The next J.D. Weatherspoons International Real Ale Festival will feature a cask conditioned version of the New Zealand APA heavyweight Epic Pale Ale. Brewer Luke Nicholas will fly to the UK and brew a batch of the beer at Everards in Leicester. A Kiwi brewer brewing a beer with American ingredients in England, truly a global ale. I think Epic will be pretty good cask conditioned, it will be interesting to see what’s made of it in the UK.
Is that poster really saying the pints will cost over 8 pounds ?!!! or is it a blank for altering in the bar.
7 comments:
The Porterhouse in Dublin brew TSB: Turner's Sticklebracht Bitter which is the only New Zealand hop I've tried. Sadly they don't use the sticklebracht any more opting instead for styrian goldings. The beer is definitely the worse for it.
You wont be getting any NZ hops in Epic either, its all American.
I would opt for Continental Styrians over Sticklebracht (actually any NZ hop for that matter) very unpatriotic I know.
It's not unpatriotic. It's just a shit hop.
And yeah, it's a blank. But a funny one!
Will look forward to this and yes, it is a blank to be completed on each site.
Kieran - can you shed any light on this which appeared on cask uk? It is a guy called Steve Westby. Sorry it is so long but I couldn't find an email address to send it to you privately.
Everards are to be involved in the production of a beer called Epic
Pale Ale, brewed by "one of New Zealand's top brewers" for
Wetherspoons next beer festival. Here is the guff lifted from the web;
New Zealand's top brewer Luke Nicholas will be one of only six
international celebrity brewers at the 'World's Largest Real Ale
Festival' in Britain later this year. Luke, head brewer at the Epic
Brewing Company, has accepted an invitation to fly to Britain and
make a special batch of his multi-award winning Epic Pale Ale for the
International Real Ale Festival. Luke says it is a huge honour and
opportunity to be selected to produce 100,000 pints of his hoppy Epic
Pale Ale for the festival. "It's the first time Epic Pale Ale will be
served from a traditional cask which is tremendously exciting. It is
also fantastic to have the chance to brew at the historic Everard's
Brewery in Leicester. {historic? - built in 1983!}
"Since launching in May 2006, Epic Pale Ale has won major beer awards
and critical acclaim. Most New Zealander's are only just beginning to
discover the flavours I like to pack into my beer. It's still quite
unknown here but is gaining an international reputation as a
'must-try' New Zealand beer. International judges and experts that
have tried it, hold it in high regard. Maybe brewing for the biggest
festival in Britain will create a little profile and help Kiwis
realise what they have on their doorstep!"
Luke has amassed a history of top awards for his beers over the last
decade including the unique distinction of brewing the Supreme
Champion Beer of New Zealand a record three times.
But do I smell a rat? Epic was launched in May 2006 and I was in New
Zealand in June of that year (fantastic place for beer by the way,
but I digress) and I never saw any Epic beer or saw any trace
whatsoever of an Epic Brewery and I had done a lot of research before
I went. So I have been doing some digging and can find no reference
anywhere to the Epic brewery. Their web site www.epicbeer.com goes
out of its way to avoid mentioning where the beer is brewed and
doesn't even appear to give an address for the company. So is Luke
Nicholas actually a brewer or is his beer actually contract brewed
elsewhere (possibly by Steam brewing in Auckland? I would be
intrigued to find out.
Steve
Steve, Luke Nicholas is most definitely a brewer. He was the brewer at the Cock and Bull chain which ended up buying Auckland Breweries and becoming Steam Brewing. He then launched his own brand Epic, sometime later he resigned as head brewer at Steam Brewing to concentrate on Epic. His beers are brewed at Steam (although 'Armageddon' his AIPA was brewed at the Hallertau Brewpub) , but by himself.
I couldn't find an email for you either.
Great blog you havve
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