North East Beer Review

A first for my beer review page but certainly not a brewery I am unfamiliar with. Having had family members who have had a tour around Durham Brewery, I myself have tried a few of their brews such as Magus, Helles and a few other tasters. Despite being the brewery closest to myself maybe bar Maxim, I never got around to properly reviewing them. So after picking up a bottle of Haka 1769, a thought it is time. So what did I think? During the course of this review I will cover the history of this beer and brewery, the pour, the taste and aroma and finally my verdict.

Going strong for 30+ years

Durham Brewery was founded in 1994 by Steve and Christine Gibbs in Bowburn, Co Durham. What began as hobby, Steve turned his passion for home brewing into a commercial brewery. In the early years, they ran the brewery alongside jobs in teaching before eventually taking over full time as demand grew. The brewery quickly gained a reputation for producing traditional British ales alongside innovative and modern hop forward brews. Earning numerous awards over the years.

In 2020, leadership got passed over to their daughter Elly Gibbs, who spent years brewing with her father. Under her direction, Durham Brewery has expanded its range of modern craft beers while maintaining its reputation for quality, bottle-conditioned beers and carefully matured cask ales. The brewery is particularly known for producing vegan-friendly beers, with many recipes brewed to remove gluten while retaining full flavour.

Durham Brewery Haka 1769 is New Zealand style IPA which carries an ABV of 5.7%. It utilises New Zealand based hops such as Nelson Sauvin, Rakau, Teiheke and Nectaron hops which are sought after by craft brewers from all over the world. This is said to give notes gooseberry and white grape (Nelson Sauvin) as well as Stonefruit (Rakau). This is followed by an intense citrus character (Teiheke) and tropical flavours and aromas (Nectaron). This is brewed using a small amount of crystal malt to give this a subtle toffee to biscuit taste.

Although, Durham Brewery has not published an official explanation, Haka 1769 may have links to traditional ceremonial dance called the “Haka” performed by the Māori people. 1769 may be a nod to James Cook’s first voyage in New Zealand, marking the beginning of sustained European mapping of the islands. As stated earlier this is speculation and may not be the actual meaning behind the name.

A pour that wanted to burst out of the glass

Durham Brewery Haka 1769 pours a golden to amber colour which a hazy complexion to it. A slightly off white head forms which threatened to flow out of the glass and across my bench. The retention was excellent and it left a consistent ring of lacing down the glass. The carbonation was quite lively as you can see with a consistent flow of bubbles travelling up the glass. Overall, an extremely lively pour which actually looked pretty impressive and inviting.

A hoppy and aromatic pour

Aroma

Haka 1769 is quite an aromatic brew which bursts with tropical fruit flavours such as tropical fruit with notes of pineapple, passion fruit and mango. This is followed by notes of white grape from the Nelson Sauvin hops. Beneath this is citrus tones of grapefruit and lime. A light biscuit aroma rounds off what is particularly hop forward pour. Overall, a fresh and fruity pour which allows the Kiwi based hops to shine.

Taste

From the first sip, Haka 1769 offers a vibrant blend of tropical fruits as well as citrus too. These fruits include the likes of pineapple, peach, mango, grapefruit and lime. This is followed by a subtle white grape and gooseberry flavour likely from the Nelson Sauvin hops. The malt base provides a gentle sweetness reminiscent of a caramel and light biscuit note. A clean and piney bitterness develop offering an extra refreshing feel. The finish is clean and dry with an aftertaste of citrus. This was medium bodied. Overall, this was quite the hoppy brew which was well balanced between hop juiciness and malty sweetness. This was highly drinkable and bang on the money for a New Zealand style brew.

Time for my verdict

Overall, this just confirms to me that Durham Brewery are really masters of their craft. Almost every brew I have had from them has been top notch. I would love to do a brewery tour as I have heard they are brilliant. In terms of Haka 1769, this was a very hoppy brew which I felt was well balanced in order to let the hops shine but not sacrifice on drinkability. This might be my favourite brew from Durham after having kegs of both their Helles and Magus in the past. To conclude, I will rate this a brilliant 4.5 out of 5. Cheers

Where did I purchase this brew?

I bought this brew from the brilliant The Rare Drop located in Low Fell. I highly recommend checking the store out.

Thanks for reading my review. If you enjoyed my review, please check my review of another County Durham based brewer called FoxCub and specifically their Solaris NEIPA.