Black Swan, Oldstead Collaboration: "Verbalist"

If you follow what we do here at Turning Point, you’ll probably be aware that we love to collaborate with other breweries, however, occasionally, we get to work with people outside of our brewing circle, too.

We are especially proud to share details of a collaboration we have made with, and for, the Black Swan, Oldstead. This is our first collaboration with a restaurant, and not just any restaurant. The Black Swan is a Michelin-starred, 4 AA Rosette restaurant by renowned chef Tommy Banks.

When we got word from James Banks that they wanted to work with us, we were very excited, as the Black Swan has been on our radar for some time, and we are aware of their incredible reputation. Aron and I drove up to meet James and the team, to talk through the prospect of a collaborative beer. We were taken on a tour through their grounds, where they grow much of their produce used in the restaurant, and allowed to try a wide variety of herbs, spices, and fruits.

We were both drawn to lemon verbena, an ingredient that they have used in beer before, and we can see exactly why! It has such a beautiful, bright, and zingy lemon flavour, without being too acidic or overwhelming. We wanted to take the depth of this flavour a step further and pair it with camomile, which they also grow on their farm.

The resulting beer is VERBALIST. A truly refreshing aperitif of a beer, at a very drinkable 4.5% ABV. Lemon verbena and camomile are paired with Simcoe and Mosaic hop varieties, for a citrus kick.