Tuatara Brewery has just brewed their third Matt Lang Memorial IPA in memory of a Tuatara team member who passed away as a result of a cardiac inherited disease. The brewery hopes to raise awareness about the genetic illness with every pint poured.
Matt Lang was Tuatara’s Northern Regional Sales Rep, and integral in establishing Tuatara in Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga. In 2013, at the age of 27, he passed away suddenly five days before Christmas.
This is the third release of Tuatara's Matt Lang Memorial IPA. “Matt loved massively hoppy, Pliny-like pale ales, so that’s what we've brewed for him,” says Blair Harley, Tuatara’s national sales manager and Matt’s team manager.
Neither Matt nor his family were aware Matt was vulnerable to the genetic disease, which can be difficult to identify as symptoms rarely display. Left undetected, this abnormal electrical activity can lead to sudden death, often in one’s sleep. It can affect people of all ages, but commonly presents in young people, especially men in their late teens to early 40s.
The worst type of Cardiac Inherited Disease can affect as many as 1 in every 200-500 people. Once the disease is identified within an individual, family members are screened, as there is a 50 per cent likelihood they will also be affected by the condition. CID is as common as SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), yet there is very little public awareness.
All proceeds from pints of the Matt Lang Memorial IPA sold will go towards purchasing AEDs (Advisory External Defibrillator) for those who live with Cardiac Inherited Diseases (CID) and Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). To date, the funds have helped purchase six AEDs for those living with CID around New Zealand.
So, if you’re out enjoying a few bevvies over the summer break, look out for the distinctive red heart tap badge. Or, you can contribute via Give a Little page – Matt Lang Cardiac Inherited Disease.