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

Epic Armageddon IPA is a Bugati Veron

Epic Armageddon. 6.66% ABV. The hops climb out of the glass and cuff you around the head before you can even get your nose in the glass. Lots of hop resin, lots of grapefruit. Decent off-white head on top of a dark amber beer, darker than the Maximus. Doesn't start as sweet as the Maximus and the hops kick in faster and harder. A creamy mouthfeel is blasted away by coating hops. Balance in this beer is all about running along a tightrope in hobnail boots. It's a hell of a ride. The bitterness lingers in the mouth for hours.

Each beer was stunning in its own way. If I had to choose a favourite I'd lean towards the Maximus Humul Lupulus. It's the Jaguar E-type to the Armageddon's Bugati Veron - not as outrageously fast, but a little more stylish.

comment: wow, I didnt think the Maximus was even a starter. The NZ malt gave it a strong husky sweet character that the hops struggled to poke through. The Armageddon was I thought quite spectacular.

comment: The Armageddon is an outstanding technical achievement in hoppiness but I just found it a bit too overpowering.

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[BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT] Epic Lager

This morning at 8.40am Friday 14th March 2008, Epic Lager was born. A hoppy lager in a 330ml green twist top bottle.

Early delivers were made to Mt Eden Liquorland, and New World Victoria Park. More stock will roll out next week, including Wellington.

Epic Lager is available on tap now at Hallertau and the Malthouse.

Another on tap addition was made by Galbraith's Alehouse with Epic Pale Ale now serving on tap.

Pre-Release Epic Lager

Today I'm delivering two kegs of pre-release Epic Lager to Hallertau. This is the first time it will be available for sale in Auckland.

It has been available for a number of weeks in Wellington.

On Tap at the Malthouse
On Fill Your Own at Regional Wines & Spirits

If and when you have tried it, please give me some feedback. Any feedback will contribute to the final tweaks before formulating the final recipe.