Characteristics:
Wasp Honey Pilsner is a uniquely New Zealand beer that’s been inspired by Nature’s Raider. A great summer thirst quencher featuring Kamahi Honey, the bee-blended taste of Catlins Forest Park. Best served chilled.
Tasting Notes:
Pouring a rich golden hue beneath a wispy white head, Wasp has a sweetish aroma and palate combining biscuity malt, caramel and floral honey. Medium-bodied, with a spritzy mouthfeel and lingering vanilla note that remind me of creaming soda, the beer finishes crisply with an edge of citrusy tartness from the hops.
The Backstory:
Invercargill Brewery’s Wasp is the chameleon of the brewery range.
The label was originally launched in 2002 as kristal weizen an filtered wheat beer for a market that was largely unprepared for anything as a radical as cloudy beer. However, as the craft market evolved and more mature tastes developed by 2007 we’d noticed an interesting trend – although the kristal weizen had won a bronze medal at BeerNZ kegs sales were languishing behind a Honey Pilsner developed as a trial for a contract client looking for an export market that never eventuated. By the same token Wasp bottle sales were holding steady.
With one beer too many for the existing tank space a decision had to be made.
Hmmm. Popular Beer. Popular Beer Label.
By popular demand Wasp became a 5.2% Honey Pilsner in 2007.
“The light flavour meant it was a deceptive tap beer with a tendency to sneak up and surprise people,” Mr Nally said. “We had some bars take it off tap for that very reason.”
So, in 2012 a slight change to the honey content bought the alcohol level back to a sessionable 4.8% more suited to the domestic market, which paradoxically enhanced the distinctive Kamahi Honey flavour.
It may never have won a beer medal but it’s certainly won hearts.
