Beer #131 - W/C 28 August 2017
BREWERY // Outlier Cartel began life in 2010 when Carlos and his flatmates decided to throw a flat warming party. They invited everybody in the building but only two people turned up, fortunately one of them was Mark. They quickly bonded over a love of good beer and in December 2015, Outlier Cartel officially launched. Mark and Carlos are immigrants to New Zealand which may inform their slightly different approach to brewing. Brewer, Carlos brings 12 years of winemaking experience which imbued in him a sense of the importance of place and terroir. The idea of making 'beer from here' was important to them from the outset and they source ingredients locally whenever possible. Alvin is the newest Outlier and is leading their vision to be a thousand year business.
BEER // In 1862 the organic chemist August Kekulé had a dream. He saw a snake eating it's own tail which led to an understanding on benzine, and hence of all aromatic compounds. Water is the ingredient given least thought by many brewers but it's chemical make up is extremely important to the finished product. Kekulé's Dream is made with water to which the following minerals have been added- "calcium chloride to promote a soft mouthfeel, calcium sulfate (a.k.a. gypsum) to add ‘crispness’ to the hops, sodium bicarbonate and epsom salts". You can read more on the science here but the resultant beer has a massive, juicy hop profile but no bitterness. Classic IPAs use malted barley but Kekule's Dream has 40% oats and 10% wheat in the malt bill to give creamy, soft body and good head retention to this very modern IPA. Outlier share all of their recipes online and would love for you to brew your own versions of their beers and share feedback.
Check out the video below about the graphic design for Kekulé's Dream.
BREWERY // Outlier Cartel
BEER // Kekule's Dream
STYLE // Oat Based IPA
ORIGIN // Auckland
ABV // 6.3%
TEMPERATURE // Cool - around 9C. About half hour out of the fridge
FOOD MATCH // Hot Pot. Nutty Gouda. BBQ Chicken. Berry Tart & Custard
GLASS // IPA Glass. Tulip