Beer #80 - W/C 5 September 2016
BREWERY // Birkenhead Brewing Company is proud to be based in the eponymous village on Auckland's North Shore. Brewers Steve & Brad are both longterm fixtures of Birkenhead and these days you'll likely run into one of them in their 'Tasting Studio' (aka. pub) where they enjoy nothing more than talking beer with enthusiasts and ensuring the quality of the 10 taps pouring beer from NZ breweries. While they are pretty new on the scene, BBC beers have been picking up medals and the brewers are already looking to open more Tasting Studios as well as export BBC beers to the world.
TASTING NOTES // Kauri are the largest and most ancient trees of northern New Zealand forests. These giants are what drew gum diggers and tree harvesters toBirkenhead in the 19th century. The history of those settler and the trees themselves are the inspiration for this beer. A double IPA is a relatively modern style which originated in California in the 90's when brewers took the elements they most liked in traditional English IPAs (namely hops and alcohol) and amplified them. The 'double' refers to the extra amount of malt used to raise the abv which also makes for a full bodied beer with a touch of sweetness. This style is all about the hops though and NINE varieties went into this flagship beer from BBC. They were carefully selected and balanced to showcase the best of NZ hops. There is a huge depth here and Beer Jerks will note a whole range of flavours crossing the spectrum from juicy, tropical marmalade citrus to sticky, resinous pine and a lot of points in between. It's a big, classic NZ IIPA.
BREWERY // Birkenhead Brewing Company
BEER // Kauri
STYLE // Double IPA
ORIGIN // Birkenhead, Auckland
ABV // 7.6%
IBU // 65-70
HOPS // Pacific Jade, Pacifica, Riwaka, Motueka, NZ Cascade, Zythos, Nelson Sauvin, Centennial, Simcoe
MALTS // Pilsner and American Ale Malt base, Munich, Wheat and Crystal
TEMPERATURE // Cool- 8-10C
FOOD MATCH // Aged Brie. Tikka Masala. Pork Belly & Kimchi Burger. Carrot Cake.
GLASS // IPA Glass, Snifter