British Brewers Making Royal Wedding Their Business

Beer lovers celebrating the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at the end of this month will have several special brews to choose from as English brewers tout their ties the royal event.

The Windsor & Eton Brewery, for example, has come out with a Windsor Knot beer, which was created with barbecues and street celebrations in mind, Master brewer Paddy Johnson told Reuters.

"We tried to design a beer that's light in flavour and colour, so that it will appeal to a lot of people, but has also got a very memorable flavour to it," he said. Much like the royal wedding, in fact.

Windsor and Eton Director Will Calvert pointed out that the beer, available bottled and on tap, is a perfect fit for the royal wedding, with Windsor being Prince William’s surname and Eton being where he and his brother, Harry, went to school. One beer review describes the taste, fittingly, as "sweet."

Meanwhile, JW Lees brewery, based in Middleton, Manchester, is using the bride’s surname as the basis for a celebratory brew, Middleton’s, that features a photo of the royal couple on the label. The beer is available at JW Lees pubs, the Manchester Evening News reported.

"This is an opportunity for everyone from the community to get behind the royal wedding. It’s a fine-quality product like the people who are getting married and it’s good to celebrate the occasion," said head brewer Michael Lees-Jones.

The beer doesn’t stop there, though. Brewer Greene King has also created a Celebration Ale in honor of the nuptials. 

"We hope that Britain's national drink, real ale, will be on offer at the royal wedding reception," Greene King Brewing & Brands Managing Director Euan Venters said.

If the royals want real ale, they will also be able to choose from Adnams Southwold’s Royal Wedding Ale and Better Half ale from Wadworth brewery in Devizes, Wiltshire.

Other royal wedding brews on tap include Kiss Me Kate, a pale beer from Nottingham’s Castle Rock Brewery that head brewer Adrian Redgrove said is "elegant, tasteful and British to the core," and Marston’s Brewery’s Perfect Union — a brew approved by the Duke of Kent, no less.