Molson Coors, the Canadian-American brewing giant that owns the former Bass breweries in Burton-on-Trent, is testing the temperature of the cask beer market with a new beer, Red Shield. The name indicates the company is cashing in on the success of Worthington's White Shield, the legendary bottle-conditioned India Pale Ale that was first brewed in Burton in the 19th century.
Red Shield is 4.2% and is still being tweaked by head brewer Steve Wellington until the company is satisfied with all aspects of the beer -- colour, aroma and flavour. It will replace Draught Bass in the Molson Coors' portfolio. It's an indication of the curious state of the brewing industry in Britain that Draught Bass is owned not by Bass's successor but by AB InBev, which gets Marston's to brew the beer a couple of miles up the road from the old Bass breweries.
Red Shield is a genuine pale ale, brewed only with pale malt. The hops are English Bramling Cross and two American varieties, Cascade and Centennial. A large amount of late hops are used at the end of the copper boil for additional aroma and flavour. The beer has a tangy citrus fruit aroma plus a delicious hint of pear fruit. Steve Wellington doesn't want to overpower the aroma with citrus as he feels American hops can offer too much grapefruit on the nose and palate. The fruitiness is balanced by a fine juicy malt note. The beer has honeyed malt, tart fruit and hop resins in the mouth followed by a finish that, in typical Burton fashion, balances sweet malt and tangy, bitter hops. Red Shield has 18 units of bitterness.
Meanwhile, production of White Shield has been moved to the historic North Brewery within the Molson Coors complex to keep up with demand.