BREWERIES // HEYDAY began with an American roadtrip. Hannah & Hamish spent 3 months travelling around the USA where they fell in love with the creativity and community that existed around beer and brewpubs. Their combined skills in building, project management and design made them an ideal pair of founders. Their friend Andy joined them as a business partner who also has some handy skills as an electrical engineer. They found a home in a former car battery garage at the top of Cuba Street which was ripe for reimagining into a brewpub following the wave of inner city Wellington breweries which have emerged over the past decade. Their venue opened in late 2017 as a pastel paradise liberally scattered with flamingoes with a modern, international feel.
SMALL GODS is different kind of brewery. Matt & Luke spend a lot of time reading and discussing concepts, history, stories and flavour experiences. Inspiration comes from everywhere - be it a folklore, a surrealist painting, a 70's cookbook or hearing about an extinct beer style. They share everything they know and are passionate about collaboration, working with (and learning from) not just brewers but creative people in any field. They give their label art a lot of consideration and picked up the trophy for best packaging at the Brewer's Guild Awards last year. Producing very small batches that sell out fast, their releases are becoming more prolific. Perhaps they should open a brewpub?
BEER // As well as being a legendary giant rooster stalking the bamboo forests of Japan breathing cold ghost fire, Basabasa is also a Japanese Cold IPA. Brewed with a bright and crisp Japanese Rice Lager base of Pilsner malt, Puffed Rice, Flaked Rice and Rice Syrup. While giant breweries typically use rice in their lagers to create a crisp, dry and very bland beer, Basabasa is far from bland. The clean platform allows Sorachi Ace hops to sing with a complex herbal character backed up by supporting citrus notes from the addition of Motueka and Cryo Lemondrop. This was fermented with a Lager yeast and cold conditioned for an extended period to enhance the crisp and bitter finish.
BREWERY // Heyday & Small Gods
BEER // Basabasa
STYLE // Japanese Cold IPA
ORIGIN // Wellington
ABV // 7.7%
TEMPERATURE // Straight From The Fridge
FOOD MATCH // Sushi. Yakisoba. Seaweed Rice Crackers.
VESSEL // IPA Glass