BREWERY // There wasn't a huge range of craft beer around in 1996 when Glenn & Virginia Meikle sold their house to start a brewery. Initially it was just Glenn with a little help from his mum on the books but the family business has steadily grown into a Bay of Plenty institution with a team of 40. The brewery was recently passed down to the next generation as Glenn & Virginia's daughter Briar (who was 6 weeks old when Mount was founded) and her partner Niall have taken the reins. Their head brewer Pawel and team are steadily cranking out the core favourites but also spending more time on interesting seasonal releases, we've heard rumours of a fledgling barrel ageing programme that we're excited about. Their brewery taproom, The Rising Tide, is a must-visit when you're in the BOP with a rotating selection of 38 taps from Mount Brewing as well as guests.
BEER // Sometimes a brewer blends two styles together to result in something that's delicious but hard to categorise. We could debate whether this is a hoppy Belgian Blonde or a yeast forward American Pale but the only thing that matters is that it's a most excellent beer. This is the latest in Mount's Around The World series which sees them take inspiration from the great brewing cultures. Mannekin Pis takes the base of a pretty classic Belgian Blonde but with a heavy handed dosing of modern American hops. They give the beer a balanced bitterness and add to the complexity, countering the candy sweetness of the malt base. It's the Abbey yeast that does the heavy lifting here though, it gives a lot of character - dried fruit and spicy clove notes - and you'll discover something new with every sip.
BREWERY // Mount Brewing Co.
BEER // Mannekin Pis
STYLE // Belgian APA
ORIGIN // Mount Maunganui
ABV // 6.7%
TEMPERATURE // Cellar Temp - around 10-13C. About an hour out of the fridge
FOOD MATCH // Coconut Basil Curry. Mushroom Pie. Omelette with Sharp Apple & Goats Cheese. Caramelised Orange Cheesecake.
VESSEL // Chalice. Wine Glass