[TASTINGS] Epic series of beer tastings

Today starts an epic series of beer tastings around Australasia.

Each link goes to a page with more details

13th October - Christchurch - Pomeroy's on Kilmore
(Official tasting sold out, but I will be in the bar from 4pm to 7pm talking about Epic Beer)

14th October - Christchurch - Pomeroy's on Kilmore
(maybe even a chance to try Armageddon on tap for the first time in the South Island)

20th October - Auckland -Elliott Stables - Six NZ Craft Beers
(Six beers, tutored tasting by Luke Nicholas, includes Epic Armageddon IPA)

29th October - Wellington - Malthouse Event
(secret)

17th November - Melbourne - Ale Stars - The Local Taphouse
(Luke to talk about his beers in Melbourne for the first time)

(Note: there maybe another tasting or two added to Melbourne for the 12th & 13th November, stay tuned)

[ARTICLE] Social Networking - DrinksBiz October 2009

Here is an article from the latest DrinksBiz magazine about Social Networking, which uses Epic Beer as a case study on how to use online social tools effectively.

Epic Armageddon IPA Oak Barrels tasted after ocean voyage

Luke Nicholas of Epic Brewing Company tries the first sample of Epic Armageddon IPA from the oak barrels that spent 6 weeks on the Interislander ferry that travels between the North & South islands of New Zealand.

The barrels crossed the Cook Strait 126 times. The beer was sampled at the public festival Beervana, on the 28th and 29th August 2009, to very positive feedback from the public.

The barrels were named Pete & Melissa after UK based beer writers Pete Brown and Melissa Cole.

The inspiration for this idea come from Pete Brown's book Hops & Glory

Looking for Epic Armageddon IPA?

Here is an initial list of outlets with Epic Armageddon IPA. As I get more information I will tweet it.

Auckland Launch Party - Friday 24th July - Brew on Quay, 102 Quay Street, Auckland City

Beervana - 28th & 29th August, Wellington Town Hall

Alberton
Barkers Lodge - Methven
Farro
Fresh Choice Springlands
Fresh Choice Parklands
Four Square Kelburn
Hamilton Wine Co
LL Albert St
LL Newmarket
LL Parnell
Moore Wilsons
NW Blenheim
NW Eastridge
NW Greenmeadows
NW Hillcrest
NW Island Bay
NW Metro
NW Miramar
NW Te Rapa
NW Thorndon
NW Vic Park
NW Halswell
NW Warkworth
NW Wgtn City
PNS Royal Oak
Regional Wines
Village Winery
The Thirsty Weta
The Beer Store

Yes there will be some in Melbourne by the 1st of August, possibly check out Purvis Cellars.

[VIDEOS] So What's The Story Behind Epic Armageddon IPA

This series of videos explains the story behind the origins of Epic Armageddon I.P.A., The West Coast IPA Challenge, the reasons for putting Epic Armageddon I.P.A. into oak barrels, naming them Pete & Melissa before putting them onto the Interislander for a six week ocean voyage between the North & South Island of New Zealand (actually it is multiple sailings between the two islands three or four times a day) and then making the beer available to taste at Beervana, Wellington Town Hall, 28th & 29th August.

Epic Adventure Part 8 - Made From New Zealand
Introduction about Luke brewing in the UK for JD Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival, then brewing some Epic Halcyon at Thornbridge Brewery (UK), using two New Zealand brewers - Luke Nicholas and Kelly Ryan, plus some New Zealand hops and New Zealand water. Then two 5 litre mini kegs are shipped from the UK for tasting by an exclusive group in Wellington, and we see the unpacking of the keg.



Epic Adventure Part 9 - Made From New Zealand
Luke introduces Colin Mallon of the Malthouse in Wellington. Colin talks about how the two got to know each other, became friends(?), traveled to the UK together for some market research, Luke pours Colin the first pint of Epic Pale Ale at the JD Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival for his birthday. A meeting with Pete Brown author of Hops & Glory, Melissa Cole and a visit to the Rake in London. And a very cool idea inspired by Pete's book.



Epic Adventure Part 10 - Made From New Zealand
Luke talks to Stephen Plowman from Hallertau BrewBar, about the origins of the West Coast IPA Challenge, a trip to California in April 2008, inspired by some crazy hoppy beers, brewing for the 2nd Annual West Coast IPA Challenge, and unleashing of some pain on the beer drinking public.



Epic Adventure Part 11 - Made From New Zealand
Luke talks to Neil "Haiku" Miller about the naming of Armageddon, Pete Brown's book Hops & Glory (again), the second coming of Armageddon and a reference to the impish brewer.



Epic Adventure Part 12 - Made From New Zealand
Luke summarizes the epic journey to this point, meeting Pete Brown, reading about his own barrel called Barry (you will need to read the book to find out the full story), two oak barrels filled with Epic Armageddon IPA, an ocean voyage on the Interislander between the North and South Island of New Zealand, here's to Pete Brown and Melissa Cole for inspiring the current stage of this epic journey.

People are blogging about Epic Armageddon IPA - already!

Does My Bum Look Big in this Barrel? by Melissa Cole

To set the scene for you, a couple of months ago Luke Nicholas from Epic brewery was over here brewing for Wetherspoon's and I met up with him and his mate Colin Mallon (a Scotsman who runs a great-sounding pub called the Malthouse ) had some beers, a bite to eat and an all-round good laugh.

They went back to New Zealand, we did the Facebook thing to stay in contact and I didn't think much more about it - until a tagged photo of a barrel appeared with my name on it on Colin's page, which I found a little odd/slightly insulting!

Basically, inspired by Pete Brown's new book Hops & Glory (which I've mentioned previously), Luke & Colin cooked up the idea to put two wooden casks of beer onto the New Zealand Interislander Ferry for six weeks to see what effect it has - the decided that the barrels should be named after Pete and myself, which is sweet... I think!

from the blog Taking the beard out of beer! - A Girl's Guide to Beer

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Whatcha gonna do, Brother?

Whatcha gonna do, brother, when the hoppiest beers in the country run wild on you?

The Second Annual West Coast IPA Challenge: Battle of Champions has rightly been likened to a huge title bout with two cocky contenders out to win the spoils of victory and, perhaps more importantly, bragging rights over the other for a whole year.

This year, the Challenge kicks off on July 17 at Malthouse with Hallertau’s specially brewed Maximus Humulus Lupulus squaring off on tap against Epic’s brilliantly named Armageddon.

from The Malthouse blog

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An these have been re-blogged here The Epic Journey Has Begun

[VIDEO] Adding Hops to Epic Armageddon IPA 2009 + other important details

Today Epic Armageddon IPA was brewed again.

The first batch (1000 litres) was brewed at Hallertau BrewBar in 2008 as part of the inaugural West Coast IPA Challenge at The Malthouse.

Epic Armageddon IPA 2009 will be available as a limited release beer both on tap and in 500ml bottles from mid July around New Zealand.

This may well be the hoppiest beer currently (possibly ever) brewed in New Zealand. It is brewed in the American IPA style (style descriptor below)

Launch Parties:
Friday 17th July - The Malthouse, Wellington
Friday 24th July - Brew on Quay, Auckland

More details about the beer and its journey will follow.



Become a fan of Epic Armageddon IPA on Facebook and have your say, share your photos, and read the comments


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81. American-Style India Pale Ale
American-style India pale ales have intense hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content. The style is further characterized by fruity, floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character. Note that “fruity, floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character” is the perceived end, but may be a result of the skillful use of hops of other national origins. The use of water with high mineral content results in a crisp, dry beer. This pale gold to deep copper-colored ale has a full, flowery hop aroma and may have a strong hop flavor (in addition to the hop bitterness). India pale ales possess medium maltiness and body. Fruity-ester flavors and aromas are moderate to very strong. Diacetyl can be absent or may be perceived at very low levels. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures.
Original Gravity (ºPlato): 1.060 1.075 (14.7 18.2 ºPlato)
Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato): 1.012 1.018 (3 4.5 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Weight (Volume): 5 6% (6.3 7.5%)
Bitterness (IBU): 40 70
Color SRM (EBC): 6 14 (12 28 EBC)

[VIDEOS] Coverage from Epic Beer in the UK

Over the last few weeks Epic Beer has produced and had uploaded a significant amount of video. So below is a collection of what has been posted, much of it relating to the recent brewing adventure in the UK when I was there brewing a batch of Epic Pale Ale at the Everards Brewery in Leicester for the JD Wetherspoons International Real Ale Festival.

Say tuned for more of the epic adventure of brewing in the UK. Videos will be first uploaded to the Made From New Zealand YouTube channel and then the EpicBeer channel, so subscribe to both and get notified when there is more to watch.

Epic Beer Adventure Part 6 - Made From New Zealand


Epic Beer Adventure Part 5 - Made From New Zealand


Epic Beer Adventure Part 4 - Made From New Zealand


Epic Beer Adventure Part 3 - Made From New Zealand


Epic Beer Adventure Part 2 - Made From New Zealand


Epic Beer Adventure Part 1 - Made From New Zealand
Hidden as an Easter Egg on the inter-webs somewhere. Can't give away everything for free. You have to earn it. If you can find it you deserve to see it.
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OTHER RECENT VIDEO

Wellington Beerfest - Epic Beer - Luke Nicholas, Interviewed by Haydn Green - Public Address


How To Make Beer - Epic Beer Styles - Made From New Zealand


Epic Beer - Think Small - Made From New Zealand


Luke Nicholas - Friday Show Epic Beer Interview - Made From New Zealand


NZ Beer Fest kicks off in Auckland
This video is stored at the 3news.co.nz website
Featured on Sunrise on Friday 13th March, the day before the New Zealand Beer Festival. Head into the 2 minute mark where they taste Epic Pale Ale and Rod Cheeseman says "I love this one alot, actually its one of my favorite beers" as he is pouring a large serve of Epic Pale Ale

[TV3] Campbell Live - Epic Beer's hoppy brew an economic success

Across the board New Zealand companies are performing badly – shedding jobs in the process.

But not all businesses are performing badly, take Epic Beer for example – sales are up and demand is high.

The beer has been being made since 2006 and is definitely a labour of love.

The process for fermenting this malt-based is very labour-intensive but despite this things are going well – 200 percent growth in the last year.

But making beer has got more expensive, the price of hops has skyrocketed as has packaging and transport costs.

The major breweries are putting up their prices and so are Epic – the six pack is out and the four pack is in.

“The six pack was nearly at $20 which is a psychological barrier for a lot of consumers, so we decided we would keep the product affordable but make it a four pack,” says Epic Beer’s Luke Nicholas.

Things have come a long way since 1835 when New Zealand’s first commercial brewery was established – the major players now spend a fortune wooing their target audience.

Mr Nicholas cannot compete with the big-boys financially but is determined to remain independent.

He does not think the major brewers could afford him anyway.

“Probably not because I think any of the big brewers that would look for acquisition, would look at how much it would cost to make Epic and how much I have to spend on hops to get that flavour and go ‘that’s insane’.”

Full Story

See Video

[F&B Magazine] NICHOLAS HEADS OFF ON AN EPIC TRIP

Food & Beverage Magazine, March 2009

Hot News - Epic Pale Ale - Kia Ora, Air New Zealand in flight magazine

Mayhem by Geoff Griggs

Those who think otherwise would be well advised to try a bottle of a Kiwi beer with real flavour, like Epic Mayhem. The latest seasonal release from Auckland brewer Luke Nicholas is a hugely hopped, 6.2 per cent, American-style, IPA (India Pale Ale). Southern Man's favourite brew contains around one hop per bottle; Nicholas estimates there are around 26 in each 500ml bottle of Mayhem! You get the idea?

Mayhem is similar to the brewery's multi award-winning Epic Pale Ale but with the volume turned up! Bursting with US Cascade and New Zealand Riwaka hops, there's a heady aroma of tropical fruit, citrus and pine-like notes over a sweetish, biscuity malty background. The grist, which includes British pale ale, and Munich and crystal malts, provides a luscious rich malt base that balances the beer's challenging bitterness.

With a single 500ml bottle of Mayhem costing about the same as a six-pack of Speight's, aspirant Southern Men are unlikely to be impressed, but those seeking flavour rather than just refreshment from their beer should definitely check it out.

But be warned, Mayhem as the name suggests is definitely NOT for wusses!

Full Story

South Island Mayhem

Live in the South Island? Want Mayhem?

Go here:

Barkers Lodge - Methven
Riverstone Kitchen - Oamaru
Tonic Bar - Dunedin
Eureka Cafe & Bar - Dunedin
Scotch Wine Bar - Blenheim
New World Blenheim
Fresh Choice Parklands (ChCh)
New World Halswell (ChCh)
The Thirsty Bloke Bottle Store (ChCh)

(for all outlets with Epic Beer see http://map.epicbeer.com)

Metro Magazine - March 2009 - Epic Pale Ale

An Irishman walks into a bar.....

[THIS IS AN EMAIL FROM MY BROTHER THAT LIVES IN SAN FRANCISCO]

Hey dude,

I was in the 500 club tonight. And i got into a conversation with an Irish guy. Very interesting. He had to tell me about the greatest beer he has ever had in his whole life. To my surprise he was in NZ last week, and he got to try Epic. I did not say a word (which was difficult), then he went on to tell me about all your other beers and how you were off to the UK to brew 100k pints for whatever pub over there. That was awesome. And yet I still did not say a word. Then Anne came up and laid the whole thing out for the dude. About how I was your brother and the history of this and that (I filled in the gaps). To make a long story short, the guy thought we were full of crap until I gave him your twitter account. That really worked well. You now have another massive fan of Epic in SF. Dude, I gotta tell ya, your shit is going global!!!

AWESOME!!!

Mayhem Unleased on New Zealand

So to answer all of the emails, txts and tweets on where you can buy Mayhem, here is the list of outlets that have it

Alberton
Barabra
Branos
Cellar Room
Centre City Wines & Spirits
Duff & Finn Hastings
Farro Fresh
Hallertau
Hamilton Wine Co
Hillcrest Wines & Spirits
La Vino
Liquorland Albert St
Liquorland Forrest Hill
Liquorland Mt Eden
Liquorland Newmarket
Liquorland Parnell
Liquorland Pt Chevalier
Moore Wilsons
New World Blenheim
New World Hillcrest
New World Island Bay
New World Metro
New World Miramar
New World Rototuna
New World Te Rapa
New World Thorndon
New World Vic Park
New World Wellington City
PakNSave Porirua
Regional Wines & Spirits
The Beer Store (online)
Wine Circle
Wine Vault

(SOUTH ISLAND - I don't have a list of outlet from BeerNZ yet but once I do I will make an update)

So after spending weeks fretting about being able to sell all the Epic Mayhem within 3 months, it looks like it might all be gone after just three weeks on the shelf :-(

The delays on the bottle label pushing the actual street availability date out from 2nd February to the 18th February meant that the stock had been oversubscribed before it was even ready to ship. So there has been some rationing and allocation to the retailers. Some will run out before others.

Sorry if you can't find any in time to try. It will be available at the New Zealand Beer Festival both in Wellington (28th February) and Auckland (14th March).

Once the festival season is complete the small amount remaining (if any) will be shipped to a handful of retailers to top them up. So there maybe Mayhem available till the end of March at best.

An ale of Epic proportions

It's a sad fact that one of this country's most highly awarded beers of recent times, Epic Pale Ale, is available from just 250 outlets. Soon, however, that number is set to quadruple to around 1000; but it won't be Kiwis benefiting.

The next Wetherspoon's International Real Ale Festival is scheduled to begin in mid-April and the good news is a New Zealand beer will be featured. Auckland brewer Luke Nicholas has been invited to travel to England, where he will be brewing a cask-conditioned, real ale version of his multi-award-winning Epic Pale Ale.

Full Story

How Many Hops In My Beer? - Epic Pale Ale

How Many Hops In My Beer? - Epic Pale Ale from Epic Beer on Vimeo.

Kiwi brewer to be ale fest special guest

A Kiwi brewer will mix it with the best as a special guest at the largest ale festival in the world in Britain. Luke Nicholas talks to Newstalk ZB host Larry Williams about his invitation.

Listen to Radio interview (.mp3 file)

Beer O’Clock: EPIC takes on the world!

First, Epic came on stream just for Cock and Bull drinkers. Then it came for beer drinkers and bottle stores across New Zealand. And now, with the invitation to brewer Luke Nicholas for his multi-award winning Epic Pale Ale to be one of six beers included in the International Real Ale Festival in the UK later this year, it’s now heading towards world domination – and deservedly so.

Nicholas will be brewing 100,000 pints just for this festival.

Full Story