TWO Scottish brewers claim to have invented the world’s first Buckfast beer.
Ben Bullen and Barry Robertson, from Edinburgh, created the new brew by mixing a bottle of Buckfast with 100 litres of ale, and a dose of sugary Scottish tablet.
The pair, who work at Elixer Brew Company, say their product is already proving a hit with customers, with orders placed from wholesalers, off-licenses and other pubs.
The duo, who have called their product ‘Benedictine Groove’ will sell their Buckfast-infused beer for £3.80 a pint.
The end result is an original tipple with hints of port, caramel and spice with a smokey aftertaste
Barry, 33, said: “We realise there is a reputation that goes along with Buckfast but the final result is a long way from the original.
“It’s a concept beer with delicious notes and that port flavour really comes out.”
The creative brewer said the secret to the new pint involve a curious cocktail of mixing the syrupy drink with ale while also adding helpings of sugary tablet.
The end result is an original tipple with hints of port, caramel and spice with a smokey aftertaste.
It also leaves in the caffeine kick that was the focus of the Benedictine monks who invented Buckfast in the 1890s – and who the new drink is also named after.
However rather than being a mind-altering 15% proof as seen in one bottle, the new pints boast a gentlemanly 5.5%.
Barry added: “Hopefully people won’t drink it the same way as they do Buckfast – and that’s pretty unlikely given that it’s only 5.5% and will probably be a bit more expensive.”
Co-creator Ben, who also works as a podiatrist, said he is sure the drink will prove to be so popular that it will become a best-seller.
He said: “At the moment we are just selling a few bottles but if it takes off we could be making thousands of bottles every day.
“We think it’s a great beer and we’d certainly like to see everyone drinking Benedictine Groove one day.
“We’re hoping to establish ourselves as an experimental brewery, trying different brews from scratch.
“The Buckfast beer has worked really well and we haven’t had any exploding bottles yet.”
The next drink the pair are experimenting with is a kind of stout made from milk.
Last year Brownings the bakers in Kilmarnock also wowed customers with their 90p Buckie Pie.
In 2010 the E:S:I brasserie in Leith invented the Buckfast ice cream cone following from the success of their Buckfast crumble the year before.
