Kairoa Brewing Company / San Diego, California
“Because we try to give guests as many variations as possible, we brew a batch and split it into four smaller tanks of separate versions flavored with purées and rotate flavors every six to eight weeks,” Jess says.
The name Kairoa is an amalgamation of its owners’ New Zealand hometowns of Kaikouro and Akaroa. As in New Zealand, sheep are a big deal and feature in Kairoa’s merchandising and on its menu. Smoked lamb, lamb tacos and crispy panko-crusted lamb lollipops over roasted squash with charred green onion, salsa verde and lime crema are favorites on the New Zealand-inspired menu. Others are fish & chips and New Zealand sausage rolls of spiced ground pork in puff pastry with brown sugar and clove New Zealand-style ketchup. Because it’s Southern California, there are also plenty of creative vegan and vegetarian options including Coconut Risotto with Meyer Lemon-Hazelnut Tapenade. Then there’s kiwi of course. Jess says Kairoa tried brewing with Kiwi Purée and now uses it more often in pastries.
Kairoa imports New Zealand hops for a lot of its beer but where there’s fruit, The Perfect Purée takes the lead. Head Brewer and Owner Joe Peach and Assistant Brewer Thu Rein brew Rye & Dry saison with a touch of German Rye and an extremely dry yeast strain. Once the beer has finished fermenting and the yeast has been removed, the batch is transferred into four small holding tanks and customized with fruit flavors. “Our current favorite uses The Perfect Purée Apricot Puree as well as pink peppercorns, which both accentuate some of the fruit and spice characteristics that the yeast is providing,” Joe says.
Other fruited beers are Orange Dreamsicle, a tart wheat Berlinerweisse with vanilla; Prickly Pear Dreamsicle, the same tart wheat flavored with The Perfect Purée Prickly Pear Puree and lime; and Blood Orange Fog and White Peach Fog, hazy IPAs with Cashmere Crush hops.
Their favorite beer is Back Paddock New Zealand Pilsner. Getting the fermentation just right is critical to ensuring the dry, crisp, and clean finish that makes it Kairoa’s best-selling flagship beer. “We also enjoy experimenting with different hop combinations in our IPAs which makes it fun to see how hop expressions interact with each other,” Joe says.
Joe says he and Thu pride themselves on not rushing any aspect of the brewing process or taking shortcuts. “We’re constantly coming up with new hop combinations and recipes in order to discover all the possibilities available in the flavor and aroma spectrum. The Perfect Purée makes this an even more exciting process because of the high quality ingredients and flavor varieties.”
In the kitchen and in the brewery, it saves time and money. “When you think about it, if we had to slice up and macerate fruit, labor would cost 50 times more,” Jess says. “It’s nice to give people variety and it gives us flexibility.”
Centrally located in University Heights, Kairoa is nominated every year for San Diego’s best rooftop bar. The canines of Kairoa are another big part of its appeal. The brewery partners with a different animal shelter every month for dog (and some cat) adoptions and donates half the proceeds from its Who’s a Good Boi hazy IPA to the shelter. At the last event, three dogs were adopted and every Friday and Saturday two-thirds of the tables are occupied by dogs, Jess says.
A casual neighborhood vibe and a diverse beverage menu of wine and brunch cocktails, hard kombucha, seltzers and cider attracts people beyond the traditional beer crowd, including families from the nearby elementary school. The Blood Moon wine spritzer with The Perfect Purée El Corazon blend and sparkling white wine is a top seller. “Hands down, everyone loves it,” Jess says. “We’ll never take it off the menu.”
Photos by Kimberly Motos