Emerson's Brewer's Reserve - Summathat Pale Ale

'av summathat!

This is the third instalment in Emerson's voyage of lower abv ale exploration. The task they set themselves was to create a beer with a lower abv whilst still ensuring the beer had plenty of flavour (higher abv accentuate the flavours and aromas in a beer).

We had Nap in the Chair, then Acid Trip on the lines at Atlas and now it's Summathat. 

Summathat is inspired by the long awaited Otago Summer. Feeling in a summery mood after one day of rays in Dunedin the brewers got work. This time throwing in all the hops in at dry hopping time. Simcoe, Cascade, Zythos, Citra and Amarillo hops are all featured culminating in a huge hop hit with a tropical character being backed up by a citrus and piney zestiness. Bitterness is lower than in the previous Nap and Acid Trip ales. The malts are German Vienna for warmth and CaraAroma for some toastiness. 

Emerson's Brewer's Reserve Summathat Pale Ale| 4.9% | $9 per pint

Emerson's Brewers Reserve - Acid Trip

Psychedelic

We recently had Emerson's Nap in the Chair on one of our guest taps and and now we're pouring Acid Trip, the next in line in this Emerson's pale ale evolution.

Acid Trip has less hop bitterness than Nap as the Emerson's brew team backed off on the Centennial hops and "grooved" in a little more US Zythos and US Simcoe. A different hopping technique was also employed called fermenter hopping; adding hops to the fermenter (funnily enough) halfway through the fermenting process - rather than dry hopping, as was the case with Nap.

The result? A session ale with more of that signature Emerson's malt balance and softer, juicier hop flavours. 

Acid Trip is only available for a short space of time from limited outlets, so we're excited to have it on tap at Atlas. Apparently the third version in the is in the brew kettle right now. The name, we're sure, will be equally as inventive. There's certainly no denying that the Emerson's crew keep themselves entertained when thinking up names for their beers!

Emerson's Brewer's Reserve Acid Trip Pale Ale | 4.5% | 9 per pint

As always, please enjoy responsibly. 

New guest beer: Emerson's Nap in the Chair Pale Ale

Mr Emerson catches 40 winks

Next up on our guest tap is Emerson's  Nap in the Chair pale ale. It's a hop-laden, full flavour affair but with a lower abv of 4% - which makes a good session ale without taste being compromised. As with many of the Emerson's brews there's a nice story behind how this beer came to fruition...

The Emerson's team were up in Nelson watching the hop harvest and after a long day walking through the hop fields they settled into a Nelson pub for few of pints. After only a couple of brews they noticed their illustrious leader fast asleep in a pub armchair. So they decided a new brew was needed that was still big on hop flavour but perhaps a little less strong and therefore less nap-inducing. So Nap in the Chair was created "to assist ageing brewers in coping with those long, long days".

"Nap" is made with Cascade, US Simcoe, US Cascade and US Zythos hops. Malted with NZ Ale Malt and caramalt and the yeast is US Ale yeast. And, according to the Emerson's website, they will be releasing another version of Nap but made with a different hopping technique. So if you enjoy this version watch out for the next one.

Emerson's Brewer's Reserve Nap in the Chair Pale Ale | 4% | $9 per pint


Please enjoy responsibly.