Mass Audubon, which helps protect more than 38,000 acres across the state, has worked in recent years to expand the grassland habitat of the kestrel, a bird that prefers open fields and can often be seen perching on fence posts or hovering over and dropping in on its prey. At Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, for example, a nest box for kestrels, as well as additional acreage for the birds, have been added in an attempt to boost their population. Kestrels are currently included as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Concern” in the wildlife action plans of all six New England states.
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True North founder Gary Rogers, whose brewery has held events with Amy Weidensaul, Ipswich River Sanctuary’s director, says the idea for a beer named after the bird popped into his head one day. Several years ago, Rogers’s son spent time banding kestrels near the Grand Tetons. True North was already planning to release an American IPA for Memorial Day, but it needed a name.
“I called Amy to pitch her on a collaboration — we’d make an amazing beer with a stunning label that would help to raise awareness for the efforts of Mass Audubon to improve kestrel habitat in their sanctuaries,” says Rogers. “American IPA. American kestrel. A perfect match.”
The limited-edition beer is brewed with four kinds of North American hops: Mosaic, Simcoe, Idaho 7, and Cascade. It’s assertive and not at all hazy, with notes of bright orange citrus and tropical fruit complemented by a touch of pine.
“It’s a throwback to earlier days when the American IPA truly shined,” says Rogers.
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True North will hold an event in its tap room with a Mass Audubon naturalist, accompanied by an American kestrel, on May 29 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Four packs of Kestrel American IPA are available in Trader Joe’s stores, as well as Total Wine & More stores, throughout the state.
Samuel Adams releases Kiwi Wrangler Kolsch
Three days after Christmas 2020, the Franklin Park Zoo received a gift in the form of the first ever kiwi chick hatched on site. Hatchings at American zoos of the flightless bird, native to New Zealand, are rare. Franklin Park is one of only 10 zoos in the country to exhibit brown kiwis. The birds’ eggs are the largest of any species in proportion to their body size; females incubate their eggs for 75 to 90 days.
These fun kiwi facts (adult kiwis are about the size of chickens, by the way) and the birth of the chick at Franklin Park have inspired a collaboration with the nearby Samuel Adams brewery. Earlier this month, the brewery released Kiwi Wrangler Kolsch, a beer featuring New Zealand hops, kiwifruit, and Brazilian feijoa puree. There’s a personal connection, too; Samuel Adams brewer Hannah Bogich once spent a semester in New Zealand working with wild kiwis.
“The island I was on had lots of feijoa trees so I have memories of filling my backpack with feijoas before going out into the bush and snacking on them the rest of the day,” Bogich writes in a blog post. “They have a really interesting flavor; similar to a guava but less sweet with notes of citrus and pineapple.”
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In the finished beer, Kolsch yeast accentuates the fruity flavors of the fruit as well as the hops, leaving drinkers with a light-bodied but fruit-forward brew.
Kiwi Wrangler Kolsch is available on draft or in four-packs at Samuel Adams’s Jamaica Plain brewery. One dollar from every draft or four-pack sold at the brewery from April to July will be donated to Zoo New England.
Gary Dzen can be reached at gary.dzen@globe.com.Follow him on Twitter @garydzen.
May 25, 2021 at 07:00PM
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These two new beer releases are for the birds (in a good way) - The Boston Globe
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