From vine to brew

HARVEST TIME: Students at the inaugural Alll-Grain Brewing course, from left, Chris Arnold, Dion Wilson, Tui Henare, Jamie Telford, Matt Clark and James Law picking the hop flowers off the vine. Picture supplied

Gillian Cowperthwaite finds out about all things brewing-related at a new adult education course at EIT Tairāwhiti Te Pūkenga.

When Tori Räikkönen began the Level 3 Horticulture Skills programme run through EIT last year, she never dreamed she would become a tutor herself.

A new initiative, facilitated and funded by the Adult Community Education (ACE) programme, has been taking place over the month of March and it has been an exciting opportunity for all those involved.

The part-time All-Grain Brewing course is designed for participants to learn how to become familiar with the ingredients, the use of equipment, technique and production. Tori is an accomplished artist, hobby brewer and keen botanist of house plants, cacti and wildflowers. She has also been an orchard worker and has always had a “‘green thumb”. She decided to turn her hobby of horticulture into a qualification and that has opened new opportunities, including her role as tutor on the inaugural All-Grain Brewing programme.

Among the rich variety of orchard trees, vegetable crops, native trees, grasses, ferns and harakeke grown at the EIT Rural Studies Unit (RSU) in Stout Street, there are also vines of varietal hops.

Hops are the flowers of the hop plant, Humulus lupulus, a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used for bittering, flavouring and a stability agent. Hops impart floral, fruity or citrus flavours, giving craft beer a unique one-off taste.

When Tori expressed an interest in the hop vines growing at RSU, horticulture tutor Andrew Baker asked “why”? The programme developed from there under the guidance and encouragement of both Andrew and EIT ACE coordinator, Bridget French-Hall.

“I am so grateful for the encouragement I have received from Andrew and Bridget, who have helped me as a student to develop the content of the programme that is simple, understandable and deliverable in a short period of time” said Tori.

Her interest in learning about brewing beer was piqued about two years ago, and since then she has trialled a number of interesting varietals, including an award-winning all-grain, hops and gold kiwifruit infusion sour beer. Tori won the award in the sour beer category of the home brew section at the Gisborne Beer Festival in 2022.

Tori’s life partner Andy Memmott is a seasoned brewer. He is an avid supporter of the programme, and an integral part of the delivery, bringing a wealth of experience in both brewing and hop growing.

The couple grow a variety of hop vines in their garden at home. Andy, also an IT whizz by trade, has given the process of brewing a state of the art approach. Wherever they are, students can scan a QR code, which takes them directly to a digital live data system to monitor the temperature, density and specific gravity of the brew during the fermentation process.

Hops are seasonal vines and are generally ready for harvesting from the end of February to mid-March.

The content of the programme involves students harvesting the fresh hops, preparing them for the brewing process and then pruning the vines for the winter period.

Different varietal hops grown at the RSU include Orange Sunrise, Tangerine Dream, East Kent Goldings and Cascade. All have their own unique and distinctive flavour and aroma.

The brewing process takes place in a building that was originally designed for a viticulture course that was on offer some years ago, and provides an ideal space for the production process of craft beer.

The course itself consists of two theory- based evening classes, and two weekends of hop-picking, preparation and brewing.

The students will have completed two brews by the end of the programme – a fresh hop IPA (India Pale Ale) and a fresh hop hazy IPA, both made using the all-grain process.

Tori and Andy brewed a “pilot” beer prior to the course, using dried, pelletised hops so students are able to distinguish and appreciate the different taste.

The course will end in April with a tasting day at the RSU for the students.

It is anticipated that the programme will be offered again in the near future, but with a focus on using dried pelletised hops while the vines remain dormant over the winter months.

There is also the possiblity of the course being developed into a certified programme.