A LOCAL brewery is putting its own stamp on Tavistock Pride again this year by creating a new, exclusive drink in honour of the event.

The Stannary Brewery is creating 1000 litres of a unique, dry-hopped lager using a German yeast, an English lager malt and an American hop in celebration of Pride on July 1, which will be available for approximately two weeks from Monday, June 26 in a wealth of local venues in and around Tavistock. Last year, the brewery collaborated with Tavi Pride organisers for the first ever event and made a light pale ale.

Julu Irvine and Heg Brignall, key organisers of Tavi Pride, said: ‘We’re so delighted to collaborate with the Stannary again. When coming up with a different drink this year, we were thinking about what everyone at festivals or outdoor events in the summer would like and decided on a cold lager. It’s fantastic to see venues selling this, supporting both Pride and the Stannary.’

The brewing process involves six bags of malt, pouring these into a mixer with water, testing the temperature and pH until reaching a balance of 5.5 (almost neutral) and 65 to 66 degrees to ensure the final product has an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 4.2 percent. From there, malted barley crusts need to part at the correct temperature to allow starch sugars to be released, with hot water then sprayed over the top to rinse them out. After boiling, hops are added at the end and the finished product fills both kegs and cans proudly sporting a newly designed Pride logo for this year.

Chris John, co-owner of the Stannary Brewery, said: ‘We were looking for something both sessionable and smashable in the summer, perfect for this recent hot weather. Julu and Heg often visit the brewery and we always want to support everything they’re doing. Everything these girls touch they’ve worked magic with.’

Following the main festival event in the Meadows this year, the brewery will be having an after party with live music.

Heg and Julu said: ‘There will be so many people descending on Tavi and there’s a lot going on — it’s beneficial for everyone. This is about inclusivity and representation, especially for young people. We have young musicians and singer-songwriters performing on our acoustic stage and a dedicated youth and family zone this year too.’

Businesses throughout Tavistock are continuing to demonstrate support, with over 120 having already organised flags to be flown and stickers to be displayed in windows from or before Monday, June 26. From this date, a Pride Guide PDQ will be available on the Tavi Pride website, detailing different stalls and activities on the day with a rundown of timings, also listing all friendly and welcoming venues in town that will be continuing the party. The website can be found at:https://tavipride.org