Beer #40 - W/C 30 November 2015
BREWERY //
We love Yeastie Boys. Not because of their excellently pun-tastic name (although that certainly doesn't hurt), but because the self proclaimed 'beer visionaries' are just that. They don't go in for gimmicks of creating beers simply for shock value but when they do have an idea, they have the confidence to run with it.
Yeastie boys was established in 2008 by 'Head Boy' Stu McKinlay and 'Grower of Outrageous Beards' Sam Possenniskie. They got NZ's attention when their flagship porter Pot Kettle Black won two trophies at the BrewNZ awards in 2009. Yeastie Boys have a roster of several regular beers which are produced year round, and also produce a limited release of seasonal beers
Yeastie Boys don't own or operate their own brewery preferring to contract brew with established breweries like Invercargill Brewery in New Zealand and BrewDog in Scotland. This allows them to focus on the business of creating excellent beer without needing to run a brewery.
2015 saw Yeastie Boys take their beers to the UK market where it has been received with open arms (and gullets). We're pretty happy about this as we'll be in Britain in a few months and were concerned about the availability of beetroot heavy red IPAs there...
TASTING NOTES //
The Sly Persuader is one of triplets in the Spoonbender series- three beers released in July 2014 as part of a collaboration with Australian vintners Some Young Punks. Basically, the Yeastie Boys took a load of wine and boiled it down (removing the alcohol) to turn it into Belgian Candi Sugar. This invert sugar was then fed to the hungry yeast which converted it back into alcohol. So basically, the brewery acted as a sort of chrysalis, converting a wine caterpillar into a beer butterfly. It is fun to read the RateBeer description where people describe the beer as tasting of everything from gooseberries, passionfruit and sour grapes to frangipane, mint and honeycomb! There is certainly a lot of depth here. Upon release, it was suggested you 'enjoy now or cellar for up to 2 years', we've done the hard part by not letting you drink it for a year and a half. If you tried Sly Persuader upon its release, we'd be keen to hear how you think the flavour has changed. We feel like it has gotten more spicy and fruity with age.
BREWERY // Yeastie Boys
BEER // The Sly Persuader
STYLE // Blonde Ale
ORIGIN // Invercargill. New Zealand
ABV // 6%
TEMPERATURE // Cool - 8-12C
FOOD MATCH // Honey Glazed Ham, Havarti Cheese on toast, Fruit Salad
GLASS // Snifter. Tulip.
Beer Style Blog - Read more about blonde ales and different beer styles over on the BLOG.