Full disclosure: WilliamsWarn is a client so there may be slight bias to this review
More than a third of Kiwi men have tried home brewing, but most haven’t carried it through because of the time taken and poor quality beer produced.
Kiwi brewmaster, Ian Williams has solved this problem – and the 12 problems associated with home brewing - and invented the WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery, which is capable of producing the world’s freshest commercial quality beer in as little as seven days – read more about the WilliamsWarn here.
Last week the WilliamsWarn proved it’s ability to produce world-class, homebrewed beer when Aucklander Santiago Aon Ratto beat entries from the world’s biggest breweries to win the Pilsner category at the Asian Beer Awards – the first time a beer brewed on such a small-scale has won at an international awards show such as this.
The award proves that you don’t need to invest millions to make the world’s best beer. Anyone can create world-class, commercial quality beer from their home or workplace – potentially the greatest innovation in the global beer industry of the last thirty years.
Alex Speedy and I visited Santiago’s house on the weekend and sampled a few of his brews - an oatmeal chocolate stout, a very green indian pale ale, and a brown ale. Unfortunately, he was all out of the giant-slaying Pilsner. Below are our thoughts on Santiago’s brews.
The Oatmeal Chocolate Stout
Bill: The oatmeal chocolate stout featured strong chocolate aromas, while the oatmeal and vanilla was more subtle. The stout felt smooth and clean with a delicious oaty aftertaste giving extra substance. This delicious drop would make the perfect post-work beverage during the cold winter months. The oaty tones are enough to make the drinker feel robust and healthy no matter how early in the day it’s consumed. Rating 5/5
Alex: Looking at this dark swirling stout freshly poured into the glass you could instantly tell this was a drop with some serious grunt. Tasting the stout revealed rich, creamy, earthy layers of flavour with elements of cocoa, vanilla, oats all true to the ingredients used in this beer. Definitely a meal in a glass – Guinness has competition on its hands with this recipe. Rating 4/5
Indian Pale Ale
Bill: Santiago’s India Pale Ale was potentially the ‘greenest’ I have tried – apparently due to dry hopping. The IPA delivered strong hoppy aromas and flavours in a crisp, clean and bitter beverage, perfect for an afternoon drink in the sun on the Porter Novelli deck. Rating 4.5/5
Alex: This is one those knock-your-socks of sort of beers packing a serious taste sensation punch. Fresh with a sharp fragrance of green pine trees this beer looked as good as it tasted. Not for the faint hearted beer drinker – this beer has some serious character and demands attention while being consumed. Rating: 5/5
Brown Ale
Bill: The Brown Ale was sharp and clean with a flavour hit worthy of FMCG advertising buzzwords. The initial aroma graced the nostrils with a nutty ensemble, and followed through with licorice tones. While I would not usually mix licorice with nuts, the combo was a pleasant surprise and would impress the pants off clients, suppliers – any ale fans that may end up in the office. Rating 4/5
Ian Williams will be in the BNZ tent at Field Days if you would like to sample some WilliamsWarn-brewed beer this week 13-15 June 2012. Otherwise, you can make an appointment to see Ian at the WilliamsWarn showroom – 739 Great South Road Penrose.
