With the festive season in full swing, we couldn’t resist talking about our latest seasonal brew, Insanity Claus — especially as this year we are celebrating ten years since it was first brewed.
What started as an idea a decade ago has turned into one of our most popular seasonal beers, one which we love to brew every year. Of course, it’s had some tweaks over the years, starting with an ABV of 5.0% and now sitting at 6.8% ABV, but the core elements of the beer haven’t changed much.
Rob, our head brewer, set about brewing Insanity Claus, following his love of dark Belgian Ales. Ideal for the festive season, this beer is packed with stone fruit and subtle spices, and did we say it’s one of our most popular seasonal beers?
The name, Insanity Claus, comes from a Groucho Marx Sketch from A Night at the Opera, where he talks about sanity claus — and our original artwork back in 2014 even referenced him in a Santa hat.
Knowing how popular this beer is, we decided to bottle it back in 2020, and then move it to cans in 2023, which also saw the can label undergo a refresh. We engaged with local illustrator Kieran Page, and we couldn’t be happier with the results. It has everything you’d expect from a festival label, snow, Christmas trees, and, of course, Santa.
Insanity Claus is now pouring in our first floor tap room, and at our sister venue, Isaacs on the Quay. Plus, don’t forget, you can purchase it in cans from our online shop so you can enjoy it in the comfort of your own home on Christmas Day.
Look out for our next seasonal brew, Grand Slammer, coming early next year….