My Cousin Binny is back! While famous for IPAs, Maplewood’s been quietly crafting a solid lineup of lagers - so for this latest collab, we decided to design a lager that delivered the Southern Hemisphere hop character that made Vol. 1 such a stunner. Cold fermented with lager yeast, allowing for every bit of hop flavor to shine through unimpeded, then dry hopped to ensure it offers vibrant hop aromas. We went with a trio of hops from New Zealand - Motueka (used in Vol.1), Nelson Sauvin, and Superdelic. Never heard of Superdelic? Over a decade in the making, it’s a newly released hop that we have a feeling lots of brewers are going to scrambling to get their hands on.

We also wanted to leave this lager unfiltered, and given it was hopped exclusively with hops from New Zealand, our Dry Hopped New Zealand Zwickel was born. A zwickel is the tap that brewers use to sample beer straight from the fermenter. As such, a zwickelbier is lager left unfiltered, capturing the fresh and hazy beauty of a brew straight from the tank. Many zwickels drink like a hazy pilsner, but this one was designed with a bit more malt character in mind. Inspired by the export style lagers of Dortmund Germany, it clocks in at 5.6% ABV. The water chemistry was adjusted through the addition of minerals to mimic the famously hard water of Dortmund. The result is a slightly fuller bodied lager, with a nice snap to the finish.

The finished brew pours orange tinted gold with a crown of white foam. The nose delivers volumes of the distinctively dank and tropical aromas that hops from New Zealand are revered for, with pronounced cedar giving way to jackfruit and rambutan. Medium in body, it begins with a burst of melon, followed by the uniquely vinous fruit flavors of Nelson Sauvin. The finish is fruit forward, yet refreshingly dry, with lingering hints of gooseberry, lime, and mint.

A big thank you to everyone at Maplewood, especially Head Brewer Roger Cuzelis, for crafting such an incredible lager.

Cheers!