mike's Organic Brewery - Journal Entry

Ron Trigg from mike's

From the NZ Craft Beer TV entry, 22/2/11:

A huge feed of local bacon, eggs from the chickens outside, black pudding and sausages under our belts (thanks, Mum and Dad!), we were on the road again. We headed north of New Plymouth until we saw the tell-tale sign… "Brewery, 200 litres ahead". We arrived at the picturesque grounds of Mike's Organic Brewery (on the White Cliffs Estate) and were met by Ron Trigg, brimming with enthusiasm and energy as he began talking us through the brewery and beers.

Ron and his parents (including father, Mike… aptly named) took over the brewery almost four years ago. The family is originally from Zimbabwe and moved to New Zealand for a better life for themselves. They chose Taranaki as their new home and went about setting up an organic farm close to the brewery. When it came up for sale, they jumped at the chance of taking on the now 21 year old business, taking the organic philosophy to another level and broadening the range of beers. With a beautifully refurbished ex-school hall as their new brewery shop, an avocado orchard framing the site and extensions to the brewery itself, including more vessels and equipment, Mike's has seen a big increase in sales due to the hard work the family have put in.

We head to the shop to taste a few of the beers and notice the great 10 litre keg dispense units that are lined up on the bar. Sourced from Germany, these really look great, kind of espresso machine-like in appearance. With the Mike's fantastic new branding in a light-up display on the front, these wouldn't look out of place in any nice bar or restaurant. The great thing about the units is their ease of use. You get the keg, you put it into the machine and the unit controls temperature. You don't even need to clean any beer lines, as they all come with a one-use disposable dispense system that is replaced every time a new keg is put on. This means you have a closed system that keeps the beer in perfect condition (the gas unit doesn't even put any extra head-space pressure in the beer in the keg, hence carbonation is accurately controlled).

As if to prove the machines are worth their weight in gold, we go through the line-up, beginning with the impressive Strawberry Blonde. Made with fresh organic strawberries, this is unlike some of the sweet fruit beers you often find. It pours pale, with the faintest hint of pink, an almost Rosé wine strawberry note on the nose. Expecting sweetness, this spritzy beer is the opposite in the mouth. Delicate, refreshing and palate-cleansing, it has the berry perfume without the sweetness, finishing dry and remarkably crisp. This is a real gateway beer. White and Rosé wine lovers and mainstream lager drinkers and those that don't appreciate the subtle nuances that a delicate craft beer can have should try this, it's great.

We then tried the Organic Lager. This is another gateway beer, appealing to those stoke on the bland stuff for most of their lives, but lifting it up a notch. It's well executed with juicy malt characters and the faintest touch of light citrus and fresh-cut grass from the hops. It finishes smooth and goes down too easily. Another great beer served at the perfect temperature and carbonation and as fresh as can be. The Organic Pilsener is up next. The aroma blows us away, big aromatic hops, wonderful body and a persistent mouth-filling bitterness put this Pilsener up there with some of the best we have tried on the trip. The past four years have seen these guys working hard and this beer sums that up. Ron looks on like the proud father he deserves to be. A lovely drop.

We try the brewery's most famous drop next. Mike's Organic Ale is a bit of an institution and even appeared in Michael Jackson's (the Beer Hunter, not the pop star) book as a rare example of an antipodean mild. It has a nice maltiness on the nose, is smooth and flavourful with undertones of rich toffee and roasted malt in the mouth and finishes slightly nutty and dry. It's how I like a brown beer to taste. It's how a brown beer should taste. And the best thing is… it has hops. They dance around the nostrils as you sniff the glass and follow through with the faintest hint of berry and citrus in the mouth. This is a great beer and is as good, if not better than, I remember it tasting many moons ago.

As we entered the building, we couldn't help but spot the myriad of ex-whisky barrels lined up on the porch, filled with porter and slowly ageing away. Mike's Whisky Porter deserves the People's Choice award it got at last year's BrewNZ competition. It is rich and chocolaty, with lovely wisps of whisky and oak. It drinks like a rich, decadent, fruity port with an underlying Sherry character, heading towards Amontillado. It is a beer to drink when it's cool and you want something hearty, but equally when it's hot as hell and you have chilled it down in an ice bucket. We also try the big, hoppy, rich India Pale Ale. The big bottle looks the part. These are both beers to be savoured and talked about. The hops in the IPA leap from the glass, their American citrus and pine and fruit influence flooding the senses. 

Mike's have done good!

mike's Organic Brewery - About

From the mike's website:

At mike’s, brewing great beer isn’t just a job - it’s a passion. mike’s was founded on a strong entrepreneurial spirit, which is still burning 21 years on. We are family-owned and employ passionate Urenui locals, both full-time and part-time, as well as a range of local contractors.

mike’s beer garden is where our customers come to relax and feel at home, taking a break from the pressures of life with good food and great beer.

We treat our natural environment with the same respect as fellow staff and our 
customers.

Our vision for mike’s is to be a viable business and valued member of the community. 
We firmly believe that the potential for growth is unlimited and that discerning beer drinkers in New Zealand and the rest of the world will begin to choose the organic option increasingly. Our beer is certified organic, which means that all ingredients are natural and that there’s no stuff in our beer that doesn’t belong in real beer.

mike’s is committed to offering you the very best quality organic beer that we can produce. Joining us are mother nature, who supplies all of the ingredients, and father time, who matures the beer for us.

mike's Beer Range:

Premium Organic Lager - Crafted in the style of a malty German Lager. Pours bright, golden and lively. The aroma is of fresh baked biscuits and pale malt with delicate citrus hops notes. Leaning to the sweeter side, the prevalent full malt flavour is closely followed by a moderate level of bitterness easing out the sweetness. Full in mouth-feel, and smooth on the palate.

mike’s Premium Organic Lager makes a great accompaniment to lemon chicken on jasmine rice and mildly spicy dishes. Serve chilled in a tall pilsner glass to fully appreciate the colour, aroma and fine carbonation. The 4.8% ABV level is somewhat deceiving, the alcohol is masked by the full flavour, a great session beer for warm weather.

Premium Organic Ale - Crafted in the style of an English dark mild ale. Has an alluring deep dark brown colour and bright ruby hue, forming a rich coffee coloured creamy head. The aroma features strong coffee, chocolate and roasted barley characters which are abundant in it’s full round flavour. Bitterness is gentle and it’s mouth-feel is as smooth as suede while the lingering roasted flavours ensure your enjoyment is long lasting. The subtle carbonation means that this beer can be enjoyed with a meal without bloating the drinker. A versatile companion, matched well with rich meat dishes and dark coloured desserts.

Serve in a stemmed goblet at room temperature during the cooler months or in the evenings. This is a great session beer, and at 4% ABV it can be enjoyed with a clear conscience.

Premium Organic Pilsner - Crafted in the style of a Bohemian Czech Pilsner. It pours a light straw colour and crystal clear. The beautiful fine carbonation quickly forms a dense creamy head that lasts to the last sip. This beer is bursting with fresh zesty aroma, the New Zealand aromatic hops are proudly presented in their full glory. The grisp bitter flavour is complimented by a full malt body and rounded mouth-feel with the most amazing after taste.

Serve chilled in a tall pilsner glass to fully appreciate the subtle colour, full aroma and striking head. This is the perfect thirst quencher in the heat of Summer and compliments spicy food well, but at 5% ABV, is a beer that needs to be enjoyed in moderation.

Premium Organic Strawberry Blonde - Inspired by the belgian fruit beers, but without the sweetness. Pours bright, delicate tangerine to pink and lively. The aroma is of freshly picked strawberries and pale malt with a delicate fruity sweetness. The full fresh strawberry flavour is clean and smooth on the palate, all the flavour but without the sweetness traditionally associated with fruit beers. It has a spritzy clean mouth-feel helped by the moderate carbonation level.

mike’s Premium Organic Strawberry Blonde makes a great accompaniment to light Summer meals and light desserts. Serve chilled in a tall pilsner glass to fully appreciate the colour, aroma and lively carbonation. The 4% ABV level is somewhat surprising, the alcohol is masked by the full flavour, a great session beer for warm weather.

Premium Organic Whisky Porter - Is an extremely rare and special beer with only a single batch brewed each Summer. Left to rest and mature through Autumn, mike’s Premium Whisky Porter is then released in all it’s glory for your enjoyment in the depths of Winter. This fine beer is not intended to be consumed by the uninitiated, for the pretentious... You need to be worthy of passing this fine drop over your lips.

mike’s Premium Whisky Porter pours a striking black colour with a faint garnet hue, and a tan head settling to a fine veil. The aroma is intricate with roasted malt, toffee and smoky notes upon a deep, treacle like backround. The flavour is even more complex with dried fruit, prunes, whisky smokiness, sherry/ port, treacle, roasted grain, a peaty note and a warm spiciness imparted by the alcohol. It is light and smooth on the palate, finishing with a fleeting sweetness and very long after-flavours of raisins, oak and whisky. The whisky and oak barrels have imparted their characters to the porter and are quite obvious (you don’t have to search for them) but at the same time, there is good balance. A good marriage has been formed between the porter and whisky - they have melded together in this heavenly drop.

For optimum pleasure, this beer should be served at room temperature in small stemmed goblets, to be sipped around the fire in the midst of good company on cold Winter nights. This beer needs to be treated with respect, weighing in at 10.5% ABV, it’s no lightweight and should be shared with good company.

Premium Organic Double India Pale Ale - Inspired by the hoppy English pale ales but leaning toward the highly hopped American variety. Pours rich golden amber with a faint haze and a creamy white head settling to a fine veil. The aroma is complex with tropical fruit including passion fruit, pineapple and melons all vying for attention. The flavour is something to behold, with the sweet tropical fruits now balanced out by the strong biscuity malt flavour and absolutely intense hop bitterness. The very full mouth feel and glowing warm aftertaste serve to further keep the hop bitterness in check. This is an extremely hoppy beer, if the drinker is not partial to hops, they might struggle with this drop. For the true hop heads, this is nectar to be savoured.

Serve chilled in small stemmed goblets, to be sipped on cool Autumn evenings. This beer needs to be treated with respect, weighing in at 9.0% ABV, it’s no lightweight and should be shared with good company.