Nelson home brewer’s beer goes commercial
Nelson home brewer Dale Holland is about to see his award winning Belgian Pale Ale flow from the taps of one of the
region’s major craft breweries, the Sprig and Fern.
Dale is one of many local home brewers who pop in to the brewery for advice and ingredients. Late last year, with
feedback from the Sprig and Fern’s head brewer, Tracy Banner, Dale perfected a Belgian Pale Ale that took out the
honours at the Society of Beer Advocates National Homebrew Competition in Auckland. Dale’s brew won the Belgian Pale Ale
category, Best in Class (Belgian and French Ales), and then went on, against 300 entrants, to take out the overall Best
Beer award.
“The judges liked the way I’d created something a bit different – putting a New Zealand spin on a Belgian Pale Ale by
using locally grown Motueka hop flowers,” he said. “It adds a passionfruit aroma to the spicy clove flavour this type of
beer is known for.”
Tracy and fellow Sprig and Fern Brewery co-owner David Barrett were so impressed with Dale’s award winning brew they
offered him the opportunity to scale his recipe up to commercial quantities, giving beer lovers the chance to try it as
a limited release at Sprig and Fern taverns throughout the Nelson region. Tracy and Dale have worked together on the
recipe for the bigger brew, paying particular attention to the yeast, which Tracy said does a lot of the work in
creating the traditional flavour and aroma of a Belgian Pale Ale.
“We imported the Belgian Leuven yeast from the USA - it comes in a big heavy bladder, and cost nearly a thousand dollars
for just eight litres,” said Tracy. “When it arrived we all took turns cradling it like a baby and it was quite
something to see the look on Dale’s face when it was his turn.”
Tracy heads the Sprig and Fern’s small team of three brewers who collectively have nearly six decades of commercial
brewing experience. She says it’s been a real buzz for them to make Dale’s beer and to see him get a taste of commercial
brewing.
“Dale’s a very good home brewer but we’ve seen him develop his passion and produce something that’s really
professional…he captured a particular beer style, which is essential in today’s craft beer market,” she says. “It’s
created interest from a distributor in Christchurch so we hope to see Dale's Belgian Ale go nationwide.”
Dale and Tracy agree the brew is a win-win for both Dale and the Sprig and Fern Brewery, and also for their malt
supplier Cryer Malt, who went the extra mile to source the specialty malts required.
“I couldn’t believe I’d won the national competition and I found it just as hard to believe the generosity of Tracy and
her team,” Dale said. “They were so open to sharing their knowledge and time - I’ve never encountered anything like it
before in any other industry.”
Dale’s Belgian Ale will be launched in all five Sprig and Fern taverns at 4pm, Friday 24 June. For more details see the
Sprig and Fern’s website - www.sprigandfern.co.nz
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