Given our fondness for brewing a breadth of beer styles, we couldn't create an anniversary series without including a lager. And who better to collaborate with than our friends at Chuckanut Brewery in the Skagit Valley? Not only have Will and Mari Kemper released an impressive number of award-winning lagers at Chuckanut, they also co-founded Thomas Kemper Brewing, one of the first craft breweries in the Pacific Northwest. We collaborated with them on a Pale Ale back in 2018 when they invited us to Beer Prom, and we had a lot of fun teaming up for another brew day!
When we put our heads together to develop a recipe, we landed on a New Zealand-style Pilsner hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Nectaron, two southern hemisphere varieties known for their intense aromas of wine grapes and tropical fruit. A bit of flaked rice in the mash lightened up the body, ultimately producing a beer that's bright, biscuity, and well suited for summer. As for the name? Well, during our brainstorming session Adam informed us that there were six sheep for every person in New Zealand so we started calling it 6:1. And it stuck. So here's to friendship, Pilsner, and Kiwi hops!
