I wondered if you guys were using your hops green, or drying t hem
This article is off RealbeerNZ but was also in our local paper Cascade also make a beer with green hops!
The Brewjolais run is underway
Mar 16, 2006
Author: Lion
Plainly, some breweries are prepared to indulge in shameless publicity stunts just to sell more beer. Here at Mac's, we take our shameless publicity stunts far more seriously than that.
Our latest is altogether a work of art. Early on the morning of February 16 just gone, our Head Brewer Colin Paige went out to River Hops farm in Moteuka to hunt the very first hops of the new season. Speed was of the essence in order to retain the delicate flavour and aromas of the hops. Returning to the Mac's Brewery in Nelson with 140 kgs of green Styrian Goldings cones, Colin set about brewing the first beer in the world to be made with the 2006 crop. Madness. In fact, to our knowledge, a beer made with fresh hops has never been brewed in New Zealand before.
Brewing with green hops is a pastime for the brazenly over-confident. Yet Colin was determined to wrangle this 5.5% Kiwi Pale Ale into something unique, something that will enhance Mac's reputation for innovation and for infuriating the kind of people who deserve to be infuriated. He's even given it a name to convey the appropriate sense of urgency Macs Brewjolais.
Just like the crazy Anglo-French wine dash from which it takes its name, Brewjolais is going to become an annual event. Its a celebration of hop-growing, natural brewing and the capacity of Colin's van. And just like Beaujolais, fresh is the way to go.
But wait, theres more. Because Colin really likes to come first. Not only is he creating the first beer made from 2006 hops, hes creating a whole new style of beer. Beers with a distinctive hop character are traditionally known as India Pale Ales or America Pales Ales. But to commemorate New Zealands first ever green hop brew, this distinctive beer will be known as a Kiwi Pale Ale or KPA. And theres no doubt that it will have a hoppy character. As if using green hops for a full flavour wasnt enough, Colin has used an outrageous amount of them.
Only one question in all this remains unanswered. What does it taste like? Well, no one knows for sure. Yet. Macs Marketing Manager Cormac van den Hoofdakker says, Were expecting the green Styrian Goldings hops to create a flavour of orange jelly or mandarin. But at the Macs Brewery weve learnt to expect the unexpected. What we do know is that with a van load of hops in the mix, anyone who tries the Brewjolais will find out what brewers really mean when they talk about the hop-smile!
Excited? We are. Nervous? Colin is. Here's to the fates and the magnificence of Brewjolais, in whatever form it may take. Stand by for the 1st of April when the Macs Brewjolais will be available in selected Macs bars nationwide. At .50 a pint youd be crazy not to try it. But make it quick, this is an extremely limited release and the French are on their way