The Story of Low-Key Loud

Bringing Low-Key Loud to Life

The goal here was to produce a unique and exciting beer for summer, though it’s timed perfectly for Reading Pride - to be celebrated on the 30th August.

Unusual flavour combinations were key for this brew. As mentioned by Emily in her radio interview - more on that below - “If I go to a craft pub, I’ll say what's the weirdest beer you’ve got?”. After experimenting with a range of these different combinations, testing in existing beers, Lab Manager Emily and Brewer Jez settled on the combination of Pineapple and Pink Peppercorn for this IPA with some of our favourite neomexicanus hops; Sabro, El Dorado and Talus.

The final result is a vibrant IPA with a fusion of flavour and purpose. The delicate citrus of pink peppercorns enlivens the sweet, tart and juicy pineapple, and the beer pours a hazy pale straw into your favourite pint glass. Fans of Escape in Paradise or past Siren beers Just Like Paradise and Shake The Tree will find a lot to love here.

“Pink pepper still has the pepper spice, but it's a bit more floral and citrussy so that’s part of why it pairs really well with fruit.” - Emily

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Brewed for good

There is a charity element to each can in a similar way as we did with past beers Colourful World (Autism Awareness), Mavka (Drinkers for Ukraine) and our Queer Brewing collaboration Euphoria (SupportU, Reading Red Corner and the Queer Brewing Foundation).

For Low-Key Loud, our local Reading-based LGBT+ charity MyUmbrella was an obvious choice. MyUmbrella was launched in 2015 with the aim to raise awareness for the lesser-known identities across the sexuality and gender spectrum. Through purchase of this beer, 50p per can will be donated to MyUmbrella - thank you for your support.

The Mash In

On the 24th July, we were finally ready to mash in. Malts were added, hops were thrown in, and we ground up 2kg of pink peppercorns by hand to add into “giant tea-bags” set aside to infuse.

Any Siren staff associating with the LGBTQIA+ spectrum who wanted to join in were invited to do so - eight of us in total. It was brilliant to see so many passionate staff members work together to bring together a beer that ultimately unites us all.

Beer in the Airwaves

If you tuned into BBC Radio Berkshire on the morning of the 27th August, you may have caught Emily’s interview with Kirsten O’Brien as they talked all things Low-Key Loud. There were a lot of juicy beer details in this chat, and you can listen to it on catch-up here (Emily comes on at around 12 minutes 30 seconds in).

After cracking open a can live on air, Kirsten was immediately won over by the enthralling flavours on offer. “Oh my gosh, that is gorgeous! Perfect for the last weekend in August as well, feels very summery”.

The Perfect Pride Party

Low-Key Loud will be leading the charge at our flagship Reading bar’s Pride Party on the 30th August - as well as a celebratory launch party by the staff that brewed the beer the night before. The RG1 bar have joined forces with Ebb & Flow and Station Hill to do their part in the Reading Pride celebrations, running between 12pm and 5pm - with an after-party to follow inside RG1.

The event will see themed cocktails, an extended outside area with guest beers pouring, a live DJ and a very special serving of Pride Poutine with a peppercorn gravy. If you’re reading this ahead of the event, we’d love to see you down on the day!

Book at table at RG1