Imagine our head brewer relaxing and sunning himself in Nelson, a wine-growing region of New Zealand, jealous right? No need to be, the reality is he thought up the recipe for our first special release sat on kegs in the brewery.
Trends dictate that we should brew a NEIPA so that’s exactly what we did. Only the ‘NE’ stands for Nelson, not to be confused with the New England IPA which comes from the opposite side of the world.
We took inspiration from our head brewer’s origins to showcase the hop, Nelson Sauvin. Nelson has a unique gooseberry flavour and it’s a favourite of Vinny’s as it shows how terroir can influence the flavour of hops.
Terroir, more associated with wine, is how environmental factors (e.g. soil and weather) can affect how a crop grows.
Nelson Sauvin as the name suggests grows in the Sauvignon Blanc wine-growing region in Nelson at the top of the South Island of New Zealand.
This leads to the strong gooseberry flavour, with hints of Sauvignon grape, a touch of grapefruit and a dash of passionfruit, depending on how you use it.
It gives our Nelson IPA a slight vinous quality and a fruit gooseberry nose which can be perfect for people who are not convinced they like drinking beer, yet. A great way of converting your wine-loving friend from grapes to hops.
We balanced the Nelson Sauvin hop with the hop Solero Hallertau from Germany for a tropical twist on your palate while wheat in the malt grist adds a rounded mouthfeel.
The gooseberry aroma jumps off this beer and transports you to Nelson, just as well really as it’s the closest any of us can get for while.
