Bumaye

"How far can we take it?" This is a question I find myself asking rahter often. The conception of BUMAYE was one of those moments. Now, obviously a number of overseas breweries have shown us that 16% abv is by no means the limit but keeping in mind that flavour should always be the main concern, I thought it was a pretty good place to start. To get to these levels we first made the biggest Imperial Stout we have made to date and then added loads of tasty sugars to the fermenter for extra strength and flavour. Needless to say the beer was rather rough after initial fermentation so we allowed it to mature for a further 16 months in Pinot Noir barrels from Marlborough's Mud House Winery.

The name? I have been surprised how few people understand the meaning straight away. It's not "Bum Eye" as many people seem to think, It's BumaYE! As in "Ali, Bumaye!" Lifted from what was perhaps the most famous boxing match of all times, The Rumble in the Jungle, between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The match was fought in Zaire and quite famously (I thought) the locals were all cheering for Ali, chanting "Ali, Bumaye!" which in English means "Ali, Kill Him". A fitting name for the most agressive beer we have made to date.