Being born and raised in New Zealand, one of the first things on the agenda when I started this brewery was to brew a salute to the wonderful hops that are being grown under the South Pacific sun back home, the top of the South Island in Nelson to be precise. Our Sunny-Side Up is a damn tasty treat, its hazy-orange and gold colour is derived from an addition of malted rye which also adds a smooth silkiness and a slight bit of spice to the mix.

Deep citrus and tropical fruits in abundance are forefront with a mellow white grape and bitter-sweet finish. Chur chur.

FYI: At the centre of a good beer lies quality aromatic hops and, as luck would have it, the early English and German settlers to Nelson found the region perfectly situated to grow the perfect crop for the bitter brew. Nelson and is now the hop centre of New Zealand…Hops are the essential ingredient that gives beer its bitter taste. The flavour comes from the alpha acid contained in the catkins of the hop plant.

Early immigrants to Nelson from southern England and Germany brought hop seedlings with them and fortunately found that the region’s latitude ensured the warm summers, regular rainfall and relative lack of wind required to grow them. Later, a Motueka man, Jeffrey McGlashen (Mac) Inglis, was instrumental in helping the fledgling hop industry develop into the major venture it is today. His hop garden, Northwood Gardens, became the largest in New Zealand and continues to grow hops today.