411: Matt Warner of Parrotdog Takes a Counterintuitive Approach to Hops in Classic, Bright, and Hazy IPA

Parrotdog has been a craft-brewing mainstay in New Zealand for nearly 15 years, and with national distribution and a production brewery and taproom steps from the beach and Wellington’s airport, they reach a broad audience of consumers across a range of styles. While their core line features everything from a classic C-malt IPA to pils with “vivid passion fruit and white-wine notes,” they also constantly iterate and experiment on the brewery’s five-barrel pilot with everything from fresh-hop lagers to saturated hazy IPAs. This week, cofounder and brewing director Matt Warner joins the podcast to talk hops (of course) and how they employ both domestic and Pacific Northwest varieties across a range of styles. Along the way, he discusses: growing from a contract brand to a small brewery to a regional production brewery scaling from homebrew recipes to commercial batches in the early days designing “zingy” New Zealand pils that snaps across and cleans the palate rebalancing blends of Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin yearly to adapt to crop-year differences how Motueka changes over the picking window with a bit of “ginger crunch” character instability in Motueka after pelletizing using hops to build bigger mouthfeel in otherwise dry beer new Bract Program experimental hops that show promise And more. This episode is brought to you by: G&D Chillers ( https://gdchillers.com ) : For years G&D Chillers has chilled the beers you love, partnering with 3,000+ breweries across North America and beyond. With our 24/7 service and support, your brewery will never stop. Remote monitor your chiller for simple and fast access to all the information you need, and gain peace of mind your operation is running smoothly. Berkeley Yeast ( https://berkeleyyeast.com ) . Berkeley Yeast bioengineers ordinary strains and make them extraordinary—enhancing the flavors you want and eliminating the ones you don’t. Visit berkeleyyeast.com to learn more and start brewing with science on your side. Old Orchard ( https://www.oldorchard.com/brewer ) : As breweries expand beyond beer into other segments like mocktails and CBD beverages, Old Orchard is here to help. We can formulate custom blends featuring specialty ingredients. More information and free samples are waiting at oldorchard.com/brewer. Indie Hops ( https://indiehops.com ) Strata, Indie’s original hop release, is now available in cold-side flowable hop oil form—Strata HyperBoost—in coordination with Yakima Chief Hops. Learn more about Strata and Indie’s more recent hop releases at www.indiehops.com . Indie Hops—Life is short, let’s make it flavorful! Steel Chill Cups ( https://SteelChillCups.com ) Steel Chill-Cups are the perfect promotional tool! Crafted from 100% recyclable steel and proudly made in the USA. Discover how Steel Chill-Cups can “Put your brand on every pour”—visit SteelChillCups.com today! Arryved ( https://www.arryved.com ) Not only does Arryved offer a world-class POS built specifically for breweries, but they also provide Arryved Brewery Management, e-commerce, and more to help breweries scale and thrive. Visit arryved.com to learn more. Probrew ( https://www.probrew.com ) Missed the ProBrew booth and their incredible product animations at CBC 2025? You can now experience them all right now at ProBrew.com! See how our advanced solutions can take your brewery to the next level! ProBrew, Brew YOUR Beer! Brewery Workshop ( https://breweryworkshop.com ) If you’re launching a brewery or acquiring an existing one, consider our brewery workshop and new brewery accelerator, September 14 through 17th in Fort Collins, Colorado. Over four days, we engage in panel discussions, technical brewery tours, networking, and small working group sessions that help you better understand and prepare for the challenges of brewery operation. Tickets are on sale now. Support Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast