Beer #234 - W/C 12 August 2019
BREWERY // Behemoth started the year by being voted the SOBA Brewery Of The Year and they will finish it nearing completion on their successfully crowdfunded Auckland brewpub - Churly's. It is a banner year for Behemoth. But it follows years of hard work which began shortly after founder Andrew Childs completed his law degree and realised how dull the legal profession was. Leaping into beer, he took a job (and a gigantic pay cut) at Wellington brewpub Fork & Brewer before working with homebrew engineering company imake (manufacturers of the Grainfather computerised homebrewery). Releasing an average of one beer a week, Behemoth is overflowing with ideas for brews. Their beers are contract brewed at their friends breweries including 8 Wired, Deep Creek & B Studio. Once Churly's opens, we imagine their release schedule will continue to increase exponentially. As they are located about 1,000m from Beer Jerk Towers (on the Auckland Beer Mile), we are pretty happy about this development.
BEER // Andrew has a secret. While Behemoth have made their name with big hoppy IPAs and dessert stouts, his true love is Saison. Saison is an almost-impossible-to-define farmhouse ale which was traditionally brewed to slake the thirst of Wallonian farm labourers in the Middle Ages. They would drink around 5 litres of the relatively low abv beer per day. The yeast characterises the style and differed from farmhouse brewery to farmhouse brewery, each strain producing different flavour and aroma. What they generally have in common is that they are spicy, earthy and dry with high carbonation - all thanks to the yeast. The two yeast strains in Grape On Grain accentuate the citrus notes from the Styrian Cardinal hops. This beer is a collaboration with Y2KX Collective and is made with 10% Sauvignon Blanc grape juice which matches the Nelson Sauvin hops perfectly. The beer is a remarkably well crafted, delicately balanced, complex and enjoyable time. And we're hoping it will be the first of many Behemoth Saisons.
We look forward to seeing your reviews, photographs and food pairings in the Beer Jerk Members Facebook Group and on Untappd!
BREWERY // Behemoth
BEER // Grape On Grain
STYLE // Hoppy Saison
ORIGIN // Auckland
ABV // 6.5%
TEMPERATURE // Cellar Temperature - 10-12C
FOOD MATCH // Shawarma. Baked Cod. Ripe Camembert. Lemon Tart.
GLASS // Goblet. Wine Glass