Hops, as Voted by The People, Star of Limited Release Brew

Asking the public which hops to include in an upcoming brew started as “just a bit of a fun idea”, according to Sprig + Fern’s Marketing + Communications Executive, Daniel Tipping.

“But it turns out the people have exceptionally good taste!”

The social media polls, which dozens of people voiced their opinion on, originally intended to encourage a bit of interaction only – but once the requests started flooding in, three varietals began to stand out above the others; Citra®, Nectaron® and Nelson Sauvin™.

At the time of the posts, a recipe was being written for a limited release hazy IPA, scheduled for a late-August release. The results of the poll were shared with the brewing team, and a plan began to form.

Tracy Banner, Owner + Master Brewer at Sprig + Fern Brewing Co. says;

“Thankfully, we already had stock of the hops people were most keen on, so we were able to settle on a decision pretty quickly – and, even only on paper, we knew it’d be an incredible combination.

“The hops play really well together – a bit of gooseberry from the Sauvin, citrus from the Citra, and heaps of sweet fruit from the Nectaron”.

The design of Haze of the People plays on the process in more ways than one; showcasing the range of Kiwis who gave their input to the hop selection, and with a colour palette that evokes the ‘fruit salad’ aroma and flavour of the beer. As a nod to the voting aspect, the palette also offers a subtle reference to the upcoming New Zealand general election – alongside a handful of hidden details that make this design a treat to explore.

Haze of the People is available from today at any of the fourteen Sprig + Fern or Little Sprig Taverns in Wellington, Nelson, Tasman or Christchurch, online in 440ml cans and 888ml bottles, and in select stores nationwide.