06/06/2026
GATOR JAW LOCKDOWN
// an english-style best bitter ale
With a southern drawl thicker than the low country humidity in mid-July, we’ve had some good laughs thinking about our dear friend “Bates” co-existing with the posh socialites in London, United Kingdom. When he told us he was leaving London to open Duration, a farm brewery in the English sticks, we knew he was going to feel right at home.
At the beginning of 2020, we were in the United Kingdom for a beer festival thrown by our very good friends at Cloudwater Brewing of Manchester, UK. On that trip, we were lucky enough to spend some time with Miranda and Bates, brewing with them at their incredible bucolic brewery in Norfolk.
On the last evening of the festival, let’s just say we had way too good of a time and ended up at a karaoke bar until the sun came up. With the roadtrip to Norfolk planned for that morning, some of us felt like we were blindfolded and kidnapped to the English countryside.
In spite of some of the obvious self-inflicted hardships from that trip, it represents some incredibly special and meaningful memories to us. With not being able to visit them through the pandemic, we decided to link up digitally to create and collaborate. In doing so, we managed to convince Bates that we should make an English-style best bitter. Y’all should really be glad we did.
You know how sometimes you don’t know something is missing from your life until it is cold and touches your lips? Yeah, this is that. Mashed with a unique blend of local malt for a super clean, crisp and biscuit-y profile. Delicately hopped with some extra choice, super sexy Wilamette . Fermented with a traditional English ale yeast for a full and round yet dry finish.
When checking in on these lovelies during the pandemic, Bates responded “locked down like a gators mouth”. Well it’s time to open up that mouth and knock back this interpretation of a best bitter.
Thankfully, years have passed by since the days of the lockdown and we are thrilled to be bringing this beer back into existence. Available in cans at all taprooms now!
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