RHS Garden Bridgewater and University of Salford brew the perfect late summer beer

Using ingredients grown at RHS Bridgewater, specially selected to create unique flavours, the new beers are now available at the garden’s Bridgewater Cafe and The Old Fire Station café & bar at the University of Salford’s Peel Park campus.

 

The two new beers are a rhubarb & hibiscus sour - called Rambling Harvest Splendour and a lemon verbena pale, called Close to a Lemon. Both are lighter beers and under 4%. RHS Bridgewater is home to the official National Collection of Rhubarb and holds over 100 varieties, so the ingredient was a clear choice.

Head Brewer at Lark Hill, Jack Dixon, created the beers after consulting with experts from RHS Bridgewater and taking inspiration from a tour of the gardens, to decide on the flavours.

 

He said: “We were walking around the edible gardens chatting about availability, storage, and what ingredients would work best. We were keen to look at things that were in season and they could produce enough for us to impart a meaningful and present flavour to the beer. Rhubarb was an obvious first choice and marries perfectly with a sour, tart beer. Lemon Verbena has a strong citrus aroma, which has been a classic component of craft beer for a long time, and creates a lovely beer after a long walk in the gardens.  They are both very refreshing drinks and mirror the seasonality of the gardens.”

 

Matthew Taylor, Head Chef at RHS Garden Bridgewater, said: “We’re passionate about showcasing the incredible ingredients grown in our gardens, so it’s been exciting to work with Lark Hill Brewery to create these unique summer beers. The rhubarb and lemon verbena were both selected for their distinctive flavours and seasonal appeal, resulting in two refreshing beers that capture the essence of summer and offer visitors a new way to enjoy produce grown in the garden.”

 

Mike Brown, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the University of Salford, said: “The award-winning restaurant at RHS Bridgewater stocks some of our current beers including ‘Dreamed a Dream’, and ‘There is a Fountain’, and, building on the wider and long-established University and RHS partnership, we worked closely with Matthew and his team to develop ideas for these two new beers.  We’re very pleased with these beers and I’m sure visitors to RHS Garden Bridgewater and The Old Fire Station will find them very refreshing.  This is just the start of a longer-term partnership and we’re already discussing an autumn/winter beer.”

 

University of Salford Deputy Chief Executive Julie Charge added: “We are delighted to be forging ever stronger links between the University and the RHS.  We are both institutions in Salford who are here to serve the community and to help improve people’s lives. When creative teams work together the results are always interesting, and the beer is a great example of that. I look forward to seeing what comes next – and of course to trying the new brew as well!”

Academic links have been strong between the University and the RHS Garden since it opened; now other areas are benefitting from the combined expertise at both organisations.

 

The University’s Art Collection team introduced RHS Bridgewater to their first ever artist in residence Yan Wang Preston. The partners are now working on a major photography exhibition along with Open Eye Gallery which will open at Salford Museum and Art Gallery this Autumn.

Mental health wellbeing sessions for the University’s students are being developed with the help of RHS practitioners on campus and at RHS Bridgwater.

Plus the University is getting specialist advice from the RHS on planting schemes and garden areas as part of improvements to the University’s outdoor spaces, including for the soon-to-open roof garden on its flagship Thrive Health and Wellbeing Centre.