In early summer next year, 12 relatively novice open water swimmers are taking on one very big adventure… to swim the notorious English Channel… and they need your support.
What started as an innocent cup of coffee and a quick catch up between friends back in late 2020, has now turned into the next big endurance challenge for the folk of the licensing and merchandising industry. In support of industry charity The Light Fund, 12 intrepid souls will attempt to swim (race), in relay format, across the English Channel, which just happens to be the busiest shipping lane in the world.
It’s unpredictable, it’s scary and it’s dangerous… what’s more some of it will be in the dark… given the length of time a Channel swim takes (18hrs+) and the rather elongated route that has to be taken to counteract tidal changes and to avoid nautical traffic.
So, that covers the 12 swimmers, two teams and two boats….but what about the beers? Well, among the many creative ways to raise funds for the challenge and ultimately the charity, one man took what was a passion and has turned it into a money-spinner for the challenge.
Perhaps the most novice of all the swimmers is Kevin Langstaff, who had the brilliant idea to follow one of his passions and turn it into a fundraiser. As a huge fan of craft beers, Kevin set about working with Another Beer, to create two brews which can be purchased in support of the challenge and have been named after the two boats – High Hopes and Optimist.
Another Beer is a micro-brewery based in the former Capaldi Ice Cream Factory in York that was started in 2019 by James Fawcett. James started brewing in a home-made unit in the garden of his shared house in London which gave him the passion and the realisation that he wanted to pursue brewing as a career. At the end of 2018, James relocated to ‘The North’ and Another Beer was born.
Another Beer launched with great success, selling its flagship 5% American Pale Ale across Yorkshire, Manchester and the Midlands, and was due to release its subsequent two beers just as the pandemic hit.
Luckily, the pandemic gave rise to a ‘support local’ movement, with many independents collaborating and sharing each other’s successes. It is here that Another Beer met Kevin though Instagram and, in a bid, to grasp all opportunities and to work with other creators/collaborations, Roxy Reeves from Another Beer responded to an Instagram call to sponsor this crazy challenge.
The brewing process is actually very scientific and not as gripping as one may think, so we won’t go into too much detail. It involves a lot of water, malted barley, yeast and then more importantly the different hops. This is what helps give each beer its unique flavour.
The two Channel swim beers are High Hops – a pale ale made from the Citra hop which gives a refreshing citrussy flavour – and Hoptimist, which is an American pale ale predominantly made with the Ekuanot hop, unsurprisingly from America, which gives it more of a dry finish.
The brew day itself is labour intensive, and the swimmers can look forward to getting their hands dirty lifting 25kg bags of grain into the mash tun, shovelling out that same grain once the ‘mash’ is complete while performing temperate, pH and gravity checks as well as sanitising and cleaning along the way.
It’s not all work though, as there is plenty of taste testing to be done, both of the current brew and that of the beer already fermenting in the tanks.
The High Hops Pale Ale 4% and Hoptimist American Pale Ale 5% are both available online now at www.anotherbeer.co.uk and are packaged in bespoke 440ml cans decorated with pictures of two of the swimmers in action and the challenge logo.
At least 50% of all profit goes directly to the charity, so the squad have one simple ask of you… to drink for charity… in moderation of course!
Both beers are first brewing in November of this year with despatch in December ready for Christmas. This is the perfect gift for colleagues/your staff/customers and yourself. It’s a true win win as every can sold gets us closer to our £250k fundraising total target.
On behalf of all the swimmers, James and Roxy we thank you for your support. Please head to www.anotherbeer.co.uk and find our unique and very tasty beers. Please order before 1 December to ensure pre-Christmas delivery.
