Scientist brews up beer for sale

Hamilton scientist Karl Safi, last year crowned New Zealand’s best home brewer, can now buy his own beer at the supermarket.

The NIWA microbial ecologist was judged champion brewer of 2014 by the Society of Beer Advocates. The win came with the opportunity to spend time at a micro brewery and the chance to turn one of his brews into a commercial beer.

Karl’s Single Hop American India Pale Ale (IPA) is the result and has just gone on sale at selected supermarkets and bottle stores.

IPA is one of Karl’s favourite beers and a natural choice to turn it into a commercial brew. It is made from Citra hops, which add a strong, yet smooth floral citrus aroma and flavor.

“I developed the recipe and then it was upscaled by the brewery. It was a fantastic opportunity to see what it was like to brew on a larger scale.”

A limited run of just 1200 litres has been made – this was split between the bottles now being released and kegs which sold out at several launch functions around the country.

“It’s been great seeing it on beer taps and now in stores.”

Depending on how sales go, another batch may be brewed for sale. And if that goes well, there is potential to contract a small brewery to produce more commercially.

Karl says his IPA is “a thirst quenching summer style he really likes”.

Meanwhile, Karl is also refining his entries for this year’s National Homebrew Competition being held in Auckland in November.

“I’m not entering many this year – I’m being a bit more selective.”