Last month, Michael jumped in the DosKiwis van and headed to Prizm Brewery, just over the French border, to spend some quality time with head brewer Antoine and brew a New England IPA that reflects the tastes and approaches of both breweries.
MJ:
I’m not entirely sure when I first came across Prizm, but they’ve been making some of the best beer in France for a while now.
I first met Antoine at Mash a couple of years ago, and we reconnected at the Nantes Beer Festival in October. He’s the head brewer and was my main contact for this project.
Prizm is an interesting setup. They’re French, for a start, and they’ve built a pretty serious operation. They’ve got a Codi canning line, a pasteurizer, and a 30hl brewhouse, there’s a lot going on.
In terms of cultural context and location, we’re only about 255km apart, so it’s not wildly different. That said, DosKiwis is more rural in both location and vibe.
Visiting them was great. It’s always fun to spend time in another brewery, meet the people, and get a sense of how they work and what makes the place unique.
The beer we made together is called Pygostyle, named after the kiwi skeletal structure. It’s a 6% heavily hopped hazy IPA using Nelson Sauvin, Citra, and Enigma.
The brew day itself was pretty relaxed, nothing dramatic, just a smooth process from start to finish. I’m really happy with how the beer turned out.
Outside of brewing, I also took some time to explore Montpellier. I found a small café called Nola that’s really focused on coffee, and I had a great bánh mì there. I’ll definitely go back next time I’m in town.
Pygostyle: Beer Notes
Pygostyle is a 6% DDH NEIPA brewed with Citra, Enigma, and Nelson Sauvin. It opens with a soft, balanced bitterness, followed by citrus zest and mandarin notes. The body stays light and easy, with high drinkability and a clean finish that keeps you coming back for another glass.
Prizm + DosKiwis present Pygostyle:
Find out more:
https://shop.prizmbrewing.com/
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