A thirst for Thornbridge

Jason E Kaplan

2010 World Beer Cup

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Sometimes – just occasionally, and usually not for very long – I wish I lived in Wellington.

I had one of those moments last week when I heard that brewer Kelly Ryan was in the capital to host an impromptu tasting of some rather special beers.

A Kiwi with a degree in food science, Kelly is a brewer at Thornbridge Brewery, one of Britain's most adventurous and admired new-generation craft breweries. Having installed a 10-barrel brewhouse in a converted joiners' and stonemasons' workshop in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall in 2004, the brewery fired its first brewkettle early in 2005 and has since gained an enviable reputation for its flavour-packed beers.

By 2009 the Derbyshire brewery had already picked up more than 100 awards and outgrown its existing site and last September a new Italian-built brewhouse was installed at a new unit in a modern industrial park alongside the River Wye in Bakewell. By this time former Wellingtonian and champion home brewer James Kemp had joined the Thornbridge brewing team, thus doubling the company's Kiwi contingent.

Sadly I've only ever tasted one Thornbridge beer, but it was direct from the cask, at a CAMRA beer festival in Berkshire in April 2008. A wonderfully aromatic, emphatically hopped and deftly balanced IPA, Thornbridge Jaipur was for me the standout beer that day and ever since I've been hanging out to try some of the brewery's other brews. Given Thornbridge doesn't currently export to New Zealand and I've never met Kelly, you can imagine why I was so aggrieved to have missed his tasting last week.

At the end of March I'm heading to Chicago to join the judging panel for the 2010 World Beer Cup. After that I'll be continuing on to Britain to catch up with family and friends and do some serious beer hunting. I've been told Kelly is also judging in Chicago, so I'm optimistic I'll catch up with him there and hopeful that he might offer to show me around Thornbridge's handsome new brewery when we're both in Britain. I'm also hoping to revisit Fuller's in London.

Before flying to Chicago I'm hoping to check out a couple of high-profile Californian breweries. Firestone Walker, in Paso Robles, and Russian River (Santa Rosa) are both noted for their expertise in the fermentation and maturing of beers in wooden casks and the examples I've tasted to date have been magnificent. Although their beers aren't regularly imported into New Zealand some do occasionally pop up at online retailers such as Regional Wines (www.regionalwines.co.nz) and The Beer Store (www.beerstore.co.nz).

While in Chicago, aside from the judging, I hope to have the opportunity to tour the city's famous Goose Island Brewery.

Founded in 1988, Goose Island operates two brewpubs and produces a huge range of different beer styles from all over the world. The brewery is well known for its enthusiasm to use the correct yeast for each style. I've long regarded Goose Island's hugely citrusy IPA as one of America's finest examples and can't wait to try it fresh from the tap. Roll on April.

- The Marlborough Express

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Blacky   #1   10:02 am Feb 23 2010

Good on ya Kelly! And nice article in the recent brewer and distiller magazine! Blacky

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