Hoppy days are here again
Alittle over a fortnight ago I was enjoying the final few hours of my American trip before the long flight home. It was a glorious sunny day in the Northern Californian beachside town of Capitola and my friends and hosts, Julia and Richard, decided to take me out for lunch at Gayle’s, a local bakery noted for its deli sandwiches and salads.
As it turned out Gayle’s lived up to its reputation big-time; my Cubano ficelle filled with ham, roast pork loin, Swiss cheese, dill pickle and chipotle mayo was outstanding – and so was the beer I chose to accompany it.
As I wrote in my last column, finding tasty beer in this part of the world is just so easy, and so it proved once again at Gayle’s. Alongside a certain ubiquitous green bottled Dutch lager, the bakery’s well-curated beer list included local brews from Discretion and Santa Cruz Ale Works, both from nearby Santa Cruz, and Anchor Brewing from San Francisco.
Knowing I only had time for one swift glass with my lunch and fancying something on the hoppy side, I opted for a Lagunitas IPA. I was not disappointed; America’s biggest-selling IPA was on top of its game. As is usually my experience with this beer, even the bottled version, it was as fresh as a daisy, bursting with the pine resin and citrus signature of American hops over a slender, caramelised malt backbone. It was the perfect brew for the occasion and a most appropriate final beer of the trip.
Although I didn’t manage to get to Lagunitas on this last trip, I’ve been to the Petaluma brewery a couple of times before. After a visit in September 2013 I wrote; ‘‘You may not have heard of Lagunitas, but it’s a significant player in the US craft beer market. With an output approaching 30 million litres per year, the brewery is America’s sixth largest producer of craft beer.
‘‘The US west coast, and San Diego in particular, has a BEER reputation for aggressively hopped pale ales, but Lagunitas is most certainly right up there with the biggest hitters. Even the brewery’s ‘regular’ (if you can call it that) pale ale out guns most of its local competitors’ IPAS in both alcohol and hop bitterness.
‘‘Ferociously hopped and hugely alcoholic beers such as Hop Stoopid, Undercover Investigation Shut-down and The Hairy Eyeball may sound brash and undrinkable, but they came across as fresh, vibrant and, most importantly, well balanced and surprisingly quaffable.’’
Founded in 1993 in Lagunitas, California, by Tony Magee, the brewery has been one of America’s fastest-growing beer brands of the past decade. After out-growing the original location in its first year Lagunitas shifted to nearby Petaluma in 1994 and since then production has continued to be scaled-up. In 2014 the company opened a second brewery in Chicago and a third brewery, in Azusa, Los Angeles County, is schedule to open in the first half of next year.
In September 2015 Magee announced that Heineken International would acquire a 50 per cent stake in Lagunitas and just over a month ago Heineken purchased the remaining portion of the company, making it the sole owner. As a result Lagunitas will become Heineken’s lead global craft brand, while its founder and executive chairman, Magee, has taken on a newly created role as global craft director for the Dutch company.
Thanks to Heineken’s Kiwi subsidiary, DB Breweries, Lagunitas IPA is now coming to New Zealand. Simon Smith, brand PR and digital manager of DB Breweries, says only Lagunitas IPA will be imported at present, and only in kegs. ‘‘At this stage we will only be importing the kegs in cold-stored containers as the beer travels better, and fresher, that way,’’ he adds. ‘‘When the brand has been established we would look to bring in a rotation of variants like – A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale, Pils, etc.’’
Currently 40 outlets across the North Island are offering Lagunitas IPA on tap, but Simon Smith indicates others will follow: ‘‘We will be looking for outlets which have an appreciation for craft and where craft aficionados or people with a taste for craft like to drink.’’
But what about those with a taste for craft who live in the South Island, I asked? ‘‘We haven’t taken Lagunitas to the southern region (South Island) yet,’’ says Smith. ‘‘We will be taking it to on-premise outlets in two weeks. From there we will be launching it in the South Island.
‘‘The idea is to get as many people enjoying Lagunitas as possible.’’ I’ll drink to that. Cheers!
Knowing I only had time for one swift glass with my lunch and fancying something on the hoppy side, I opted for a Lagunitas IPA. I was not disappointed; America's biggestselling IPA was on top of its game.