BREWERY // Outlier Cartel began life in 2010 when Carlos and his flatmates decided to throw a flat warming party. They invited everybody in the building but only two people turned up, fortunately one of them was Mark. A few years later they were joined by Alvin to become a three-way intercontinental creative powerhouse. Their name comes from Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers which explores the influence culture and history have on success. Outlier Cartel blur the boundaries of beer styles and their beers have taken influence from everywhere and especially cuisine with them incorporating all manner of foods such as melons, chestnuts, honey and marshmallows in their recipes. Right now the three Cartelians are working on different projects in three separate corners of the Earth so brewing is on hiatus. We've got a feeling this won't be the last we drink from Outlier Cartel though.
BEER // "Fresh is best" is a maxim regularly tossed around in relation to beer but it's not always true. Hop forward beers like IPAs should indeed be stored cold and drunk fresh as the hop flavours and aromas fade with time. Many other styles, such as Imperial Stouts, Tripels, Barleywines and Lambics can become more complex and improve with years of 'cellaring'. Which is why we were delighted when we chatted to the Outlier Cartel team and discovered they had a secret stash of their marvellous big stout they'd been sitting on. Suraggā (Japanese for 'slugger') is a big decadent Tropical Stout, a style born in the Caribbean as a fuller bodied, sweeter Imperial Stout with less roastiness and hop bitterness. The addition of toasted coconut and mint adds another layer of deliciousness to this wonderfully unique beer. Drink cold and go slowly to experience the effect temperature has as the beer warms. Mark took surreal inspiration for the artwork and name from Monty Python's fish slapping sketch and the Japanese love of whales and baseball.
BREWERY // Outlier Cartel
BEER // Suraggā
STYLE // Tropical Stout
ORIGIN // Auckland
ABV // 11%
TEMPERATURE // Cool - straight from the fridge
FOOD MATCH // Mexican mole. Curryflower. Viennetta.
VESSEL // Tulip