Our flagship beer, and biggest seller, Pot Kettle Black is one of New Zealand’s most widely awarded beers. PKB, as it is affectionately known, is a juxtaposition of beer styles: fresh and hoppy, yet as dark as night and malty rich. The black beer that has converted many a person who’d formerly professed a fear of dark ales... and called a "real foodie beer" by every chef we meet!
A modern cult classic inspired by the Pale Ales that travelled from England to the East Indies and, perhaps more importantly, all that precious tea that returned on those same ships. Yeastie Boys' Gunnamatta utilises judicious amounts of Earl Grey Blue Flower tea to generate an intoxicating floral and citrus aroma with the quenching dry finish of an ice tea. A truly unique new world India Pale Ale with a decidedly old world twist.
A new world India Pale Ale inspired more by our traditional forefathers than the modern pretenders, Digital IPA is defined by its heavy use of late kettle hopping and very restrained use of dry hopping - a technique, in contrast to our peers, that goes a long way to proving Yeastie Boys’ philosophy of ‘fresh is not best’. IPA as it was originally intended.
As easy in the mouth, and far easier to pronounce, than its disappearing stablemate Hud-a-wa’ Strong... Divine Hammer is a rye amber ale with chocolate, biscuit and berry fruit notes on the nose, a clean and spicy malt backbone and a long lingering bitterness. In a world where hops dominate, and malt places second-fiddle, this is a beer that backs the trend.
As close as we come to a “NZ Pilsner”… Stairdancer is a clean and unfiltered wheat-based session ale with a bold tropical and citrus fruit notes from the Nelson hops and a bone dry (rather than bitter) moreish finish. A refreshing beer that’s as at home at the beach, or in the shower, as it is after work, with canapés or at the dinner table.
A quaffable, cloudy white ale that is perfect for those afternoon sessions after a hard day's work or play. Pours a cloudy pale straw colour with a dense mousse-like white head. A perfumy coconut and vanilla note on the nose, with a little citrus and spice, and bready grains from the wheat. The mouthfeel is full for such a pale beer, but still very light and elegant. The beer finishes with a cleansing acidity, a faint spicy note and only the mildest touch of citrus from the virtually non-existent hops.
A sessionable earl grey pale ale, inspired by the common complaint from Gunnamatta drinkers: "I just wish I could find some way of drinking more of the stuff". We slashed the booze, halved the tea, and doubled the puns to create a perfect sessionable balance. Heirloom orange and floral notes entice you in on the nose, and are followed by a clean malt profile carrying a hint of tropical fruit, before giving way to the fresh hop finish and lengthy floral tea notes on the palate.
The world's first heavily-peated single malt ale. Rex Attitude is a deceptively innocuous game changing beer that is possibly the smokiest in the world, certainly one of the most polarising, and yet very delicate and beguilingly drinkable for those who get past the initial shock. The favourite beer of both Yeastie Boys, it was infamously described as “like tonguing your grandad!”
Creative Director
Founder, head boy (and occasional wearer of brightly coloured pants) Stu McKinlay is
the fire-starter at Yeastie Boys. He oversees everything from the design of the beers, through the naming and conceptual design of the packaging and marketing collateral, to market development and publicity.
He’s also often picked as a spokesperson and poster boy for the craft beer scene in New
Zealand. While he has twice held roles on the executive committee of the Brewers Guild of New Zealand, Stu prefers his benevolent dictator role at Yeastie Boys.
Directive Creator
Founder, and occasional grower of outrageous beards, Sam Possenniskie is the rock of Yeastie Boys. For every fire started by Stu, Sam is on the lookout to see if a moderate dousing needs to take place. Sam’s 20-plus years in the banking sector, and MBA to boot, sees him perfectly schooled to oversee the finances, logistics, and commercial wheeling and dealing. He is a safe and trusted pair of hands, has a well respected palate, and is known to surprise people with fine public speaking when Stu lets him get a word in.
Master of Everything
Our "Master of Everything", Zane Smith does everything that Stu left behind when he skipped off to United Kingdom to set up our Northern Hamisphere operations. Zane's a mix of Operations Manager, Business Development Manager and National Sales Manager... No small task for someone new to the company but he's both more qualified and better at these jobs than Stu ever was anyway! When he's not mastering everything, Zane's a hardcore mountain biker and the world's biggest advocate for getting Yeastie Boys beers into cans.
