CS7 - Hop Harvest Ale - Kauri Road Brewery

[Barry]

Maris otter 4.8kg / 96%

Bairds crystal .2kg / 4%

 

Mash 67° 60min

 

Southern Cross 18gm @ 60min

 

Amarillo 15gm @ 10min

Home grown hop 30gm @ 10min

 

Amarillo 15gm @ 3min

Home grown hop 30gm @ 3min

 

Centennial 40gm dry (in keg)

 

S05

OG 1.051  FG 1.009

ABV 5.4% 48IBU

 

Interesting beer to make for me, this one. I dialed back the crystal to showcase my home grown hops so the beer is lovely and pale and crisp.

The homegrown hops I had thought were smoothcone, but after reading the description of smoothcone on the nzhops website I don't think they are. John Golics (Auckland Guild of Brewers and Winemakers) who gave them to me several years ago mentioned something about them originating with the Puhoi Bohemian settlers which had me calculate them as Saaz in my recipe (4% alpha). They are quite floral and lemony in aroma and flavour, not super lovely tasting but they seem to have rounded out nicely in this beer.

I'm stoked to be able to use them in a beer, they've been growing for 3 seasons and this is the first season I've had any cones at all - I was swamped with them!

Tastings from the fermenter before kegging weren't very promising at all so I threw a good measure of centennial dry into the keg.

 

I'm really happy with the result, I hope it reaches you all in the same kind of nick it's been coming out of the keg at mine!

 

Bottled from the keg so no sediment - give it a good strong pour as it's carbonated on the low side.

[vdog]

Poured pretty hard into a jug and then into the glass and got a lovely bright clear golden beer out of it with a nice white head that subsided to not much but still hung around and laced all the way down the glass. Aroma is mainly citrus but I also get something that in my head came through as 'lager-y' which I guess is the 'floral' bit of the  homegrown hops if they're a saaz type. On the palate it's mainly hops but with enough body to carry it, and a background biscuity flavour from the Maris to back them up. The bitterness is good and crisp, with enough that it lingers a bit.

 

If I had to pick a fault with this beer, I'm not sure I could - I really liked it a lot. 

[Andrew]

Barry did you label this beer? Either I've got a bottle from you unlabeled or I've got one of Mike's 2 dot beers plus his unmarked Rogue beer.

[Barry]

nup, mine is completely 100% unlabeled. New bottles, totally unmarked.

 

[Andrew]

Thats your then, cheers.

[Stu McKinlay]

ah, it was yours!

 

In that case... a delicious Belgian APA, which is odd because you don't appear to have been headed that way. Rose gold, tight off-white head, lovely floral and zesty lemon notes, a hint of orange, beautifully balanced malt... but then this reasonably prominent spice that definitely seemed Belgian.  I drunk it about 10c... but note that nobody else picked up spice.  Anyone else have it at this temp?

 

I remembered seeing "Belgian APA" on this message board and thought it must have been this. and that it was one of the beers of the swap.  Still is.  Perfect balance, as expected from The Gurner, but I'm not sure it was quite what it was meant to be.

 

 

[Andrew]

Had this one tonight, shared it with my good lady and wish I hadn't. I should have been selfish with this one. It has nice tropical fruit aroma rather than the typical citrus from Amarillo, a little "yeastie" aroma but it was very very faint and I think fitted well with the overall beer. Carbed pretty much perfectly me for me. I also got a slight herbal, spicy taste which I think may be a result of your homegrown bohemian hops. Noble style hops often give this but again like the yeastie comment it was understated and complimented the beer. It was almost a Belgian kind of herbal note. The overall bitterness was crisp, nice after bitterness to go with it too.

    Can't fault it overall and would have drunk a few more if I had them. Thanks Barry.

[Martin Bridges]

OK, not read any notes. Also drank thios while watching the Anzac test after a few beers at Andrew Andrew.

 

This is what NZ Pale Ale is all about. Excellent malt/hops balance. Looks beautiful, smells awesome. Lovely citrus hop with a slight juicy fruit tang. Body excellent, carbonation just right. 

 

Anyone trying to make a good NZPA should just copy this. Superb work bro.

[Bambule]

Interesting reading your hop story.  I bought a hop plant about 4 years ago from Kaonga Gardens north of Puhoi.  For the last two years its put on a proud display of hop flowers but I've never been organised to brew with them.  The leaf and smell made me think it was from a saaz parent.  Kaonga just said it was a local heirloom variety... could be the same variety I hope.

 

Anyway, this beer.  Beautiful golden colour with a lingering head.  I thought I got a hint of something medicinal to start with but it seemed to go with the same suddeness of its arrival .  Just to make sure  I let my daughter smell it.  Ewww oranges she pronounced.  Correct answer I thought!  A real hop show case this beer along with a nice dry finish which I enjoy in pale ale.   Very refreshing.  Great beer Barry, cheers.

 

Additional: the bitterness seems to really linger with this beer.

[Stu McKinlay]

This beer was not in my case :-(

 

[Barry]

What the?

[Reviled]

Fuck.

 

Stu - how many beers did you get? a full case? Why has this swap gone so horribly wrong :o(

[Stu McKinlay]

last night i had an unlabelled one... just trying to work out if it was this.