Hopping mad: Epic Beer

Kelly Ryan and Luke Nicholas brewing up a storm. Photo / Jed Soane

Too many chefs spoil the brew, so the story goes. But Luke Nicholas is having none of that. He knows collaboration can produce magic. The proof is in, if not the pudding, then the delicious new, limited edition Epic Thornbridge Stout released this weekend.

It is a beautifully full-flavoured, hearty dark beer, the result of Nicholas' collaboration with visiting UK brewer Kelly Ryan. They met when Nicholas, boutique brewer and general manager of Epic Brewing, visited the UK last year to brew a large batch of Epic Pale for the Ale International Real Ale Festival, at the historic Everard's Brewery in the Midlands.

He and Ryan, of the UK craft beer company Thornbridge, collaborated on a beer that was to become Thornbridge Epic Halcyon.

"So this year we're brewing the first collaboration here in New Zealand and calling it Epic Thornbridge Stout," says Nicholas. "It's in recognition of the two breweries.

"Partnerships like these are usually between top brewers around the world getting together. It's about having the openness and confidence to share ideas about what works, rather than being secretive."

A visit to Epic on the day of the special stout brew revealed a treacly black concoction, giving off strong roasted coffee-type aromas. Brown malt was the main ingredient.

"All these other malts are just supporting that prime taste, offering different layers. A good stout needs complexity. The brown malt is going to shine with the others backing it up.

"The raw ingredient is extremely important to me. For example, in my pale ale, I use 3000 per cent more hops than an average beer contains. This means that in a 330ml bottle of Epic, there are 15 hops per bottle whereas a green bottled lager would have about 0.2 of a hop," he says.

"I'm using hops like winemakers use grapes. I'm using it for flavour whereas large brewers use it just for bittering, using the smallest amount they can get away with."

Nicholas buys barley from England and Germany and malt from Germany and the Czech Republic.

"I don't enjoy the flavours in the brewers' malt here so my beer is driven by American hops. We also use some UK-grown hops plus a little bit from New Zealand, from Nelson [the only growing region in this country]. I'd use more New Zealand hops if they didn't have such a green character."

The Epic Thornbridge Stout is the latest rung on the boutique brewery's climb to the top of the beer world. Last year Epic sales grew by 200 per cent and, despite a grim economic climate, the company continues to grow.

"People are suffering from the recession but every time I turn around someone else is offering me an opportunity to increase sales. Since we've been exporting to Australia - for nearly a year now - we've had new distributors every week saying they want our beer," says Nicholas.

He started his brewing career for the Cock 'n' Bull, and worked there periodically over 10 years developing the Epic for his employers.

"When they decided it wasn't their core business I purchased the brand from them."

Recession fallout may be wreaking havoc for some, but business is booming for boutique beer brewer Luke Nicholas whose launch yesterday of Epic Stout was a world-first.

EPIC'S BEST BEERS

Epic Lager
5% Alc/Vol 500ml
Talk about fresh; this golden coloured lager tastes like it's just been picked, liquefied and bottled from a field of fresh hops. Aromatic herbs, a hint of clover honey and a bone-dry finish make this beer as refreshing to drink as a tall glass of spring water.

Epic Pale Ale
5.4% Alc/Vol 500ml
The rich aromas of bitter orange rind, fresh herbs and jasmine seem to intermingle in this not-too-pale, orange-hued ``pale ale'. The flavours in this beer run the gamut of sweet citrus to savoury countryside and fresh mown grass. This would be a great match with tasty or aged cheddar.

Epic Mayhem
6.2% Alc/Vol 500ml
Epic Mayhem tastes like the soulmate of great French brie. This beer's fresh earthy aromas and rich flavours taste like they have more in common with darker beers than this golden coloured brew. It's big on green, fresh, hoppy flavours with an interesting bitter twist at the very finish stretching out the taste to a lingering conclusion.

Epic Armageddon IPA
6.66% Alc/Vol 500ml
It's not called Armageddon for nothing; this intensely flavoursome beer is packed with flavours of sweet spice, currants and orange rind, all intermingling in a medium bodied, intense beer that begs to be thought about, savoured, consumed and enjoyed. Love that bitter finish.

www.epicbeer.com