8 Sail Brewery's first beer produced with wind powered stone-ground malt. Appropriately named ‘Rolling Stone’ the new beer takes malt from barley grown in sight of the mill and like fine wine and whisky, has been some time in the making. The mill has to use special stones to grind the malt to precisely the right consistency and a good deal of brewing expertise has been demanded to achieve the unique flavour of Rolling Stone.

Brewery owners Tony Pygott and Steve Doane are delighted with the result, commenting that “with so many good micro-breweries in the market, it’s really important for us to have this exciting new product that underscores our close ties with the Mill and brings together traditional methods and that modern citrus-hoppy flavour that is so much in demand”.

It promises to be another good reason to visit Heckington Windmill, which as Trust Chairman Charles Pinchbeck told us, is now “harnessing the wind to produce flour for bread and malt for beer, both of which visitors can enjoy when they visit”.

The beer launch has been timed to perfectly coincide with the Mill’s threshing weekend on the 26th and 27th September when steam threshing, stalls, baking demos and of course mill tours will make for a great day out. Details of the weekend can be found on the Mill’s website www.heckingtonwindmill.org.uk along with general opening hours and visitor information.