Something Evil This Way Comes…
Our brewer Henry Kirk, here at Hand Brew Co knows a thing or two about beers and brewing, and over the years he’s met some incredible people in the industry. A month or two ago, worlds collided when Henry and a couple of his friends dragged us to the dank side.
This spring, we’re answering the call from some of modern brewing mythologies' genuine legends, Jamil Zainasheff and Mitch Steele. When they first approached us via Henry to ask if we wanted to be a part of history and collaborate with them on a redux of their iconic Evil3, brewed in the UK for the very first time, we didn’t even need to think about it.
Evil3 is part of brewing folklore. It’s the kind of beer that over here in the UK you only hear whispers of from travelling friends lucky enough to snag a can or even a sip at a well stocked bottle share. Weighing in at 11.5%, a hefty Triple IPA in the old school west coast style, expect big body, dry finish, dark dank meets vibrant juice and enough hops to blow your socks off.
The story of Evil3 is one of friendship, unity and mad fermentationism! Originally brewed at California’s Heretic by three dear friends, Jamil, Mitch and the dearly missed, equally legendary Mike ‘Tasty’ McDole. Three bold men with hops in their blood and crazy in their hearts.
These three passionate brewers came together to concoct a beer that represents their lifelong bond. A beer that is bold. A beer that is hoppy. A beer to share with your best friends. A beer chock full of citrusy Amarillo, stone-fruity Citra, and pungent Simcoe hops, balanced with just the right malt character to delight your palate.
Evil3 is a beer bigger than anything we've ever brewed before, and very much a tribute to the kind of beers and brewers that got us all here.
Henry has known Jamil since 2016. “I worked at Fullers Brewery and Jamil was taking a tour. I recognised the legendary brewer, podcaster and author immediately and ambushed him, and I gave him the behind the scenes VIP experience.
As we were having some drinks at the end, he said 'if you are ever in California hit me up', to which I replied 'I hate to do this to you, Jamil, but I am flying out next week'. True to his word, he picked me up from Sacramento airport and let me stay at his house. He took me to Heretic brewery and other great NoCal institutions!
This will be my third collaboration with him. The first was a blackberry sour made at Fullers - 260HL of it! We had to mess around with the brewing software to enable us to sour that much beer in the copper, and Jamil still had to help us work out how to cast out from the kettle!
The madness is continuing with this Triple IPA. Jamil and Mitch Steele are masters of IPA, and Evil3, when brewed at Heretic, has been unbelievable at 11%, but so smooth, so drinkable, I simply cannot believe we’re gonna brew this at Hand Brew Co. It’s going to blow people's socks off! Stay tuned…”
Hand Brew Co’s Head Brewer, Kate says “Henry has been a fantastic addition to the team since he joined us last September. His wealth of experience at some truly iconic breweries has made him a bit of a legend in our own local beer scene. I shouldn’t have been surprised at all when he came to us with this suggestion!
When I first started getting into beer, it was beers like this and brewers like Mike, Mitch and Jamil that we were all talking about. Deep, rich, malty, bitter, bold and beautifully balanced IPAs - that were like nothing I’d ever tasted - were my gateway into this industry and the beginning of a passion that has spanned well over a decade.
Having the opportunity to meet and work closely with Jamil and Mitch, to have the chance to witness our own Henry in his truly unique element and to bring out one of those origin beers for me here, on my brew kit, in my town, is very much a career defining moment. I’m so thrilled and excited… and I really hope we have loads of underfills on canning day!”
It’s the first collaboration brew we’ve done remotely - Jamil and Mitch will be beamed into the brewery via video while Kate and Henry mash in. Later, as the brew ticks away in the background, they’ll all jump on a live stream to share their stories and answer questions. Put the date in your diary - Wednesday 28 February 2024, 1:30pm GMT.
Jamil and Mitch will be in Brighton, UK, just in time for the first pour at our launch event on Friday 5 April 2024. We’re organising a different kind of launch for this beer - a loop-crawl - where we’ll visit some of our favourite craft beer pubs in Brighton and Hove that have stocked this collaboration beer.
We’ll be starting at the Hand in Hand in Kemptown early and finishing back at the Hand in Hand late. Be sure to check our socials for details on the crawl and come and join us for a drink and a chat. We’ll also update our route on the event page here.
- Written by Clark Left and Kate Hyde.