So wacha want (to drink?)

Having just discovered a supply of Yeastie Boys beers I thought it best to give some of their most famous brews... and while I was there I grabbed another couple to sample. Yeastie Boys beers have so far proven to be excellent beers, so I was expecting good things from my selection.

First up, the famous Digital IPA. Containing a nearly ridiculous amount of hops I was expecting an overpowering bitterness. Thankfully the guys at Yeastie Boys are craftier than that and the hops mix and balance provide some pretty impressive aroma and flavour. Golden amber and about the clearest beer imaginable the first whiff reveals a wonderful floral and sweet aroma. The first sip. WOW. There really is an impressive harmony between the hops and malts that finished with telltale pacific jade bitterness. A well rounded fruity and floral beer and definitely one of the best beers I've ever had the pleasure of drinking.

Then it was Rex Attitude. The beer they said couldn't be made. Crystal clear amber again and with a sharp smoked twang sitting on top of the rich malt aroma. Theres a smokey over-the-top flavour but an incredible silky mouth feel with lovely carbonation. It's almost sickeningly sweet and smokey so I couldn't really describe this as my cup of tea, but an adventurous beer none the less.

The interestingly named Gunnamatta IPA. Slightly darker than the other two but still impressively clear, theres a heady tea flower aroma mixed in with the fruity and floral malt and hops. Very smooth and fine bubbles means this beer glides down my throat - its so smooth it almost drinks itself. And the flavour! Beautiful rich and complex it almost threatens to overwhelm but the balance between the bitterness of hops and the sweetness of malts is perfectly complimented by the late addition tea leaves creating a unique and impressive beer.

She's Crafty

Craft beer is a growing market in NZ, partially thanks to a renewed interest in brewing as an art, partly because the quality of craft beers has risen dramatically over the past few years with innovators and experimenters testing the limits of what a beer can be. Yeastie Boys from Invercargill take even the modern adventurous craft beer spirit to a new level.

Yeastie Boys famously bring a breadth of tasting experience to their beers, and though I've only sampled a couple at this point it's clear that they work hard to achieve the subtle balances that make good beer great. Their approach to brewing is challenging and rewarding, as is their entire approach to the industry. As far as I'm aware, no other brewer has produced an "open source" beer. Yep thats right, if you're inclined you can make it for yourself. Crafty indeed. Not only that but such kiwi beer alumni as Beer for a Year think pretty highly of the official version too!

Today I'm drinking one of their seasonal releases: Red Rackham.

It's a Belgian Red with a pretty big point of difference. Dark red to amber colour, herbaceous, spice and red stone fruit aromas as well as the obligatory maltiness you'd expect. Mouthfeel is impressive, full and prefectly sparkling... then theres the flavour. Knowing what I know about Belgian beers I was expecting rich malty frutiness. But thats not where the complex flavours stop, there's nuttiness, summer fruits, and something estery from the yeasts, then you get the unexpect twist of bitterness. Something a bit out of the ordinary for a Belgian style beer but something amazing none-the-less!