BREWERY // Following a 22,000 km road trip circumnavigating the USA and drinking countless beers, George Duncan & Wai Familton were inspired to start brewing. After several years of brewing fantastic beers in his kitchen and a few more years contract brewing, George opened a brewery in Paraparaumu on the beautiful Kapiti Coast with a cellar door which is staffed by George and his sister. It's a true family business and George and Wai are looking forward to their 3 year old boy being big enough to start helping out around the brewery. The brewery has gone from strength to strength racking up plenty of medals and critical acclaim. When not brewing or pouring beer, you may spot George at various beer events- he's the guy with a huge grin and a sea-captain beard. In recent years he has fully embraced his inner Willy Wonka and is now releasing a steady flow of chocolate, ice-cream and cake inspired beers that are making beer purists furious. Duncan's hypnotic labels are created by Dr. D Foothead and we've heard rumours that he tries to incorporate representations of genitalia into every label...
BEER // George has been having a lot of fun recently pushing the envelope on what it is possible to do with beer. Which is nothing new - brewers have been experimenting with ingredients, technique and adjuncts forever but, for many, the definition of 'beer' narrowed vastly with the homogenisation toward lagers cranked out by mega multinationals in the second half of the last century. Unsurprisingly, his intention with this brew was to create a beer that is reminiscent of blueberry ripple ice cream. The key characteristic of ice cream was replicated using generous amounts of lactose (aka milk sugar) which is the only non fermentable sugar. That means a residual sweetness remains in the final beer. The light kettle-souring plus huge dose of blueberries gives the beer a tartness and stops it from being overly sweet. Creamy vanilla notes and a big body balance the whole thing out to result in a very clever and beautifully constructed example of what is possible in beer.
BREWERY // Duncan's
BEER // Blueberry Ripple
STYLE // Imperial Ice Cream Sour
ORIGIN // Paraparaumu. Kapiti Coast
ABV // 8.2%
TEMPERATURE // Cool - 7-9C
FOOD MATCH // Burger & Fries. Nuggets. Crisps. Birthday Cake. Fairy Bread
VESSEL // Wine Glass. Sundae Glass