EPIC Beer - Best Beer in New Zealand - Supreme Champion Winner
Here is where we announce the latest, greatest, biggest and baddest from Epic Brewing Company. Epic Pale Ale - Best Beer in New Zealand - Supreme Champion winner at the New Zealand International Beer Awards and top beer of the RealBeer.co.nz Top Ten New Zealand Beers 2006 and Gold and Best in Class trophy at the 2008 BrewNZ Awards. Also featuring multi-Supreme Champion brewer Luke Nicholas.
12 June 2009
[VIDEO] Adding Hops to Epic Armageddon IPA 2009 + other important details
=========================== 81. American-Style India Pale Ale American-style India pale ales have intense hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content. The style is further characterized by fruity, floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character. Note that “fruity, floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character” is the perceived end, but may be a result of the skillful use of hops of other national origins. The use of water with high mineral content results in a crisp, dry beer. This pale gold to deep copper-colored ale has a full, flowery hop aroma and may have a strong hop flavor (in addition to the hop bitterness). India pale ales possess medium maltiness and body. Fruity-ester flavors and aromas are moderate to very strong. Diacetyl can be absent or may be perceived at very low levels. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures. Original Gravity (ºPlato): 1.060 1.075 (14.7 18.2 ºPlato) Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato): 1.012 1.018 (3 4.5 ºPlato) Alcohol by Weight (Volume): 5 6% (6.3 7.5%) Bitterness (IBU): 40 70 Color SRM (EBC): 6 14 (12 28 EBC)
Just some quick feedback for those that have asked, yes the current batch of Epic Pale Ale is slightly different. It was kegged and bottled on the 5th & 6th of May, with kegs now on tap and bottles arriving on shelves over the next couple of weeks.
You can find the code on the shoulder of the 330ml bottles BB 06.05.10 (BB=Best Before) B0379 xx.xx (B=batch number)(xx.xx=time)
It seems firstly that we have used some coloured malt that is out of spec and is lighter in colour than what we expected. This has resulted in the colour being lighter.
Secondly we are now using current season US Cascade hops at 7.6% alpha. Prior batches to this had had a blend of current and previous seasons hops (US Cascade 6% alpha).
The double whammy effect of the lighter crystal malts not only means the colour is lighter but the malt sweetness is slightly lower, but also the hop character is greater being fresher and greener from being 100% current season.
Over all there is a noticeable difference but it isn't significantly different.
Ahh, the joys of using agricultural crops which change from season to season.
FUTURE CHANGES Over the coming batches I will be trialling using English Maris Otter malt (a variety of malt) in varying percentages. The reason for this trial is that the beer I brewed in the UK at Everards Brewery in Leicester for the JD Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival we used Maris Otter.
Reason for this was it was their standard base malt and they had a silo full of it. So we gave it a go and it turned out fantastic, and the extra malt flavour really seemed to improve the beer.
Still all go and we’ve just finished an awesome collaboration with Luke Nicholas of Epic Brewing Company over in New Zealand. Luke was over here to launch and promote Epic Pale Ale which he had been invited to brew with Everards Brewery in Leicester as part of the JD Wetherspoons International Real Ale Festival. Luke is a highly awarded New Zealand brewer with a vast amount of experience. He has twice brewed beers that have won the Supreme Champion Beer of New Zealand (including Epic Pale Ale, which won in 2006) as well as scooping Gold and Best in Class awards at the 2008 BrewNZ competition. Coupled with the fact that he has twice judged in the World Beer Cup (Seattle, 2006 and San Diego, 2008) you can see that he’s no stranger to both brewing and judging a beer!
Although we are both from NZ, this was the first time our paths had crossed. You have to remember that everyone knows everyone else in NZ, so this was no mean feat! How can I describe Luke? He is very confident and oozes self-belief and passion. He has an intuitive understanding of the world of craft beer and has literally worked from the bottom up. He told me of how he used to volunteer his weekends at a local Auckland brewpub chain so he could learn how a commercial brewery worked (Luke was a passionate home brewer prior to this) until he was employed and gradually worked his way up in the brewing world. Commitment seeps from his every pore and the intensity with which he talks about beer and brewing is awesome. He is engaging, intelligent and the type of person that us Thornbridgers love to hang out with.
It was a big step to decide to collaborate with someone that we did not know. We hadn’t tasted his Epic beers or met him; however it was an opportunity not to be missed. In hindsight, I would have been gutted had we not brewed together. We had a great day and even got to try some of Luke’s beers, which were fantastic!
I met up with Luke the night before our brewday at the Chesterfield Arms in Chesterfield, where Everards were launching a Meet the Brewer evening and where Luke had a coveted mini-cask of the Epic Pale Ale that had been brewed with Everards. We sat down and had a few pints of the Everards beers and then got a chance to try the cask Epic. This stood head and shoulders above the Everards brews (which were all good pints nonetheless) with a dominant citrus hop character, a little grapefruit with some underlying caramel maltiness. Luke told me that Everards were shocked when he told them how much hops he wanted to put into the beer. I think he should have put in even more!
It was time for the brew and myself, Luke, Dave and Stef were ready for action. The mash in the mash tun and vessels cleaned and ready to go, we began the mammoth task of deciding what hops we were going to use. We worked our way through a load. New Zealand Hallertau, Pioneer, Cluster, Atlas and Liberty didn’t make the cut. Chinook, however with its wonderful resinous and citrus notes and a little pine and the ultra-intense Hallertau Magnum made the grade. We thought these two hops would provide a nice resin-pine-citrus backbone as both early and late additions and allow our other two hop choices to shine through. Centennial with its pungent orange zest and the unique New Zealand Nelson Sauvin (for a touch of home of course) with its mango and pineapple and gooseberry and grapefruit were the obvious pairing to give us a real New World character in what was to be a unique twist on our Halcyon Imperial IPA.
We cracked open a bottle of our Green Hopped Vintage 2008 Halcyon and started discussing bitterness. The bottled version has a touch more dryness and astringency due to a little more attenuation and a humungous amount of wet hops added at maturation, yet we thought the bitterness level (around 85 IBUs) was still well balanced by the residual malt sweetness. With this in mind and knowing that this was to be in the cask form only, we upped the ante. We went for over 100 IBUs (International Bitterness Units) in the hope that the slightly increased perceived sweetness that the less carbonated cask form would have, would then balance out the mouth puckering hops.
Because this had a bit of a New Zealand twist, Luke had the brilliant idea of bringing a little New Zealand water with him. Good Water is from Kauri Springs in Northland, above Auckland and is exactly as its name suggests! Once the brew was finished, Luke added the water to the finished brew. You can see that here!
We were also lucky enough to try a bottle of Luke’s NZ brewed Epic Pale Ale, which was absolutely beautiful. Reminiscent of some American Pale Ale’s I have tries. Quite light on the bitterness, yet retaining a lot of citrus and resin pine character. Nice carbonation and fantastic cold. No longer will I be reaching for an ice cold New Zealand lager after mowing the lawns when I’m back in New Zealand. From now on, it’s definitely going to be an Epic! Just when I thought that Luke’s Pale Ale was all that, then he brought out his Epic Mayhem. At 6.2%, this poured a nice dark orange/amber colour. The nose was amazing. Lots of sweet tropical fruits with a hint of pineapple and a floral and citrus background. I’ve always thought that Jaipur was extremely drinkable at 5.9%. Mayhem is of the same ilk. I polished off my taster quickly and instantly thought of the movie, Interview with the Vampire… I was the young child vampire Claudia after my first meal… “I want some more.” This was a ridiculously drinkable and extremely tasty drop. All I can say is well done!
Once the brew day was over, we all met up at the Coach and Horses in Dronfield for a few beers, a few laughs and some good kai (that’s the Maori word for food). We tasted the various Thornbridge beers (Luke described Kipling as being the best use of Nelson Sauvin on the planet) as well as some Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast, Birrificio Italiano Tipopils (one of my favourite beers ever), Port Brewing Hop-15, HaandBrygeriet Norwegian Wood (courtesy of Phil at BeerMerchants) a couple of HopDaemon beers (Green Daemon Helles and Skrimshander IPA) and my very own improvised lambic-style beer. As usual it was awesome fun and great for us all to talk about the different flavours and aromas we were picking up.
Luke to pour first pint at International Real Ale Festival
I am heading back to the UK tonight to be in London on Wednesday 15th April 2009 to pull the first pint of Epic Pale Ale for the JD Wetherspoons International Ale Festival.
If you are interested in following my travels and sampling (ticking) check out http://uk.epicbeer.com
If you get a chance to try the UK brewed Epic Pale Ale at the Real Ale Festival make sure you give it a vote http://vote.epicbeer.com (head down to number 42)
Here is the latest video from my March trip. Everards Brewery owner Richard Everard.
When it comes to success in the art of beer making, brand recognition can mean everything, so the significance of winning a slot at a British ale festival dubbed "the world's biggest" is not lost on Kiwi brewer Luke Nicholas.
Over the next fortnight, the Poms will be sipping their way through 100,000 pints of multi-award-winning Epic Pale Ale after the 38-year-old was invited to showcase his brew at the International Real Ale Festival.
Epic's founder and head brewer has landed one of only six international taps at the annual event hosted by British pub giant JD Wetherspoon which he says could provide the company with the springboard it needs to maximise its potential.
"The Wetherspoon chain has 720 pubs and my batch will be selling in all of them overnight that's more than twice the number of outlets I can get into here," Mr Nicholas said.
"Of course, it's not just about selling the beer. It's about seeking publicity, pursuing potential avenues, exploiting brand recognition and putting Epic on the map something that's not easy back home." Full Story
Over the last few weeks Epic Beer has produced and had uploaded a significant amount of video. So below is a collection of what has been posted, much of it relating to the recent brewing adventure in the UK when I was there brewing a batch of Epic Pale Ale at the Everards Brewery in Leicester for the JD Wetherspoons International Real Ale Festival.
Say tuned for more of the epic adventure of brewing in the UK. Videos will be first uploaded to the Made From New Zealand YouTube channel and then the EpicBeer channel, so subscribe to both and get notified when there is more to watch.
Epic Beer Adventure Part 6 - Made From New Zealand
Epic Beer Adventure Part 5 - Made From New Zealand
Epic Beer Adventure Part 4 - Made From New Zealand
Epic Beer Adventure Part 3 - Made From New Zealand
Epic Beer Adventure Part 2 - Made From New Zealand
Epic Beer Adventure Part 1 - Made From New Zealand Hidden as an Easter Egg on the inter-webs somewhere. Can't give away everything for free. You have to earn it. If you can find it you deserve to see it. ====================================================================== OTHER RECENT VIDEO
Wellington Beerfest - Epic Beer - Luke Nicholas, Interviewed by Haydn Green - Public Address
How To Make Beer - Epic Beer Styles - Made From New Zealand
Epic Beer - Think Small - Made From New Zealand
Luke Nicholas - Friday Show Epic Beer Interview - Made From New Zealand
NZ Beer Fest kicks off in Auckland This video is stored at the 3news.co.nz website Featured on Sunrise on Friday 13th March, the day before the New Zealand Beer Festival. Head into the 2 minute mark where they taste Epic Pale Ale and Rod Cheeseman says "I love this one alot, actually its one of my favorite beers" as he is pouring a large serve of Epic Pale Ale
[TV3] Campbell Live - Epic Beer's hoppy brew an economic success
Across the board New Zealand companies are performing badly – shedding jobs in the process.
But not all businesses are performing badly, take Epic Beer for example – sales are up and demand is high.
The beer has been being made since 2006 and is definitely a labour of love.
The process for fermenting this malt-based is very labour-intensive but despite this things are going well – 200 percent growth in the last year.
But making beer has got more expensive, the price of hops has skyrocketed as has packaging and transport costs.
The major breweries are putting up their prices and so are Epic – the six pack is out and the four pack is in.
“The six pack was nearly at $20 which is a psychological barrier for a lot of consumers, so we decided we would keep the product affordable but make it a four pack,” says Epic Beer’s Luke Nicholas.
Things have come a long way since 1835 when New Zealand’s first commercial brewery was established – the major players now spend a fortune wooing their target audience.
Mr Nicholas cannot compete with the big-boys financially but is determined to remain independent.
He does not think the major brewers could afford him anyway.
“Probably not because I think any of the big brewers that would look for acquisition, would look at how much it would cost to make Epic and how much I have to spend on hops to get that flavour and go ‘that’s insane’.”
Those who think otherwise would be well advised to try a bottle of a Kiwi beer with real flavour, like Epic Mayhem. The latest seasonal release from Auckland brewer Luke Nicholas is a hugely hopped, 6.2 per cent, American-style, IPA (India Pale Ale). Southern Man's favourite brew contains around one hop per bottle; Nicholas estimates there are around 26 in each 500ml bottle of Mayhem! You get the idea?
Mayhem is similar to the brewery's multi award-winning Epic Pale Ale but with the volume turned up! Bursting with US Cascade and New Zealand Riwaka hops, there's a heady aroma of tropical fruit, citrus and pine-like notes over a sweetish, biscuity malty background. The grist, which includes British pale ale, and Munich and crystal malts, provides a luscious rich malt base that balances the beer's challenging bitterness.
With a single 500ml bottle of Mayhem costing about the same as a six-pack of Speight's, aspirant Southern Men are unlikely to be impressed, but those seeking flavour rather than just refreshment from their beer should definitely check it out.
But be warned, Mayhem as the name suggests is definitely NOT for wusses!
Barkers Lodge - Methven Riverstone Kitchen - Oamaru Tonic Bar - Dunedin Eureka Cafe & Bar - Dunedin Scotch Wine Bar - Blenheim New World Blenheim Fresh Choice Parklands (ChCh) New World Halswell (ChCh) The Thirsty Bloke Bottle Store (ChCh)
Today Epic Armageddon IPA was brewed again. 
