Quidi Vidi Brewing Co. proudly offers four limited edition, seasonal beers at various times throughout the year. The latest of these (in stores now) is our new Quidi Vidi British IPA – 2012 Gold Medal Winner at the World Beer Championships in Chicago!
World Beer Championships review on Tastings.com: “Beautiful deep amber color. Savory grainy bread, dusty root vegetable, and Swiss chard aromas and flavors with a crisp, frothy medium body and a nicely astringent, honeyed citrus and minerally, leafy hop finish. A very nice food beer that really nails the British IPA hop profile.” 90 Points [Exceptional].
British IPA (“IPA” is short for India Pale Ale) is a highly-hopped beer and our very first IPA, and it’s been winning over reviewers/critics and casual beer drinkers alike. Check out this review in the Trans Canada Beer Blog. Excerpt:
“This is a historic beer, so it should be remembered as such. Newfoundland hasn’t had an IPA brewed by a commercial brewery (import or local) for many years. In Newfoundland terms, Quidi Vidi is like Sierra Nevada or one of the early craft beer innovators first bringing back real beer to North America. This, then, is perhaps one of the best commercial beers brewed in Newfoundland – ever. I want to see more of this.”
British IPA is available at NLC stores throughout Newfoundland, and anywhere where Quidi Vidi beer is sold. If you can’t find it at your location, let us know, and ask them if they’ll be stocking it soon. It’s only available for a limited time! If you live near St. John’s, visit our Hops Shop at the brewery (located in Quidi Vidi Village at 35 Barrows Road) and get all you want! (Must be 19+ with valid ID.)
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For quidividibrewery.ca, we asked Quidi Vidi Brewmaster Einar Holtet a few questions about the new British IPA…
• In terms of drinking and taste, how does British IPA differ from other Quidi Vidi seasonal beers?
Our British IPA is brewed to 5.7% alc/vol. with lots of body and malt flavour, balanced by a generous (but not overwhelming) amount of hop bitterness, and a nice balance of citrussy and floral hop flavour and aroma. This is no “light beer,” so your average beer drinker won’t be downing too many of these in an evening, but those who like a full flavoured beer and are not afraid of a little hop bitterness will definitely enjoy sipping down a few of these while being “sociable.”
• Any food pairing suggestions?
British IPA is a robust flavourful beer, don’t overwhelm a mildly flavoured dish with this beer. This is the perfect beer to go with spicy food, and the hop astringency will cut through the richness of a very rich or fatty food. It’s a “British IPA”, do what any self-respecting Brit would do and enjoy it with a bowl of curry or a plate of greasy fish & chips.
• What’s different about the brewing process for British IPA?
There is nothing overly special about the brewing process for an IPA, it’s more about the recipe itself. It’s brewed with a little extra malted barley in order to get a higher alcohol level and the fuller malt flavour, and the amount of hops used is ludicrous compared a lot of other beer styles.
• How long does it take to brew the British IPA? And how many people are involved?
It takes approximately 28 days from brew to bottle. As far as the brewing process goes, it only takes one person to see the beer through from start to finish. Packaging is another story. It takes four people to run the bottling line at Quidi Vidi, and I managed to get in on that as well as brewing it.
• How many seasonal beers will Quidi Vidi make?
British IPA is the second installment in the new line of “Seasonal Selections” from Quidi Vidi (Mummer’s Brew Amber Ale being the first). We have plans to do a new seasonal beer approximately every 3-4 months, depending on how quickly the previous batch sells out, and when we have tankage available.
• How long will Quidi Vidi British IPA be available?
We brewed one full tank of IPA, ran off a limited number of kegs for select draft accounts, and bottled the rest. We ended up with a little over 1000 dozen bottles. When that sells out, it’s gone. Depending on how quick that is, and what kind of feedback we get from our customers, we may brew it again some time in the future.
• Congratulations on the rave reviews of Mummer’s Brew and the new British IPA (Gold Medal Winner at the World Beer Championships in Chicago)! Did you know early on that you were onto something special with these beers?
Thank you. Don’t forget, Mummer’s Brew Amber Ale earned a silver medal at the same event last year (2011). I’m pretty confident in my ability to produce exceptional beers, and I was pretty sure the beer market in Newfoundland is ready to taste some bold and flavourful beers again. So, while I’m pleasantly surprised at the success, I’m certainly not shocked.
personal favourite among Quidi Vidi’s beers?
Well, I’m a little biased, I like my own best. Mummer’s is my favourite, then the IPA, but when there’s none of my own brew to be had I prefer the Eric’s Cream Ale.
• What can you tell us about the next Quidi Vidi seasonal?
I’ve got a long list of different beer styles I want to try, but I can’t divulge any definite plans just yet. Keep an eye out for something new early in the summer.
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