Limited Edition Best Bitter and Saison are Leeds craft brewery’s latest collaboration celebrating iconic Northern British brands.
Brewing giants Northern Monk are partnering with Ronseal on a beer release inspired by the iconic brand.
The Leeds-based brewery has created two “no-nonsense” craft beers, representing the brands’ shared ethos of simplicity and honesty – summed up by Ronseal’s ‘Does What It Says on the Tin’ ethos - simple, straightforward, honest beer.
Released in time for the Bank Holiday weekend, the limited-edition drinks feature Ronseal-inspired packaging, and have even been colour matched with real-life Ronseal Fence Life colours - ‘Medium Oak’ is a 4.5% Best Bitter, while ‘Harvest Gold’ is, naturally a Saison, coming in at 5.8% ABV.
Both beers are brewed with the highest quality malts and hops to deliver the perfect finish - just like Ronseal. They will retail in 440ml cans at £4.00 for the Best Bitter and £4.60 for the Saison from Tuesday 24th August via the brewery’s Webshop – northernmonkshop.com - and selected stockists.
Northern Monk has a long tradition of creating new and interesting beers, and has previously collaborated with Northern food & drink brands such as Henderson’s Relish, Seabrook Crisps and Aunt Bessie, to launch bespoke craft beers – but this collaboration with Sheffield’s Ronseal marks the first time Northern Monk has collaborated with a DIY brand.
Northern Monk Creative Lead, Thom Archer, says “The collaboration isn’t as unusual as it might seem at first.
With the craft beer industry growing so quickly in recent years, it’s gained a bit of a reputation for being a little bit silly in the pursuit of the new – and we’re definitely no stranger to the occasional daft experiment at Northern Monk.
“At its heart though, craft beer is all about caring about the end result, doing the job properly using the best tools available. Fellow Northerners Ronseal feel like kindred spirits with Northern Monk in that ethos - And when you boil it down, we’re both brands that make tins of brown liquid!
“Best Bitter is probably the no-nonsense style of beer, so that was a no-brainer, and brewing a Saison – beyond being an irresistible play on Ronseal’s iconic catchphrase – felt like a great opportunity to introduce this straightforward but less-known style to a new audience. With DIY in its DNA, the style was originally brewed by farmers with leftover fruit harvests and natural yeasts which give it a dry, carbonated finish similar to champagne, perfect for toasting a successful DIY project – talk about a perfect finish.”
Head Brewer, Brian Dickson, said “The team have worked hard to create a look and flavour that reflected Ronseal’s no-fuss approach.”
He says: “We’re great fans of Ronseal and their straightforward approach, and wanted to capture that with approachable beers that everyone could enjoy while highlighting our shared Northern no-nonsense sensibilities. We’ve combined choicest British Bullion & Ernest hops with Crystal Malt to create a classic, complex Best Bitter that delivers all the bread, toffee, and dried-fruit flavours you’d expect from an English bitter – a beer that does exactly what it says on the tin.”
Ronseal’s Senior Brand Manager, Tobie Lewis said “The team at Northern Monk have created a bespoke no-nonsense beer that fits really well with the Ronseal brand. We’re all about making DIY straightforward, so when Northern Monk approached us to create a like-minded beer using our Does Exactly What It Says on the Tin ethos, we couldn’t resist. It’s great to be celebrated in this way.
“It’s the final Bank Holiday of the year, and lots of people will be working on DIY projects at home and in their gardens, so they’ll want to reward themselves with a beer when they’ve completed their handiwork. Our Does Exactly What It Says on the Tin beer does just that – delivers a smooth, enjoyable beer that’s perfect for anyone wanting to relax. When you’ve done the hard work, you deserve a treat.”