Beer #141 - El Segundo / Urbanaut

Beer #141 - W/C 6 November 2017

BREWERY // Urbanaut may be Auckland's newest brewery but they're certainly not lacking in experience. Bruce, Simon and Thomas are old friends dating back from their days at Rangitikei College. Brewer Bruce honed his craft working with legendary breweries Fullers and Meantime in London before working as a brewery consultant upon his return to New Zealand. Simon and Thomas previously ran a property development company and their combined skills came in handy when converting an old warehouse building into a sparkling Kingsland brewery. Urbanaut are also contract brewing for some other awesome beer brands including Yeastie Boys. The brewery only opened its doors 5 months ago but has already become a hub for Kingsland beer fans with it's taproom where locals can sample beer fresh from the source and take away flagons. Each beer is named after a cool suburb in a different city around the world. 

BEER // Wellington's Malthouse has been running a West Coast IPA Challenge for 10 years. It started with a friendly rivalry between Hallertau and Epic to decide who brewed the best version of the style. For their entry this year, the Urbanaut guys decided to go with a classic take on a WCIPA by brewing a big, hoppy, full bodied beer that certainly would not be out of place in SoCal. The malt base is Pale Ale with a touch of Crystal but this beer is all about the hops. Classic American hops Simcoe, Citra and Centennial were used to make for loads of guava, mango, citrus and resinous pine aroma and flavours that accompany a solid bitterness. El Segundo is a keg-only release but the good guys at Urbanaut canned a batch especially for us Jerks!

Check out our video interview with Bruce below.

BREWERY // Urbanaut
BEER // El Segundo
ORIGIN // Auckland
STYLE // West Coast IPA
ABV // 7.6%
HOPS // Simcoe, Citra and Centennial
MALT // Pale, Crystal
TEMPERATURE // Cool. 7-10C
FOOD MATCH // Broccoli & Blue Cheese Gratin. Bockwurst. Citrus Sorbet.
GLASS // IPA Glass