Beer #159 - Sparks / Prospector

Beer #159 - W/C 12 March 2018

BREWERY // Adam Sparks has always loved music and he has always been driven to create. He used to DJ and loved the community of record stores - people coming together with a shared love, discussing new releases, trends, techniques and favourite acts. Now that record stores don't exist, he finds the same community in beer. Adam was working as a sound engineer mixing for TV and films when his stout won a Gold medal at the Home Brew Championships which was the catalyst to him throwing himself into Sparks Brewing. That was just a couple of years ago and he has seen many more awards since for his classic beers that are inspired by history, art, music and science. Sparks is a proudly Papakura company with Adam testing beers on his 50L electric brewery before upscaling recipes and overseeing brews at other breweries. 2018 is a year of collaboration with lots of exciting releases in the pipeline.

BEER // Farmhouse Ale is a bit of a catch-all term and can cover a very wide range of beers. They were originally made as low-ish alcohol refreshment for farmworkers and labourers in Wallonia and other places in Europe. Farmers would grow their own ingredients and brew on site to keep the staff hydrated. Prospector is a beautiful New Zealand take on the style taking the best parts of an XPA, a pilsner and a saison to make for a delicious, thirst quenching beer best drunk in the sunshine. Unlike many brewers, Adam is an excellent writer and you can read about his Wild West inspiration for the beer on his blog where he also talks about the genesis of the recipe and trialling different yeast strains. Homebrewers can also recreate the recipe and Adam would be keen to try your take on Prospector if you do. This rounded beer has a light malt honey sweetness, lots of tropical fruit from the Motueka and Kohatu hops and slightly spicy phenols from the Belgian yeast.

BREWERY // Sparks
BEER // Prospector
STYLE // Farmhouse Ale 
ORIGIN // Papakura
ABV // 4.9%
TEMPERATURE // Cool - 9-12C
FOOD MATCH // Sashimi. Fish & chips & mushy peas. Edam. Pad Thai
GLASS // Tulip. Thistle

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