Waikato blueberry grower and Blueberries New Zealand chairman Dan Peach said it was a fortuitous encounter with Good George brewer Brian Watson that provided a new market for his crop.
Watson said it has taken three years to get to the point the beer can be commercialised.
The resulting Smashed Blueberry beer represents a unique Waikato product, matching the growing Hamilton brewery with a popular locally grown berry.
“The beer itself is a difficult beer to make and for people to understand.
“Being kettle-soured it remains in the brewing kettle for 48 hours compared to six hours for a standard brew with bacteria added to give it a tartness. The blueberries help balance that out.”
The brewery hopes to capitalise on greater consumer knowledge of craft beers and leverage off interest in citrus style beers generated by mainstream brands.
Watson said every 2000 litres of the beer contains 400kg of the high-value blueberries.
“That works out to be about 160 blueberries in every pint with the blueberries taking the edge off the tartness,” he said.
Watson stopped short of making any broad beer-related, health-giving claims about his new brew.
However, he said blueberries are recognised for their high nutritional and antioxidant content while the beer’s lower alcohol content will hold consumer appeal over the summer.
Recent research has indicated blueberries can have a significant effect on memory and attention. Children given a blueberry-rich drink before mental testing recorded a 9% quicker reaction time compared to children who had not been given the drink.
Peach said the use of blueberries in beer helps highlight the depth of blueberry uses in food and beverages as consumers become more experimental in their tastes and drinking experiences.
