Adam Hardy from The Rogue Scholar
How did you come to collaborate with BRATLab and Wild Yeast Zoo?
I met Evan and the guys here at the bar, and I knew Hal and Christie from the coffee shop next door, so that was the initial connection, but I guess it came about over our shared love of beer and yeast.
How is this process different to other beers you have brewed?
Kveik and wild beers are interesting in their flavours, I guess the answer of what’s different would be the speed of fermentation which is handy, and it’s something that I really want to do here considering I’m brewing on site but also working here behind the bar. So, it’s really handy to be able to turn beers around, brew them on a Monday and have them in a keg and ready to pour by Friday. But, obviously deeper into the collection and the starting of the program, finding our own yeast is a much bigger question. The main difference is just the faster fermentation really.
3. What part of the process is done by the Rogue Scholar?
We’ll be here to facilitate as the brewery and obviously do the fermenting here, brewing the beer and then putting it on tap and serving it here. I’m also more than happy to get my hands dirty and collect some yeast out there in the wild, so I’ll do whatever’s needed.
4. What is innovative about this process?
I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve had some dealings with brewing in Germany and England in the UK. I think it’s amazing, Kveik is relatively new in the modern-day brewing technique, and that’s a wild yeast. I’m just amazed by what these guys are bringing to the table and what we can do because I think it’s definitely a one-of-a-kind opportunity.
5. What makes this process more sustainable than a typical brew?
Well, I guess collecting the yeast and harvesting it ourselves so that we can use it over and over again, that in itself is going to be sustainable.
6. How do your existing customers react to the process?
I think they already get around the kveik beers, we’ve promoted it a lot. We’ve done a few wild beers before using some yeast from other companies, so it’ll be exciting to do it. I think they’d even love to partake if they ever got the opportunity, we’re already trying to do those things and support the community. I can’t wait to see the community of our local “rocals” get around it.
7. Do you expect this collaboration to bring in new customers?
I do expect it to bring new customers, I think it will be exciting and the Newcastle community will really get around it. Especially on that broader scale promoted at the university, and then of course tapping into what we’ve already got in this community.
