If you have a hankering for top-notch craft beer you’re in luck with the ultra-limited release of the first commercially-brewed Yardley Brothers Koëlschip spontaneously fermented ale.
There’s no doubt that Hong Kong has fallen in love with craft brewing. The city has seen a hive of activity on the craft beer scene as passion projects reach fruition and the results reach the lips of eager beer drinkers from Sheung Wan to Tai Po.
One of Hong Kong’s most beloved craft breweries, Yardley Brothers has just launched the city’s first-ever commercially brewed Koëlschip spontaneously fermented ale. Koëlschip, launched at the 27th January Grand Opening Party for the Brewery’s new 4000-litre brewhouse, was fermented by wild yeasts and microflora collected naturally outdoors on Lamma Island on 1st January 2021.
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With a long dedication to mixed fermentation, sour beers and barrel-aging, including Hong Kong’s largest barrel programme, it was natural for Yardley Brothers to experiment with a Koëlschip style fermentation process.
“It has long been a dream of mine to truly harness the flavours and tastes of the region’s own natural cultures,” says founder Luke Yardley. “But the weather in Hong Kong makes true spontaneous fermentation for beer challenging. I’m truly excited by the outcome here and can’t wait to see where else we can go with this exploration.”
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Alongside the 2020 S.E.A. Sour, which won the Gold Medal for Experimental Beer at the Asia Beer Championships and was fermented with local cultivated fungi, this is part of an ongoing examination of producing beers with a true representation of Hong Kong and regional terroir.
Koëlschip is a hyper-limited bottling, and is available now through the Yardley Brothers webshop, its Central and Lamma taprooms, and at select retail outlets while stocks last.
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