The craft beer revolution took the drinks world by storm. The novelty factor and impact on drinking habits may have somewhat subsided from the heady heights of the 2010s, but new beers still keep appearing, typically as 'variations on a theme'. It's rare when something generally different appears and makes you sit up and take notice, while your palate dances around trying to make sense of it all. Cue Chorus, described as 'Fine English Sparkling Beer'.
Chorus Beer is the brainchild of Harry, Tom and Lawrence Baynham and has won awards at the International Brewing Awards 2026 and the London Beer Competition 2026.
The three brothers all studied engineering with Lawrence and Tom then moving into electronics manufacturing and Harry working in safety equipment. "The turning point", says Tom, "was a family get-together in 2015, where Harry brought along some beer he'd brewed and we were really impressed. We started brewing together for fun and within a year we were planning how to turn the passion into a business. When we asked Harry if he'd like to be involved, he quit his job and moved down two months later."
Brewed at Baynhams Brewery, an independent, family-run business in the heart of the New Forest in Hampshire, Chorus was born from a simple idea: a beer worth sharing. Unlike conventional ales which use a top-fermenting saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain, Chorus is brewed with a Chardonnay wine yeast in a double mash process to extract a defined orchard fruit character, complexity and higher gravity.
Fermentation lasts for three weeks at a low temperature, which Tom says "allows the beer to develop smoother, more layered flavours with the fresh orchard fruit profile coming from the yeast itself rather than from additions." It then conditions in tank for around six weeks before bottling.
Recipe development began in 2022 and the Baynhams always had a very clear vision of what the beer could be. "Getting there took many iterations of small and larger-scale brews", says Tom, "gathering feedback, carrying out market research and refining the recipe each time without compromising on what we set out to make. "Our friends and fellow brewers at Brew York were really helpful and a great sounding board in the very early days. Along the way, Alix from Lallemand came in for a brew day on another beer and her insight helped us over one of our final hurdles with Chorus. We've also been lucky to have had feedback from Jack Evans, Head Sommelier at The PIG Hotel in Brockenhurst, who has been very generous with feedback as the recipe has evolved."
Tom describes how they were undaunted by the challenges of breaking with convention, following years of experimenting, innovating and perfecting. "There was no category for this. Chorus created one - a genuinely new offering for customers seeking a beer which can be shared amongst friends. We wanted to make a beer you could put on the table alongside a great bottle of wine and have it hold its own."
Both mixed fermentation beers and those created with secondary fermentation in bottle, typically using a Champagne yeast, are not new. So, Tom explains how they wanted to create a different style that also combined elements of wine and beer. "We've always been drawn to a challenge. At the time, we were bottling sparkling wine for our neighbouring vineyard and we began asking why a beer couldn't be enjoyed and shared in the same way. We looked closely at other large-format beers, including saisons and lambics, and felt none of them truly bridged beer and wine in a way we could through creating Chorus."
🧊🥂 Serve: Best serve chilled at 4°C in a flute glass.
🌿🌾 Hops and malts: Nelson Sauvin hops impart some white wine character and the malt bill includes a blend of lager, rye and CaraGold, the latter typically adding colour, a soft rounded mouthfeel and fruity, toffee notes.
🎚️ ABV: 12%.
👀 Appearance: Golden with a lively, frothy white head.
👃 Nose: Aromatic with notes of peach, toffee apple and crème pâtissière.
😋 Palate: Notes of peach, baked apple and malt biscuit plus caramel and dried apricot sweetness emerge initially with fine bubbles that cleanse the palate, while further complexity develops in the glass as the flavours open up.
🍽️ Food Pairings: This is a beer that can cut through rich, fatty meat dishes, will pair well with roast chicken, baked goats' cheese or savoury vegetarian tarts, but could also be a good match for pastry-based fruit desserts like tarte tatin.
💳 Chorus Beer is available online at £19.95 per 750ml bottle from the company's webshop.
Although wine is often seen as the logical accompaniment for food, the right beer can also work successfully. Chorus has the complexity and gastronomic versatility to be a stylish alternative and, when served in an elegant glass like a flute, certainly looks the part too. So, if you're looking for a high quality option to grace your dinner table, then Chorus could be your harmonious choice!
