Here's our take on the famous Captain Cooker by the Mussel Inn in Golden Bay. This unique New Zealand classic uses fresh Manuka sprouts (not supplied in this kit, you need to collect them yourself). Like the original recipe this is a lager ferment, so good temperature control is recommended.

ABV: 5%

Recipe pdf

BeerXML File (import into any brewing software i.e. Grainfather App, Beersmith or Brewfather)

We've used rich cocoa bean husks from Hogarth's, one of the best chocolate makers in the country that has won multiple awards, and used it to create a creamy oatmeal stout melded with rich chocolate flavour - coming out at a very sessionable ABV. Decadence in a glass. Get it while we still have cocoa bean husks in stock!

Target ABV: 4.5%

Click here to download the recipe.

Click here to download the BeerXML file (to directly import into your favorite brewing software)

This recipe was not specifically designed to be consistent with the BJCP style guides, but we believe it is similar to 11C - Strong Bitter.

Some days are harder than others. You might not have bullet holes in your bomber after trying to take out a Nazi dam, since, you know, the war is over. Still, you maybe had the modern equivalent to that for suburban Dads. This beer is for those days. It's Extra Special. We believe it's one of the tastiest ESB's we've come across in a long while.

Maris Otter base with just the right amount of specialty malts, Target & Golding Hops for that English flavour, fermented with a dry English strain.

Brew it, do yourself a favour.

Target ABV: 5.8%

Our kits are fresh! We assemble the ingredients after you place your order. The grain bill will be milled, unless you tell us in your order comments that you prefer it not to be.

This recipe has been designed to use acid malt to reach the target mash pH. If you wish to use the recommended mineral additions to achieve the intended flavour profile, these are to be added to the boil only. This kit does not include the minerals, but these can be purchased separately.

Click here to download the recipe.

Click here to download the BeerXML file (to directly import into your favorite brewing software)

This recipe has been designed to be consistent with the 2021 BJCP Style guide 19A - American Amber Ale.

Firefly is an American Amber Ale recipe designed for The League of Brewers by Jamie McQuillan of Cell Division Brewery.

American Amber Ales are a modern style originating from the early 1980’s, and their advent offered a welcome variation from regular American Pale Ales. The style is open to a range of interpretations, with the balance ranging from a focus on the caramel malts with gentle hopping, through to more assertively hopped and bitter versions verging on the Red IPA territory. This recipe sits comfortably somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.

The malty notes of caramel and toasted bread support a firm bitterness along with moderate levels of those classic American piney, resinous and citrusy hops. Pouring with a lovely amber hue, bright clarity and lasting off white head, it’s perfect for when you feel like a refreshingly hoppy beer with a little more to chew on.

This recipe was not specifically designed to be consistent with the BJCP style guides, but we believe it is similar to 11B - Best Bitter.

This is an English Strong Bitter. Strong is relative by modern standards, it's under 5% ABV! Enjoy the classic flavour of complex malt with fruitiness from the English yeast and floral & earth notes from the hops.  A great session beer! This beer is a tribute to the footballer George Best, look him up and the anecdotes around him - he is a true legend!

Target ABV: 4.9%

This recipe was not specifically designed to be consistent with the BJCP style guides, but we believe it is similar to 19B - California Common.

This beer style was made famous by Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. The "Anchor Steam" was one of the first beers to bring some flavour into the bland American lager landscape back in the 70s. It featured complex malt flavours combined with some rustic traditional American hops. Very drinkable, this is a style you'll struggle to find in the commercial market in NZ.

ABV: 5.8%

Our kits are fresh! We assemble the ingredients after you place your order. The grain bill will be milled, unless you tell us in your order comments that you prefer it not to be.

This recipe has been designed to use acid malt to reach the target mash pH. If you wish to use the recommended mineral additions to achieve the intended flavour profile, these are to be added to the boil only. This kit does not include the minerals, but these can be purchased separately.

Click here to download the recipe.

Click here to download the BeerXML file (to directly import into your favorite brewing software)

Grizzly American Brown is a recipe designed for The League of Brewers by Jamie McQuillan of Cell Division Brewery.

This beer was created to push the upper limits of the American Brown Ale style and verges on a Brown IPA. It pours a deep, dark brown colour without any harsh roasted notes and displays a lasting tan head. Soft and rounded toasty chocolate notes give way to a firm balancing bitterness and lingering resinous grapefruit and pine, thanks to generous additions of Centennial and Simcoe hops. At an easy drinking abv of 6.3%, this beer you will leave you with nothing to grizzle about.

ABV: 6.3%

This recipe has been designed to be consistent with the 2021 BJCP Style guide 8A-Munich Dunkel.

Ein-Stein is a Munich Dunkel recipe designed for The League of Brewers by Jamie McQuillan of Cell Division Brewery.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where this dark European lager originates from. It hails from Munich in Germany way back in the 1830’s, coinciding with the development of Munich malt.  As it turns out, Gladfield malt here in NZ makes some very fine Munich malt of their own. If you haven’t tried it then this a great recipe to give it a whirl as the base malt.

Munich Dunkels are great mid-strength drinking. They present deep coppery brown and malty with toasted bread notes, hints of chocolate and caramel and a notable absence of roasty burnt notes. They are medium in body but with no cloying sweetness and a gentle bittering that makes for a smooth rich and nourishing lager. For the more adventurous brewer, this recipe is an ideal place to try out your skills with decoction mashing. The option of a simple double decoction approach is included in the instructions to get you started, after which you might want to explore the possibility of a more intensive triple decoction to further develop those deep malty flavours. Experiment and have fun, it’s definitely not quantum physics. Prost!

Brew your own version of Fork & Brewer's addictively delicious Alpha Geek IPA.

A deliciously well-balanced West Coast IPA, with all (ok not all, but a lot of) the hop varieties in there. Robust notes of citrus and lychee.

ABV: 6.5%