Sunspot

Sunspot. Brewed by Spotty Dog Brewers (in collaboration with Helios Brewing Company) in Hobart, Tasmania.

Helios is a cool brewery, Jake their brewer is a cool guy. He was in Tassie taking a hike, hiked right past and asked “Wanna brew a beer?”
We invited him in.

We talked about beer, and pretty quickly we were talking about lagers, then reds. We reminisced about how good Boston Red is, and how few there are, and how great it would play with local Aussie hops, like the mandarin heavy Eclipse, and the lemon-pine dream that is Southern Cross. Pretty soon, a beer was formed, and before we knew it it was in our fermentor, bubbling away, happy little yeast blowing happy little bubbles. Now it can be in your hand!

Sunspot is a collaboration between Spotty Dog Brewers & Helios Brewing Company (Queensland)

It’s a style that doesn’t really exist, a hoppy red lager, but it’s a great fit for the gathering dark and oncoming clouds, nights drawing in and fires being lit. The deep mahogany makes you think of warmth and comfort, the creamy tan head is like a well worn couch, the light spice notes from the hints of rye and the Southern Cross have been accentuated by a long decoction step in the mash tun (yes, of course we did a decoction) lending complexity to the rich, toasted caramel on the palate and the lingering embrace of the mandarin marmalade bitterness. Settle in.

Details:

Yeast: Bluestone Pilsner (cos it’s just THE BEST goddam lager yeast)

Malt/Grain: SM40, a dark Munich style malt from Voyager, contributes all the deep red colour, rich mouthfeel and caramel maltiness. It’s backed up by a bit of rye as well for some light spice depth

Hops: Eclipse (AU), for fresh mandarin, along with Southern Cross (NZ) for a nod to the American hops you’d usually find in Boston Red without going to America. It gives a lemony, pine character almost like a baby Simcoe.

Cheers, 

Rhyley

Head Brewer