Kuehn Kunz Rosen is one of 3 local micro-breweries in Mainz worthy of the name, the other two being Eulchen and Schwarze Rose (which has definitely become my favourite).
There are, in fact, a mere 5 in total.
In a city of 200,000 with 2 universities….
Go figure.
But this one caught my eye – a portmanteau of sorts of Riwaka and Kākāpō, both from my neck of the woods.
Riwaka is a small village with Little Dynamite, the most excellent espresso bar in a 20 foot container, run by Leanne and with the best cheese or date scones in the world, a microbrewery that used to be Monkey Wizard (run by my ex-dentist, a microbiologist) then Hop Federation, then Martin Townshend’s eponymous sales outlet and the (new to me) Aliment Brewery and Mrs Smith’s grocery with pies that (almost) match Leeanne’s.
It’s 40km, just over 2 hour bike ride from the place we used to have on the Waimea estuary
They also have a (very) tidal marina with a wild variety of craft.
I’ll let my mate Alan Houghton over at Waitemata Woodieys tell you about it
They also grow hops that you’ll find over a stretch of 30km up to the far end of the Motueka Valley.
Around 1400 hectares …
And OF COURSE you’ll name a variety after their village
Which turned up in Riwakapo
And the kākāpō?
Kākāpō are:
- nocturnal
- flightless
- the only lek-breeding parrot species in the world
- perhaps the longest-lived bird species in the world, estimated to reach 90 years
- the heaviest parrot species in the world – smaller females weigh 1.4 kg, and males 2.2 kg. And they can pile on 1 kg of fat prior to a breeding season.
Go figure…
Oh and the beer?
Hazy (you guessed that already) pale ale, 5.5rpm, 14 IBU. Which verges on a homeopathic application of hops
OK, if you like that sort of thing, but I have a t-shirt that says “In Search of Hoppiness” .
Nuff said
Mainz Daily Photo 