Vanberg & DeWulf Bringing Green Jack Brewery To The U.S.

We are really excited to announce that  for the 1st time we are offering British Ales, and we couldn’t be prouder than to start with the Green Jack Brewery in Lowestoft, UK.  Not only is it the easternmost brewery in England, but also one  of the most decorated craft brewers in Britain  today. Good news for all of you who have been waiting for them since January, the beers have arrived!

There is no doubt  about the importance and deliciousness of  British Ales.  However, we have always shied away  from  importing them because  as good as they are, they’re difficult shippers.  Most British Ales are not re-fermented in the bottle (re-fermentation being very important to reducing oxidation) and  they are lighter  under 6%  ABV, (alcohol being an effective flavor  preservative).  Our whole raison d’etre is to select  beers that offer 99.9% the same flavor experience in the US that they do in their home market.  The most happy news is in Green Jack Rippa we have found a true, great, British tasting ale that does just that.  It ships in bottle as well as any Belgian beer we import.  And importantly, the other Green Jack ales coming on this first shipment are in KeyKegs. This means they are virgin filled, with the lowest possible oxygen pick-up.  No gas can ever touch the beer, burning off the wonderful, delicate, nuanced malt and hop flavors that are the heart of Real British Ales.  By offering Green Jack Ales only in KeyKeg, we all can guarantee our customers that they’re drinking  exactly what Tim Dunford, Master Brewer at Green Jack,  brewed and nothing else.  It’s  as close as you can get to drinking  Green Jack in a pub in Lowestoft.

In the spring of 2012 we received a box of Green Jack beers at our place in Ghent. The beers were so lovely and characterful that we resolved to pay the brewer a visit at the end of our Belgian sojourn. The storybook impression made by our destination was highlighted by the route we took: from Ghent to Reyjkjavik to Florence to Copenhagen to Esberg and by overnight ferry to Harwich then along the North Sea coast of East Anglia to Lowestoft, the most easterly point in the United Kingdom. The Green Jack Brewery (6000 hectoliter) is installed in a former herring smokehouse at the end of Love Lane.  Therein Tim Dunford, the idiosyncratic, playful and witty founder/brewer produces a stunning range of small batch, site-specific, Belgian-influenced beers. They’re not widely distributed (mainly sold in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge) but real ale cognoscenti prize them for their balance, originality and finesse. The UK’s foremost cellarman, Mark Dorber, in whose company we enjoyed them at his Anchor Pub in Walberswick, numbers among them.

Cheers,
Don & Wendy

Please note that on this shipment only Green Jack’s RIPPA is available in 75 cl bottles (swing top 6 per case) AND 30 liter KeyKegs. All the other beers are 30 liter KeyKeg only.