Celebrating 10 years of Ghost Ship!

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ghost Ship 4.5%, we’re collaborating with four craft breweries over 2020 to create three wickedly tasty new beers. We’re calling it the Ghost Ship Collaboration Series. We have already released our first brew Camden-On-Sea, an Indian Pale Ale brewed with Camden Town Brewery and are excited to announce our next brew, Strange Seas brewed virtually with Beavertown. Hot on its heels will be tie-ups with Magic Rock and each mash-up will feature something that’s unique to our ever-popular Ghost Ship 4.5% citrus pale ale. It might be a certain ingredient, style, or approach but all will be unmistakably Ghost Ship 4.5%...

Strange Seas

We have joined forces with Beavertown to produce Strange Seas, a limited-edition tropical pale ale to celebrate the ten-year birthday of our flagship pale ale, Ghost Ship 4.5%.

Due to be brewed during lockdown, the decision was made to create the collaboration beer virtually – taking zoom-drinks to the next level. It was smooth sailing from then on to create Strange Seas, the latest beer in our Ghost Ship Birthday Collaboration series of birthday mash ups.

A crisp, light tropical pale ale, Strange Seas is bursting with pineapple, pear, grapefruit and pine aromas. It’s a hoppy hit and super-sessionable at only 3.5% ABV.

As Ghost Ship was inspired by the latest hop on the scene in 2010, Citra, Strange Seas has been crafted to use a similar recipe as Ghost Ship with all the exciting hops from America and the UK that the team have tried this year. A tropical triumph to haunt the taste buds of those fortunate enough to get a can of this limited-edition brew.

Fergus Fitzgerald, Head Brewer at Adnams: “We’re thrilled we were able to produce Strange Seas with Beavertown given the circumstances this year, and virtually no less! It’s always a pleasure to talk beer with Logan and Nikola. Their pure love for beer, from the technical details to the minutiae of the flavours delivers a truly collaborative brew. We were after a really fresh, juicy beer that would honour its inspiration, Ghost Ship and make use of some of the amazing hops we’ve tasted this year. The pale ale style fits these super tropical hops perfectly and Logan is a pro at packing big fruity, zesty flavours into light, refreshing beers so Beavertown is the perfect partner for Strange Seas.”

Logan Plant, CEO and Founder of Beavertown: “I've known Fergus for years, he's a super knowledgeable brewer, doing an amazing job at Adnams, I love their beers. Ghost Ship in particular is a beer I've enjoyed on many an occasion on cask, so to be part of the collaboration series that celebrates this great beer was a real honour. Hard-hitting juicy and tropical flavours are what we’re known for, so how could we not make a Tropical Pale Ale? We’ve steered Ghost Ship towards the tropical paradise that is Beavertown to really put our own personality into the brew. The last few months have certainly brought about uncertain times, so the name Strange Seas seemed apt.”

The Facts:

  • Tropical Pale Ale
  • ABV: 3.5%
  • Colour: Light Straw
  • Malts: Low colour Pale Ale and Malted Wheat
  • Hops: BRU-1, HBC 692 (US), Olicana (UKL)
  • Taste: Clean, light tropical taste with hints of pineapple, pear and grapefruit
  • Available in selected pubs and in 330ml in Adnams stores and online here.

The story behind our best-selling beer

Ghost Ship is inspired by one of Adnams’ most haunted pubs in one of the UK’s most haunted villages, the Bell at Walberswick. The shores of Walberswick are littered with eerie wrecks of smuggling ships from a bygone era.

Ghost Ship was adapted from a recipe for Deathly Pale Ale. Ever heard of it? Well if you haven’t you’re not alone. Even the most avid Adnams fans would struggle with this one and with good reason, it never existed, or at least not officially. In 1975 a centenary ale was concocted with an Abv of around 9%. Unusually rather than simply call it Centenary ale it was decided its name would be Deathly Pale. The label was duly designed featuring a skull and crossbones, labels were printed and delivered to Adnams but at the last moment, the label was pulled. Perhaps the label was too similar to the symbol for poison but whatever the reason new labels were quickly commissioned and the beer was renamed Centenary ale. A few hand labelled bottles of Deathly Pale did escape from the brewery, one of which sits in the cabinet at the Red Lion in Southwold.