Beer #219 - W/C 6 May 2019
BREWERY // Hamish & Caroline are the husband and wife team behind Auckland's Isthmus Brewing. They launched in 2013 but took a hiatus due to the commitments of a growing family and Hamish being busy with his day job as head brewer at Deep Creek. When the told us they were releasing beers again we immediately bagged cans for you Jerks. They take their name from Auckland's geography - an Isthmus is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger ones. They are committed to creating unique and flavoursome beers and we can't wait to see (well, drink) what they'll be releasing next.
BEER // Hazy IPAs are so hot right now. But, have we reached peak haze? The haze craze has it's roots in New England over a decade ago. In the mid-2000s, many brewers were locked in an arms race to create the most bitter IPA (measured in IBUs) possible. In Vermont breweries including Alchemist & Hill Farmstead were more interested in how to best showcase the new generation of aromatic American hops - Galaxy & Citra hops were released in 2007, Mosaic in 2012. They created a completely different type of IPA by using different yeast strains that would create more esters (fruit flavour & aroma) to give a sweeter, fuller impression. And by adding lots of oats and wheat to the malt bill for a big, round body with a smooth mouthfeel. In a nutshell, a Hazy IPA should have low bitterness, lots of body and be packed with juicy hop flavours and aroma. Brewing for Deep Creek (and contract brewing for other breweries), Hamish is behind a lot of the most delicious NZ NEIPAs from the past couple of years. He applied that knowledge to Peak Haze which is packed with tropical fruit flavours of NZ & US hops. It is best consumed atop Isthmus Peak near Wanaka.
BREWERY // Isthmus
BEER // Peak Haze
STYLE // Hazy IPA
ORIGIN // Auckland
ABV // 6.3%
TEMPERATURE // Cool. 7-8C
FOOD MATCH // Coconut Red Chickpea Curry. Beef & Mustard Sandwich. Scotch Egg. Manchego.
GLASS // IPA Glass