University and brewery toast sweet new creation
IT’S the ultimate “amber nectar” – a new beer brewed with secret ingredients, university expertise and honey from Cardiff
Mêl (Welsh for honey) is the creation of Bridgend’s Bang On Brewery and scientists at Cardiff University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Bang On Brewery founder, Neil Randle, and Professor Les Baillie teamed up to produce the 4% bottled beer using honey from the school’s Pharmabees project.
It has placed hives across Cardiff in a quest to find a therapeutic Welsh honey to rival New Zealand’s famous Manuka variety.
Neil said: “Les and I realised we could join forces to make a brew which combines the natural goodness of honey with scientifically identified botanicals.
“Les and his team have been heavily involved in working towards producing a super honey that combines science with nature.
“They’ve used scientific methods to identify which flora and fauna provide the best natural botanicals that can have a positive effect when consumed.
“In addition, 50 varieties of hops have also been tested to assess the antibacterial activity against human pathogens.”
Once the secret ingredients were established, Bang On Brewery’s Craig Jackson came up with a recipe to ensure the brew had the right taste and balance.
“We are not making health claims about the beer. It’s simply about producing a great taste,” said Craig.
“But we hope the collaborative project may well evolve into something that could change the culture of how beer is consumed in the longer term.”
The first batch of Bang On Mêl was launched at the BBC’s four-day Good Food Show running at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, before going on general sale. A share of the profits will go towards supporting pollinator and well-being projects across Wales.
Prof Baillie said: “This is our first product, and it’s very much a stepping stone on our way to develop an alcohol-free fermented adult drink, which we think will have mass market appeal.
“It also has the benefit of supporting the social enterprise we have set up to support pollinators,
. biodiversity and science, technology, engineering and mathematics training across the city.”
The label for the new 4% ABV beer describes the personification of Mêl as “A Pharmabee who is concerned about the world in which we live and is passionate about keeping that way for future generations”.