TOTAL RIWAKA
Our Head Brewer, Matt Howgate, loves New Zealand hops. And of all the varieties from that amazing country, Riwaka™ is his favourite.
Matt used to be Head Brewer at Marble Brewery, and he used Riwaka™ there as often as he could - even using it in one of their core beers.
Then, unexpectedly, supply into the UK ceased. It had become so popular in its home country that there was none left for export, and it became nearly impossible to get in the UK.
But now it’s back, though in very limited quantities.
When Matt found out that we could again get hold of Riwaka, he jumped at the opportunity and decided that a 7.0% DDH IPA was the perfect way to showcase this treasured variety.
Total Riwaka™ is our new 7% DDH IPA. Expect bold, sweet citrus notes accompanied by fresh aromas of passionfruit, grapefruit, lemon and tropical fruits.
Brewed by one of our newer brewers, Graham, he used Simcoe in the whirlpool, and saved the Riwaka™ for the dry hop to give maximum impact and really draw out the intense flavour. It has been dry hopped at a rate of 14g/L, which in layman’s terms is a lot of hops!
A lot is spoken about freshness when it comes to hoppy beers, so in order to get this beer to you as fresh as possible we are launching it whilst it's being canned. We will then ship the beer to our dispatch warehouse where our webshop team will package and send on its way the very same day with DPD. All being well, you should have your beer with you the following day!
But, get your orders in early as our packers only have one pair of hands! Hebden Bridge to your fridge and no hanging around!
Now you know more about this elusive hop, it's time to get to know the brewer.
Graham joined us in September of last year and was thrown into the deep end with the introduction of the new tanks and increased capacity, pretty soon after he started. Having previously been Senior Brewer at RedWillow in Macclesfield for the last 5 years, Graham kept us on our toes with his knowledge and passion for beer.
He's a busy guy: a keen cyclist, ex National sailing champion, coach for his son’s football team (pre-covid) and now one of our Shift Brewers. We thought you might want to get to know him a little better so next time you see him you can have a chat over a pint!
Over to Graham...
- What brought you to Vocation?
I liked Vocation beers right from when the brewery first launched. The range really fits the bill with its modern, hop-led beers and they've been my go-to choice in the supermarket for a while. The growth of the business combined with the ongoing focus on quality is really impressive.
Before working at RedWillow, I was a home brewer and it was winning the Thornbridge/Waitrose National home brew challenge in 2014 that convinced me to try it as a career.
- What do you do on a day-to-day basis at the brewery?
In my role as Shift Brewer, I produce wort for all our different beers on the 50hl brewhouse. Each beer has its own recipe and specifications and I have to make sure the wort meets these. For each brew I also clean and prepare the Fermenting Vessel (FV) that it's due to go into.
- What's your favourite Vocation beer?
Pride & Joy!
Make sure you're on the webshop early Wednesday to bag your super freshly canned Total Riwaka!
You don't want to miss it when the beer is this fresh!