Epic Armageddon Wins Best Of BrewNZ Tasting

A recent tasting held by Wellington Beer Writer, Neil Miller at the backbencher, featured all the Best in Class winners from the BrewNZ Beer Awards.

This taste off to find the best of the best resulted in Epic Armageddon IPA being awarded the top place.

Beerly Tasting at the Backbencher

[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)

[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

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

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!!!

Epic Beer - Profile Video

This is an Epic Beer profile video thanks to the guys at Made From New Zealand

Mayhem to be unleashed on Summer Beer Festivals

As New Zealand begins a long, hot summer of beer festivals, Epic Brewing Company announces the welcome return of their most famous limited edition festive brew – Epic Mayhem.

This 6.2% hoppy strong ale has been brewed only twice before, once in 2006 (when it won Gold and Best in Class for Festive Brew at the BrewNZ Beer Awards) and again in 2007. It will be on tap for a limited time at selected venues and beer festivals around the country. This year for the first time it will also be available in bottles. The 2009 Mayhem will be sold in the same distinctively tall 500ml bottle which Epic Pale Ale and Epic Lager already use.

Head brewer Luke Nicholas says that Epic Mayhem is a beer that will challenge the senses. “Epic beers are increasingly available at supermarkets, bottle stores and bars. People are starting to discover that beer can be much more than just a cold and fizzy beverage. It can have aroma and flavour too. It should have aroma and flavour! Mayhem takes this up a notch with its hop-fuelled intensity.”

Epic Brewing Company is a brewery which has always loved and celebrated hops. Hops grow on a flowering vine and are used to give beer aroma, flavour and bitterness. Mayhem is packed full of US-grown Cascade and New Zealand-grown Riwaka hops. The bottle label boldly states that there are 26 hops in every bottle of Mayhem. That is outrageous given that most beers sold in this country have the equivalent of a single hop.

“Mayhem simply shouts hops at a time when hops are in short supply globally and prices are at record levels. At Epic, we know there are two ways to respond to these tough times. Brewers could cut back and hope no one notices the lack of flavour. Or brewers could do what we did, ramp up the hops to celebrate everything that we love about them – the punchy aroma, the sweet citrus flavour and the lingering, refreshing finish,” Luke says.

Epic Mayhem will be shaking up the beer reality of Kiwi drinkers at the following beer festivals:

14 February – Kumeu Beer Wine & Food Festival – Kumeu Showgrounds
28 February – New Zealand Beer Festival – Waitangi Park, Wellington
14 March - New Zealand Beer Festival – Ellerslie, Auckland

Hop off - by Aaron Watson, Capital Times

Epic Armageddon (6.66%) has a more resinous aroma with hints of red grapefruit. It fills the mouth with weighty complexity at first, then its herby bitterness emerges – and lingers with extreme prejudice.

This is 90-plus IBU, a beer so strongly flavoured it completely changes your palate, making it very difficult to go back to the brew you usually drink.

The question in the New Zealand market is: will anybody drink such bitter ale? Colin Mallon at The Malthouse reckons his customers will, and has taken as many kegs as he can get his hands on.

Full Story

New Epic Beer Available Thursday 17th July

This Thursday will see the official launch of the new limited release Epic Armageddon IPA at the Malthouse on Wellington from 5.30pm

Only 1000 litres of insane hop joy have been created. The rumour has started that Epic Armageddon IPA is "the sole reason there is a global hop shortage". This may well be true since many hops were sacrificed in the making of this beer.

If you would like a taste of Armageddon please join me at the Malthouse on Thursday evening.

Can't make Thursday I will be back for a repeat performance on Friday from 5.30pm for International Brewers Day

Epic Armageddon will be on tap from 24th July at Hallertau BrewBar and eventually Galbraith's Alehouse. (with the possibility of Regional Wines FYO)

(special thanks and recognition to Steve Plowman at Hallertau for the use of the brewery, and encouragement to add more hops (like I needed that), Neil Miller for the stroke of brilliance in the naming of Armageddon, the guys at Steam for back up support of yeast, and kegs, and anything else I may have forgot, Mike Shadow for the tap badge (still to be finished) and poster, Colin at the Malthouse for thinking that he can sell the whole batch, I'm sure with a few pints himself and a little help from Mr Miller, who I hear will be camping out the whole time, while Armageddon is on tap).

Want the behind the scenes story, follow the Photo Essay on Flickr.com

Epic Diggnation Episode

Diggnation Episode 101

Epic Pale Ale guest stars on Diggnation

This weeks episode 101 of Diggnation features Kevin & Alex drinking Epic Pale Ale. I had all but given up on the six pack I sent them back in March cause they had been drinking wine (who knows why) on the show and given up mostly on drinking the beers people were sending them.

You can see the original Digg post I made here.

So here we have it Epic Pale Ale on Diggnation. Thanks to the pilot David and my brother Flynn for getting the six pack to the Digg offices.

You can listen to the podcast here
Or watch the video podcast here (when it is uploaded)

Cheers
Luke

The weekend was awesome. We did tastings at Foodtown Greenlane and Foodtown Auckland City on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 3pm to 7pm, and sponsored the Parnell Gentleman's Club - Amazing Race 07 on Saturday.

It is really interesting to note now how far we have come with Epic Pale Ale since we started doing tastings in November 2006 in supermarkets and bottle shops.

Pre Christmas Epic Pale Ale was so new that no one had heard of it or ever seen it.

Post Christmas, early February, Epic Pale Ale had become a brand that people had heard of, or seen somewhere, and were talking about it, which created interest at tastings.

The tastings we ran at the weekend were very encouraging, with many comments of people having seen it, tasted, purchased, and even people that had it in their fridge at home, and that Epic Pale Ale was their new favorite beer.

Awareness for Epic Pale Ale is increasing and more and more people are discovering it and buying to share with their friends.

On Saturday Epic had the privilege to be a sponsor for the Parnell Gentleman's Club's "Amazing Race 07". This was an event where 30 odd teams traveled around Auckland on 11 legs, completing tasks on each leg. The event was filmed by TV station C4, ( I'm hoping to get some footage of the event for our YouTube Channel). The event was a fundraiser for Prostate Cancer. [more on this event, including photos, and video as they come to hand]

Australian International Beer Awards 2007

Last night our samples of Epic Pale Ale flew out on Air New Zealand to Melbourne for the Australian International Beer Awards. Judging starts Monday 19th March.

Awards will be announced at the Beer Awards Presentation Dinner,Thursday 19th April Sofitel Melbourne, 25 Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia.

[UPDATE: San Fran six pack to DIGGNation. It was picked up from the pilot at the Hilton SF, and is now waiting for delivery to the Digg HQ]

EPIC, the Beer Drinker of the Year, and a good shag!

[photo: Waikato Beer Drinker of the Year - Greig McGill]

On Wednesday 28th February at the Cock & Bull in Hamilton there was the inaugural Waikato Beer Drinker of the Year, which Epic sponsored. I was one of the judges along with Bruce Holloway who is the beer writer for the Waikato Times. Bruce has a recent article which covered this event as well as the New Zealand Beer Festvial

This is a fantastic couple of lines from his article:

But sole female entrant Denise had the best line of the night when asked to nominate her favourite beer.

"If I've been mowing the lawns an Export Gold is okay," she said.

"But after a good shag I need an Epic."

Epic is currently the sponsor of Tuesday Trivia Nights at the Cock & Bull pubs

More Recent "EPIC" Press

National Business Review ran an article about the New Zealand Beer Festival on 9th February 2007. "Amber liquid gets festival of its own".

Epic gets a quote. See copy of the article here

Recent "EPIC" Press

18 February 2007 - Sunday Star Times Magazine SUNDAY.
Epic features in the "going up, going down" list. EPIC is "going up"..."Mmmmmm, hoppy!"

Six Pack flys to San Francisco from NZ with pilot for Diggnation

Tonight Epic Pale Ale has the privilege of flying from Auckland, New Zealand to San Francisco with one of the Air New Zealand pilots of flight NZ008 (track the flight here). He has a six pack as part of his carry on.

This is a special mission to get Epic Pale Ale to Kevin & Alex of the Diggnation podcast - digg.com.

As a bit of a tech geek as well as a total beer geek, and brewer of the Epic Pale Ale, I have finally now found a way to get a six pack of Epic Pale Ale (current Supreme Champion Beer from the New Zealand International Beer Awards 2006 ) from New Zealand to San Francisco, where my brother (yes a New Zealander working as a web designer for Real Branding in San Francisco) will make the pick up from the hotel where the pilot is staying, this weekend.

Epic Pale Ale is very lucky to get this flight at such late notice, as if it had to buy a seat tonight it would cost NZ$2329 + airport taxes (US$1650). That's a flying time of 13 hours and a distance of 10,420 km or 6,475 miles.

Once the beer has been secured it will be delivered to the Digg.com head quarters, and with a bit of luck Kevin and Alex will have the opportunity to sample New Zealand's best beer on the next episode of Diggnation.

Fingers crossed.

Once the beer has been delivered to Digg.com we will give you an update.

Cheers
Luke

Yes, I know there has been a bunch going on with Epic over the last couple of weeks like its listing in "What's Hot" in the Sunday Star Times a couple weekends ago, and the NZ Beer Festival. As soon as I get a chance I'll post some more updates. Thanks again for drinking Epic and telling your friends about it.