From barley to malt: Gladfield Malt

THE BREWING PROCESS:

Brewing beer is the process of extracting sugars and flavours from malted barley adding hops and fermenting, so the liquid creates alcohol.

Step 1: Milling

Malted barley is crushed in a grain mill. Two Thumb Brewing use a range of malts with a range of flavours and colours depending on what type of beer they are making.

Step 2: Mashing

This is where the malt is mixed with hot water in a large vat to extract the sugars

Step 3: Sparging

The grain is rinsed to extract all the sugars and extracted into wort

Step 4: Kettle

Now the wort is moved to the kettle and boiled. During this the hops are added at different times depending on the flavour requirements.

Step 5: Fermenting

The wort is then transferred to the fermenter via a heat exchanger to cool it to 25˚C. The yeast is added. Inside the fermentation tank the yeast eats the sugars and produces alcohol. This takes about a week after which it is transferred into a chilled storage tank for conditioning

Step 6: Finishing Touches

Stored at four degrees all particles in the beer naturally fall out and the beer clarifies. Two Thumb do not filter their beer, preferring traditional methods. CO² is added at this point to make it fizzy if required.

onto the back of it which now accounts for about 60 percent of their business and is open from Thursday to Sunday.

“The venue is becoming a central part of what we do, and Dave and I can play our music here, it means we have had to hire some more people and including the two of us we now have a core team of six.”

As well as the bar, Two Thumb also supplies some supermarkets, bars and restaurants as well as showcases their craft beer at festivals and events.

As the business grows Mr Limber said they would like to be able to do it full time in the future but for now they really just do it for the love of it, “we have learnt so much and the craft beer market is a hard one to crack … trends are always changing.”

Mr Limber said the pair are small local brewers and being able to use local products to do so is a big part of their values.

“We have everything we need to brew beer here in New Zealand and have great access to a variety of malt to do so.”

“It’s great to have a reliable source of malt as without it we couldn’t make our beer!”

Both Mr Limber and Mr Dixon enjoy brewing together “it’s a lot of hard work but we get on well and enjoy the whole process.”

They love seeing people enjoying their product right next to where it is made and to see the people gather and support their local, small batch brewery.

“Month to month we make different beers – the trends are always changing; it will be interesting to see what the future holds.”

Mark gets the kettle ready for the brewing process.

Art, culture and irrigation

It may not be your typical job, with elements of science, land management, Māoritanga and even art conservation, but Rosemary Clucas is relishing her new role as South Canterbury’s Poū Matai Kō mahinga kai facilitator.

After many years as a fisheries scientist and DOC ranger in Canterbury and Otago, Rosemary’s aim is now to help farmers protect and enhance native plants, animals – and even precious Māori rock art – on their properties. Working closely with Ngāi Tahu Rock Art Trust, rūnanga and landowners, Rosemary will dedicate part of her role to advising on the potential impact of irrigation and farming on ancient limestone rock art, called tuhituhi o neherā. Hundreds of drawings in South Canterbury, some of which could be up to 1000 years old, are susceptible to damage or destruction from changes to land use, exposure to the elements and environmental changes. Such sites are a taonga to Ngāi Tahu who are actively involved in their conservation and ongoing management. Rosemary, who has whakapapa to Ngāi Tūāhuriri Kaiapoi, says it’s a “great privilege” to participate in protecting these taonga along with the manawhenua and kaitiaki of Moeraki, Waihao and Arowhenua.

“I’ve always been really interested in my tribal history and working with the rock art allows me to enter the world of my ancestors and see it through their eyes. “The rock art must be seen in the wider context of the waterways and paths that were followed and it allows a glimpse of a world now past to hold on to.” “People come from all around the world to study our rock art – it’s a really significant feature of the region and it can’t be replaced if it disappears.” Rosemary’s Poū Matai Kō role centres on raising awareness of how to use the land and environment in way that supports mahinga kai traditional resource gathering and sustainable ecosystems. She has a real interest in freshwater fish such as tuna and īnanga (eels and whitebait) having studied native freshwater fish for much of her career in fisheries conservation.

“There’s a growing appreciation of our native freshwater species and many of these are now ‘at risk’ and some heading towards being ‘critically threatened’ due to changes to their habitat. “There is also a greater understanding that changes made to support biodiversity, like riparian planting and fencing, also increase the overall resilience of environments.

“Riparian plantings are sources of food to fish instream but also can greatly improve habitat and water quality.” Mahinga kai targets are now included in Farm Environment Plans and Rosemary is available to help South Canterbury farmers make these targets relevant to their properties. “I am very happy to come out for a visit and talk about what existing mahinga kai species might already be on your property, as well as discuss different options for what can be prioritised and enhanced.” +64 27 328 7547 Rosemary.Clucas@ecan.govt.nz

Photo credit: Ngai Tahu Maori Rock Art Trust Protecting Maori rock art in South Canterbury South Canterbury has the highest density of Maori rock art or tuhituhi o neherā in New Zealand and, while some locations are public, the vast majority are on private property. The art is particularly vulnerable because of the materials used to create it – pigments such as soot and kokowai (red ochre) – and the fragile limestone ‘canvas’ to which the art is applied. The Orari Temuka Opihi Pareora Water Zone Committee supported the inclusion of measures to protect the art in its recommendations to councils on water management as part of its Zone Implementation Programme Addendum (ZIPA). Provisions for rock art protection are also included in Proposed Plan Change 7 of the Land and Water Regional Plan.

Gearing up for next winter’s grazing

Heading into summer, most farmers will have already selected the paddocks for next season’s winter feed but there are still key actions that can minimise environmental risks and to protect the future health of your soils. Land Management Advisor Ian Lyttle shares some useful tips to make sure you are well set up for winter 2021.

Winter crop grazing is recognised as high-risk environmental activity that can contribute more than half of a farm’s annual nutrient losses. It is critical to take action to reduce runoff and sediment loss to help future production on farm and protect our waterways. No one likes to see the worst impacts of winter grazing in a wet year.

Take stock of your paddocks’ risk areas

Have a good look at the blocks you’ve chosen, with the greatest focus on the steepest areas and the gully or swales that water will flow through before exiting the paddock. Steep slopes pose greater risk to sediment loss from highly erosive run-off water, so please leave them in pasture to keep your soil in the paddock, where it belongs. In some cases, you may still be able to decide to go grass-to-grass in a steeper paddock and select a flatter paddock for winter feed. Keep in mind too, the future years and how you can get your regrassing done and select lower slope winter feed paddocks for the future.

Soil type is also important, as heavier clay soils are more readily damaged and susceptible to sediment losses. If you’re planning to graze in paddock with heavy soil, you will need to have a plan to move stock in wet weather. The swales in the paddock provide the last opportunity to keep soil and nutrients in run-off water in your paddock or on your farm. They are your critical source areas. Best practice is to leave the swales in pasture to filter out sediment in the run-off water.

Take care when establishing your crop

Crop establishment is the next critical factor, as certain cultivation methods can greatly increase the risk to soil degradation and loss. Many farmers are achieving good results using direct drilling, which reduces damage to soil structure and sediment loss. The direction of cultivation is important and contour cultivation across the slope significantly reduces sediment loss risk.

Prepare your winter grazing management plan for the coming season

Your winter grazing management plan is all about recognising how to manage the risks to your soil and waterways and preparing management practices to mitigate the risks of soil damage and nutrient loss. It should be prepared well ahead of winter, shared with key operational staff and can be part of your Farm Environment Plan. DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand have templates and procedures on their websites that you can use and adapt. Cattle and deer create a greater risk than sheep. This can be mitigated with strategic grazing practices, grazing top down, and protecting the critical source area or swale. Stock movement is an important risk factor that farmers can manage. The time stock spend moving on the paddock can be reduced by having well-fed stock, using back fencing, using portable water troughs and planned placement of baleage. On/off grazing, where the animals are taken off after they have filled their bellies, allows them to get their daily ration of winter feed, and to graze or rest in a more spread out area and to reduce soil damage and sediment losses.