Pirate Life White Labs Pilsner

A pilsner brewed in collaboration with US yeast guru Chris White is set for release by Pirate Life Brewing.

White, founder of San Diego’s White Labs, proposed the collaboration after enjoying Pirate Life’s beers while in Brisbane for the CBIA conference, Pirate Life’s Red Proudfoot told Australian Brews News.

White Labs supplied a clean Mexican lager yeast for the beer, which was brewed when White visited Adelaide in October.

It is hopped with Australian Summer and New Zealand Motueka hops – which Proudfoot pointed out are both descendants of Czech Saaz, the noble variety that is a staple in pilsners – and US Mosaic.

“I thought about using Riwaka – it was going to be all three Saaz type hops from down here, but I couldn’t resist getting a bit of Mosaic in there,” he said.

He reaffirmed that it is a challenge for small brewers to find the tank space for lagers, with this particular beer having tied up three out of Pirate Life’s 15 tanks for around 45 days.

“I’ve got a lot of time for a lot of different beers. A good clean lager, as long as it’s given respect and not rushed, I quite enjoy it,” said Proudfoot.

A total of 160 kegs have been produced of the pilsner, a draught-only release thatPirate Life says offers stone fruit, citrus and slightly tropical characters with a full, yet, crisp finish.