FREESTYLE BREWING SPACE FOG
It’s the aim that counts. Rather than aiming to simply quench the thirst, let’s use this weapon with the intentional aim not to end but rather to save a life.
Origin – Bassendean, Western Australia
ABV – 6.8 %
Size – 500mL can
Style – Hazy IPA
'Our people once were warriors. But unlike you, Jake, they were people with mana, pride; people with spirit.' ‘Once Were Warriors’ is the profound story of the life of a Maori family, depicting the horrors of violence and its links to alcohol abuse. It called for change by displaying the problems of alcoholism as realistically as possible. Unfortunately for Jen Smith, who foundered Freestyle Brewing along with her husband Mark, it was a reality. 'When you live surrounded by people who create negative experiences caused by alcohol, it can take you and your family to rock bottom.' shares Jen. 'Starting a brewery was one of the hardest things I ever told my mum.'
Three years on from kicking off commercial brewing in mid-2019, promoting responsible drinking is still fundamental for the proud Kiwi couple, creating a backbone of Freestyle that has won over the support of many, including Jen's mum. The Freestyle story, however, started a decade earlier when Mark and Jen moved to Perth and fell in love with Little Creatures. It soon led Mark to begin home brewing. Initially fashioning popular recipes, it was after a craft beer journey across the US that Mark started to freestyle brew, letting loose his creative energies. The audacious method paid off when he was awarded the Best Amateur Brewer at the WA Royal Show later that year.
His passion quickly became an obsession, resulting in a trip to China where the duo returned with some stainless steel 'luggage', as Mark puts it! They then settled on a warehouse within a block of the Feral and Nail breweries. While Freestyle’s brew kit looked like a piece of twisted tin foil compared to the towers of stainless of their neighbours, this little kid on the block has exceeded all expectations since launch. To date, Mark and Jen have shared well over a hundred different beers with the community. One of the more popular ones is the recently released Space Fog. Pillowy, juicy, fruity and hoppy all at the same time and all at the right balance, it's a hazy that is low in bitterness and high in drinkability.
Loved by warriors for craft beer and those wondering what the fuss is about alike, as a passionate Maori man, Mark can find mana and pride in this one!
