WELCOME TO THE NAKED HOP! A monthly publication coming to you from the Glengarry team of beer experts, where we explore everything beer related. Here you’ll find an in depth look into the beer world and what makes it tick.
Are you wondering what’s hot with beer right now as the weather begins to cool off? Well you’ve come to the right place. In the tenth issue of The Naked Hop, we explore which beers pair well with watching Star Wars movies on May the 4th. We also take a look at the first annual Hapi Symposium held in Wellington last month, and taste what the future of craft beer looks like. And finally we look at what sets 8 Wired brewery apart from a market saturated (no pun intended) with craft beer. So crack open a cold one, and put your feet up. Take a moment to consider, the Naked Hop.
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The wise Deep Creek Wisdom IPA reminded me most of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The owl on the can reflects the intelligence of Obi-Wan. This beer is a good introductory level craft beer, great for those just getting into crafts or not too keen on the heavier stouts. This IPA is a wonderful trainer for ‘beer-beginners’. But don’t just take my word for it. As Obi-Wan says to Luke “you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view”. So check it out! The Droptop IPA has the mellow and not so obvious sweetness of Han Solo. This Chardonnay Brut style IPA has balanced bitter flavours, much like Han, and also has his comparable strength at 6.9%.
I picked the Deep Creek Waikiki Watermelon Sour to represent Princess Leia. It has an obvious beauty in its watermelon flavour but also carries a bit of a kick in savoury style. The same way our princess is undeniably beautiful yet has the courage she needs to prevail.
Finally, the Steam Funk Passionfruit Berliner even looks a little like the Ewoks with the dark mysterious can design. Much like the Ewoks, the outward appearance does not reflect the inside. The Passionfruit Berliner has a definitive sour taste and just like the Ewoks, can hold its own against all the other beers (and bears...).
The Behemoth Freedom APA is decidedly Luke Skywalker. It is as bright as Luke, with the same golden colour. It’s light and citrus flavour reminds me of Luke’s kind nature through his heroic adventure.
Drinking these beers through the Star Wars series made the evening a bit of fun for friends and family. Hope you enjoy whichever beers you choose and May the Fourth be with you!
-K.E
HAPI FESTIVAL WELLINGTON
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Expectations for the first annual Hapi Festival were high. Brought to Wellington by craft beer powerhouse Garage Project, tickets were on sale in early February only to sell out within 24 hours. Garage Project is well known for raising the bar and pushing the boundaries of everything beer can be. So, what is Hapi Festival?
Standing tall amongst their international peers Garage Project showcased the latest release of their “Golden Age” barrel-aged blended sour with golden Kiwifruit, mango and passionfruit. From their Wild Workshop series “Oh what a lovely day, let’s go out and pick some… Blackberry”. They also featured their latest monthly “fresh” beer “April” Hazy IPA, as well some of their other iconic brews. In a nutshell, the vision of Hapi Festival was one night in a museum showcasing of range of beers from 18 international brewers. Our national museum, Te Papa, to be specific. To me the symbolic significance of such a festival taking place on such a stage is certainly not accidental or coincidence. It just goes to show just how far New Zealand's craft beer industry has come. Craft beer is not just a part of our daily lives, but also a part of our culture and identity. This festival was preceded by a symposium of attending international brewers, NZ brewers, hop farmers, scientists and other guest speakers. At this symposium the latest research on hops, brewing techniques, information and experience was shared to charter future growth of craft beer. I can say with certainty that if this is what the future of craft beer has to bring, I’m on board.
The event exhibited 18 international brewers from the United States, Sweden, and the UK. With a showcase of four different beers from each brewer there was a great diversity to 5
choose from. The beers they presented a reflection of their own ethos and philosophies.
Check out some of the beers we have in stock as made by Garage Project in collaboration with some of these international breweries.
Some of the interesting beers tried by yours truly
Weavers Zeppelin Bend - a Bright clean
(but certainly not limited to) included:
Hapi Sessions Vol. 4 GP X Three 'new wave' West Coast IPA.
Omnipollo “Lorelei Maple Coconut”
Hapi Sessions Vol. 1 GP X Trillium Aro
Imperial Porter 10.5% from Stockholm,
Street - a big juicy Hazy East Coast
Sweden. Lovingly frozen through a slushy
classic with a Kiwi twist.
machine, this beer was pure dessert.
Alvarado Street Brewery, from Monterey,
-T.M
California and their “Bubble Bath” Berliner Weisse. An intriguing sour beer unlike anything I’ve tried before.
Hill Farmstead Brewery from Vermont their “Anna” is brewed with raw Vermont wildflower honey ale. Makes one consider how easy it would for a NZ beer to involve some of our more unique honey products.
And finally, but not at all least, was:
Tired Hands Brewing Co from Philadelphia. Their “Pineapple Guava Double Milkshake” IPA 9.2% was probably one of the more confronting and tasty beers of my night.
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UNDER THE TAP
8 WIRED BREWING CO. Given New Zealand's relatively young craft beer market, Soren's story seems similar to the stories of other local breweries. 8 Wired’s point of difference is derived from Soren's ancestral roots. Like any great craft brewery, IPA's are almost a given. 8 Wired certainly excel here with their famous brews, such as the Hopwired IPA and Superconductor IPA. But they specialize in sour beer styles. Experimenting with the classic clean kettle-soured styled, then Christmas Day 2005. For many, this day is but
moving on to the adventurous Belgium inspired
a distant memory. For Soren Eriksen, it was
barrel aged beers. In doing so, they have
the first day of a new chapter. Monique,
crafted a unique niche. When they began
Soren's soon to be wife, had found him the
making sour beers they were polarizing. But
perfect present - a classic “Coopers Homebrew
the uptake in sour beers shows how 8 Wired
Kit”. A few years later, Soren and Monique left
are ahead of the curve. Leading the charge,
Perth for greener pastures. Jumping across the
this has allowed other craft superstars to safely
ditch to New Zealand, Soren started to
navigate into the now trendy sour category.
experiment brewing with various grains and hops. It wasn’t long before his love for craft 7
beer evolved into professional brewing. Soren gained some much-needed experience at Renaissance Brewing, along with opportunities to contract brew. In October 2009 Soren began crafting the first of many 8 Wired beers. By 2011, they were awarded Champion Brewery of the Year.
Feeling adventurous? Try the Sour Dog!
40mL Botanist Gin
30mL Campari
85mL Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
Your Favourite 8-Wired Sour fruit beer!
Add the Gin, Campari and Grapefruit juice to an ice filled shaker, shake, strain into a glass and top up with beer – simple!
-W.M
EVENTS AND TASTINGS
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COLAB BREWING | PARNELL INSTORE TASTING Join us and Colab Brewing between 4 and 6pm for a tasting of their beer range. Read More...
WHEN: Thursday 16 May 2019 WHERE: Glengarry Parnell, 164 Parnell Rd Parnell TIME: 4:00pm
BEERTIQUE | TAKAPUNA INSTORE TASTING Beertique will be instore from 3pm with a stellar line up for you to taste! No need to book, just pop in. Read More...
WHEN: Friday 17 May 2019 WHERE: Glengarry Takapuna, Cnr Hurstmere & Killarney Takapuna TIME: 3:00pm
CLICK HERE TO SEE TASTINGS
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That's it for this edition of The Naked Hop. Issue Eleven will be hopping its way to your inbox next month. Cheers,
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