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THE STORIES BEHIND THE NAMES

Here at Windswept, naming our beers is as hard as naming a child or pet. Agonising over each one, hoping it captures the personality of the beer.

Over the years we have used winds (which usefully link to our RAF aircraft roots), natural phenomenon as well as just the style to help us come up with a suitable moniker. For our dark beers however we look to our local history for inspiration.

To celebrate 1806, our seasonal stout for autumn, being back on the shelves, we thought we would just give a little insight to some of these stories.

 

WOLF
6.0% DARK SCOTTISH ALE

WOLF is a Windswept classic and has been brewed since 2013. It is named after the notorious Wolf of Badenoch who infamously burned down Elgin Cathedral back in 1390. Along with aromas and flavours of chocolate and coffee, this dark, strong ale also has a hint of bonfire toffee – a nod to the flames that destroyed the beautiful cathedral, whose ruins you can still visit today.
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1806
5.0% CLASSIC  SCOTTISH STOUT

Our brewery is situated in the coastal town of Lossiemouth where, over the centuries, fishing has been a key industry. On 25 December 1806, the small community of Stotfield sadly lost 21 men and boys who set out on a seemingly calm day to fish and were caught in a dreadful sudden storm, never to be seen again. Our Classic Scottish Stout is named in memory of this tragic event in our town’s history.
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WITCH PRICKER
4.2% DARK CHOCOLATE STOUT

In the 17th century witch pricking was a gruesome method to ‘identify’ witches using a metal needle to find the Devil’s Mark. Records show that in the nearby town of Forres, those found guilty were rolled down Cluny Hill in stout barrels. This local link and connection to stout led us to name our dark chocolate stout, Witch Pricker.
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We have several other dark beers in our range which you may also enjoy.

CLAVIE, our 5.5% smoked porter, which takes its name from the annual fire festival held each year in Burghead. It hits the shelves each year in December.

BEAR, our 10.2% Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout is not based in local history but instead is a nod to the Russian Emperor, Peter the Great who is said to have fallen in love with the British stout on a visit to England. Currently out of stock but due back by the end of the year.

We also have other beers from the WOLF family where we use this popular dark ale as a base to create other styles and flavours. The first is WEREWOLF which benefits from a good boost of habanero chili to fire up this chilli beer and is due out Mid October. Then we have the rather special barrel-aged WOLF OF GLEN MORAY range. Using casks from nearby distillery Glen Moray, this beer takes on the character and warmth of the whisky whilst still retaining the smooth, dark malt flavours.

Finally COFFEE PORTER which doesn’t have the exciting historical themed name but instead we are celebrating the hero of this ale – coffee – which we source from local roastery Speyside Coffee Roasting Co.

We are always looking for new inspiration so do get in touch if you have a good local historic tale to tell. Just email us at info@windsweptbrewing.co.uk

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