BREWERY // In the mid 90's Nic & Molly Heynekamp were kayaking in Colorado when inspiration struck to open a brewpub. As you cross the eddyline of a fast moving river to sheltered waters you can take a break as the river rushes past. Which is a little like sitting in a pub while the world passes by. They opened a brewpub in New Mexico in 1999 then opened Eddyline Brewery in Colorado in 2009. As lovers of beer and adventure, Nic & Molly moved to Nelson 5 years ago where they quickly embraced the local opportunities provided by mountains, forests, ocean and hop farms. Nelson is bursting with hop gardens and Eddyline work closely with local hop growers trialling new varieties. After a few years of experimenting with different releases and listening to customers they scaled up this year and recently started canning. Next time you're in Nelson, be sure to pay a visit to their brewpub for some great beers, pizza and pointers on where to ride, kayak and surf.
BEER // You know, we very rarely feature lagers and pilsners as Beers Of The Week. Many craft beer fans have bad memories of the awful bland soulless lagers that have been cranked out at huge volumes by the multinational mega-brewers since the 1970s using the cheapest ingredients possible. It wasn't always that way, lagers were once deservedly the King Of Beers. Any home brewer will tell you that they are the hardest style to perfect and many professional brewers will tell you lagers are their favourite style. Unsurprisingly enough, the Pilsner style takes its name from the Czech town of Pilsen in Bohemia. Bohemian brewers had been brewing beers with bottom fermenting yeast and lagering (storing in a cool environment) in caves since at least 1400 but a revolt against sub-quality beer in 1836 led to barrels being dumped out in the town square and the formation of a state-owned 'Citizen's Brewery' which revolutionised the process. The key to this new Pilsner style was pale malted barley (previously only darker roasted malt has available), soft water and Saaz hops. Kaiteri is a fantastically well balanced example of the style - it is well rounded with peppery, spicy, herbal hop character and low bitterness. Delightfully session-able.
BREWERY // Eddyline
BEER // Kaiteri
STYLE // Pilsner
ORIGIN // Nelson
ABV // 5%
TEMPERATURE // Cool - 7-9C
FOOD MATCH // Karaage Fried Chicken. Vegetable Biriyani. Bean Burrito. Lemon Curd Muffin.
VESSEL // Pilsner Glass