Yeastie Boys strike gold with earl grey ale

Yeastie Boys strike gold with earl grey ale

Press Release
Yeastie Boys, 13 August 2013
For immediate use

Revolutionary post-modern brewers - Yeastie Boys – have struck gold again with their offbeat ale Gunnamatta.  The "tea-leafed" India Pale Ale, which beat out 60 other breweries to be crowned "People's Choice" at Melbourne's Great AustralasianBeer SpecTAPular last year, was awarded a gold medal at last week’s Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards 2013. 

The unique ale, which showcases the floral and citrus notes of Earl Grey Blue Flower tea from Wellington-based company t Leaf T, has developed a cult following since it was released in May 2012. Yeastie Boys Creative Director, Stu McKinlay, explains his excitement about the result: “The result in Australia may have been more important on the world stage but this one is absolutely the icing on the cake – and it’s far more personal.  It’s a beer that very much shouts about who we are and what it is we do, so to be judged ‘perfect’ by the best judges in our industry, is a great indication that we’re not as crazy as some people think!”

Yeastie Boys are already well known for their innovation, having picked up the coveted Morton Coutts Trophy for Innovation at the Brewers Guild Awards in 2011, and McKinlay gave some insight into the fine line between mad and innovation: "It was just another one of those eureka moments, like ones that I have every other day, but occasionally one of them come all the way down the path to actual fruition, and then resonates with drinkers as much as it does with us.  This one certainly did that and, as we were already struggling to keep up with demand, we’re going to be really pushed now.  It’s a great problem to have!"

The Yeastie Boys estimate they are currently producing only a quarter of their worldwide demand but are taking things carefully with how they grow.  "Thankfully we’ve just tapped into some extra capacity but we’re very conscious of growing in the right way" said Yeastie Boys’ Directive Creator, Sam Possenniskie. "Demand for Gunnamatta was really cranking before this result, with major chains now starting to realise what specialist bottle stores already knew, so we really couldn’t have timed this move much better."

Gunnamatta – which joins Pot Kettle Black and Digital IPA as Yeastie Boys gold medal winning regular range - is distributed by BeerNZ Ltd and Regional Wines and Spirits in New Zealand, Phoenix Beers in Australia, Shelton Brothers in USA and in Singapore through Beer Bach.  Yeastie Boys expect to announce exports to more South East Asian countries once their increased capacity kicks in.

About Yeastie Boys:
Yeastie Boys is an award-winning Wellington-based brewing company, without their own commercial brewery, who brew beer all over the world (from Boston to Adelaide).  Most of their beer, believe it or not, is brewed in Invercargill!  The brainchild of Stu McKinlay and Sam Possenniskie - two of New Zealand's leading beer activists - Yeastie Boys has been picking up trophies and receiving critical acclaim since their launch at Beervana 2008.  They are also one of the few breweries to regularly receive hate mail (for their infamous Rex Attitude) but are pleased to report they occasionally receive love letters too!  Yeastie Boys also specialise in font and press release matching (this one is based on the fact that several couriers left them sweating over the last week).

ENDS

© Scoop Media