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Address PO BOX 12-1100, Henderson, Waitakere City, New Zealand Telephone (64) 09 836 2272 Differentiation: Soft Drinks
Once upon a time not so long ago (1986 to be precise), 2 fanatical men and a very adventurous woman set about changing the world we live in. Their vision was to create something that would be good for the planet and good for the health of its people. And so Chris Morrison, Roger Harris and Deborah Cairns created the first Phoenix product.
It was an explosive start!
Naturally fermented Ginger Fizz had a mind of its own and was quite often determined to get out of the bottle before the top was cracked!
The original process involved collecting used beer bottles from the outside of local pubs, soaking them in a bath to remove the labels and cigarette stubs (yum!). They were then whipped down to a friendly restaurant and sterilised in a commercial dishwasher.
The brew was divided into two productions. Half of the bug was strained through muslin, lemon juice, brown sugar, powdered ginger and water. The remaining half of the 'bug' was fed with brown sugar and water for the following weeks production. The brew was left to settle and then bottles were capped and left to ferment until the desired carbonation was achieved. The ones that didn't explode through rampant fermentation were distributed to eager health food stores in Auckland.
It took four years to work out a method of pasteurisation that was efficient and cost-effective. Today, whole batches of bottled product are heated to a temperature and duration that kills the active yeast and any bacteria.
Phoenix Ginger Beer made with fresh ginger, lemon juice and yeast is still our favourite product almost 17 years later.
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