Fernie Brewing Company recently celebrated the launch of a new beer, the Nighthawk IPA.
“It’s a farmhouse IPA,” said Jeff Demaniuk, brewmaster at FBC. He likens the flavours to that of a hoppy saison. The brewing team took the recipe from their old barn saison, which they’ve been brewing for over three years.
From there they tweaked the malt and added more hops to the recipe, including German and Japanese hops.
“It’s not overly bitter,” he said, explaining that it does have a strong hop aroma. “It’s pretty refreshing as far as IPAs go.”
The next beer that the team is brewing up in the IPA series is a double IPA, a single hop IPA, as well as the OiiiPA, made with 100 per cent Australian hops.
“It’s kind of fun for the brewers and myself to be coming up with new ideas and keep things fresh,” said Demaniuk, who is looking to release a Belgian Trippel and a Gose in the coming months.
The Belgian beer is a darker, more malty beverage, while the Gose uses a special, wild yeast, called brettanomyces, which gives it a light, yet sour effect.
“It keeps things interesting and you’re not doing the same thing every day,” he said.
The yeasts that they use to brew the Nighthawk will then help the brewers create their spring saison, the next of their seasonal lineup.
To date, the company is selling beer in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“We’re pretty comfortable right now,” said Demaniuk, stating that if they were to venture into the Ontario craft beer market they would want to do it right, adding that it’s “a pretty tough nut to crack.”
