When brewer Brent Edwards moved from New Zealand to Wollongong in 2020 and joined the Five Barrel team, he was bound to bring some of his homeland with him.
And now Puddle Jumper NZ Pilsner gives Brent the opportunity to share one of his favourite styles with us. In a previous feature, Brent told us how Emerson’s Organic Pilsner was his epiphany beer, and in Puddle Jumper he takes the fresh crispness of a pilsner and injects Riwaka, Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops to bring a vibrant zing to the aroma. White wine, apple juice and a twist of lime sing from the glass, easing out to gentle grain notes in the mouth.
With Always Greener, Brent uses the same three hop varieties to make an entirely different beer. Forget "hints" of fruit... this is a blast of ripe peach and citrus. It’s not coy, but it manages to balance being thick and full without feeling heavy. There’s a touch of alcohol heat, but it’s like adding a nip of bourbon to a tall glass of freshly squeezed juice. Who’d have a problem with that?
This hazy double brings a non-threatening stampede of flavour, like a flock of kiwi birds running at you at full pelt, their fuzzy feathers jostling as they go.
Mick Wust
Published August 25, 2021 2021-08-25 00:00:00
