Twist in festival tale as beer turns red for crime book fans

Theakston’s unveiled its new Crimes of Passion ale at the show yesterday to mark its continued support of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, which gets under way next week. Visitors to the Great Yorkshire Show were able to taste the Masham-based brewery’s latest ale, which is ruby red in colour and has a faint aroma of almonds, often associated with the poison, cyanide.

Now in its eighth year, the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival has established itself as Europe’s leading crime novel festival, attracting such famous writers as Jeffery Deaver and Robert Crais in recent years.

This year’s line-up includes guests such as David Baldacci, Lee Child, Martina Cole and Howard Marks. Theakston executive director Simon Theakston revealed that he wanted to challenge his brewers to come up with something different.

He added: “It had to by synonymous with a classic murder mystery, and, more importantly, one that had our fingerprints all over it. This is an ale I believe our customers will be dying to try – and one that would have found instant favour with the real ale-loving Inspector Morse.”

Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is being held at the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate, from Thursday next week to Sunday, July 24.