When I buy a bottle of fresh orange juice, I can be confident I am getting what I pay for. But when I buy a bottle of pale ale, I can’t be so sure. Product labelling laws here in New Zealand are protected by the Commerce Commission. The Fair Trading Act (FTA) requires manufacturers to […]
Filed under: Beer Makers, Gushing forth | 7 Comments »
Last month Tuatara Brewery generously sponsored the AGM for Unlimited Potential, a Wellington-based ITC networking group. They had the beer, so Unlimited Potential invited me along to speak briefly and run a quick tasting. Steve Leon from Spring TV recorded it and you can see it here. Have a look, have a laugh, and you […]
Filed under: Beer Makers, Gushing forth, Reviews | 3 Comments »
I have noticed recent batches of old favourite beers smelling and tasting distinctly sharper and more metallic
Filed under: Beer Makers, Gushing forth, Reviews | 21 Comments »
It’s legal to drive drunk in New Zealand. I know this because I was a drink-test dummy for Consumer a few years ago. We were testing cheapo breath testers, and comparing them against an official police breath tester and an ESR tester used to calibrate the police kits. My eighth handle of 4% beer was […]
Filed under: Beer Makers, Gushing forth | 16 Comments »
Down here in the South Pacific, we have just changed our clocks for daylight saving. Longer, sunnier evenings are on the way, perhaps with a barbecue, and every change of season is a good excuse to explore new beers. This winter has seen many high-hopped, high alcohol monsters set loose from New Zealand’s craft brewers, […]
Filed under: Beer Makers, Gushing forth, Reviews | 11 Comments »
I was pleased to see Monteith’s Black won a trophy for European Lagers at BrewNZ last week. It’s good news for two reasons – DB is being upfront that Black is a lager; and dark lagers are something we do well in New Zealand. In many bars I’ve visited, Monteith’s Black is the best beer […]
Filed under: Beer Makers, Gushing forth, Reviews | 4 Comments »
When I visit a restaurant or bar for the first time, I’ll often ask to see the beer list. I do it out of curiosity, because I like a good beer, and to be slightly annoying too. Sometimes I get a funny look, sometimes they’ll flick to the back page of the wine list, and […]
Filed under: Around the country, Beer Bars, Gushing forth | 4 Comments »
The Society of Beer Advocates has held a national home-brew competition every year since 2007, and I’ve been a judge for the past three years. This year the competition is in Hamilton, the first time it has been held outside Wellington, and a new crew will be judging. It’s time to think about entering. The […]
Filed under: Gushing forth, Reviews | 6 Comments »
Morton Coutts was New Zealand’s most influential brewer, but he had some strange ideas about hops. I was at the Macs Brewery Bar in Wellington last week with a colleague. He had a Mac’s Gold and when it came to getting a second round, I suggested he try a Hopsmacker Hoprocker and tell me if […]
Filed under: Beer Bars, Beer Makers, Gushing forth | 86 Comments »
What do you get when you take our most respected brewer, our best beer retailer, our oldest beer writer, 30 young, passionate and good-looking beer fans and 9% craft beers? I’m asking because my memory is cloudy. Last weekend Regional Wines hosted another annual Master Class with Richard Emerson. Richard is the Willie Wonka behind […]
Filed under: Beer Makers, Gushing forth, Reviews | 4 Comments »