Sadler’s Brewing Co. are proud to announce their newest seasonal beer – an Onion Bhaji Pale Ale, “Argy Bhaji.”

What started as a joke between brewers about changing a recipe of a Sadler’s favourite to include onion chutney rather than marmalade in our Marmalade Pale Ale, Boris Citrov, grew into a recipe people were eager to trial!

“Boris Citrov, our Marmalade Pale ale is a very popular product of ours. We add a marmalade to the brew to create its unique taste. We (the brewers) were chatting one day about possible new beers using the boris citrov method of adding ingredients you don’t traditionally brew with, someone made a joke about adding onion chutney and it grew from there…. What initially started as a joke, grew into a recipe we were itching to try”

– Steve Robinson, Sadler’s Brewer.

What does it taste like?

Sadler’s took a traditional pale ale recipe and added a modern twist.This curious new 4.6% pale ale starts with a soft, sweet, thin mouth feel but gradually grows into sweet but subtle red onion flavours with a gentle but noticeable spice.

How do they make it?

The recipe is essentially pretty simple. It’s a pale honey coloured ale, with a light orange glow which is caused by the addition of turmeric at the end of boil and we use British hops, First Gold and Pilgrim for a subtle earthy bitterness.

“To tone down the taste of onion in the brew we first smoke 5kg of red onions with a little water and sugar. This creates a  sweet smoky jam that will go in 10 mins from the end of the boil.”

Some other notable ingredients include grated ginger, fresh coriander, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and a single Scotch Bonnet. But the real star of the show is the Coriander Seeds. They’re rich in essential oils which are similar to those found in the Citra hop. The finish brew has a IBU of C35, which goes to show how sweet this beer is.

Where can I get it?

Argy Bhaji has been trialed in all of our venues and although it’s usually tried out of pure curiosity, its unique flavour has caused quite a stir.

“I love it! It’s the ultimate session beer” said one customer of our Harborne Taproom

“Smokey, sweet and spicy – what’s not to like? ” said another at our Quinton Taproom

If you’d like to try Sadler’s Argy Bhaji, it’s available nationwide from today, April 1st, until noon…