkley Brewery
• BrewDog Manchester & Tickety Brew
• BrewDog Nottingham & Buxton Brewery
• BrewDog Sheffield & Red Willow
• BrewDog Shepherd’s Bush & Lovibonds
• BrewDog Shoreditch & Five Points