This week has been one of those times. Last Tuesday afternoon I was exchanging e-mails with Craig Bowen from BeerNZ. We were setting up a meeting to discuss promoting New Zealand craft beer to the Rugby World Cup fans. I sent my last message at 12:50 and a minute later the quake hit. Christchurch has […]
Filed under: Beer Bars, Beer Makers | No Comments »
The United States has ‘Support Your Local Record Store Day’, which is on April 16 this year. Perhaps I should declare April 16 to be the Official NZ Beer Blog Support Your Independent Bottle Store Day.
Filed under: Around the country, Beer Makers, Gushing forth | 47 Comments »
Last week I held a sold-out beer tasting at D4 here in Wellington. The beers all came from D4’s tap range, and so there were some unusual and eclectic matches. The first pairing was Erdinger Weissbier and Coopers Sparkling Ale. Coopers Sparkling was the first craft beer I tasted, many years ago, in Australia. It’s […]
Filed under: Beer Bars, Reviews | 11 Comments »
We’ve all heard it – “I don’t drink beer because it all tastes the same.” It’s a shame that the attitude lingers. Not only is someone missing out on great beer experiences, it also means that the old idea that beer is somehow inferior is lingering on too. After all, if I said all coffee […]
Filed under: Appreciating beer | 1 Comment »
Come and join me for a back-to-work beer tasting to end the summer break in style. We will be having a blind tasting of range of craft beers from New Zealand and overseas on Wednesday 26 January. D4 on Featherston is providing the beer and food, and there will be prizes and giveaways too. Come […]
Filed under: Beer Bars, Gushing forth | No Comments »
There – it’s in writing and on the internet, so it must be true. This year, 2011, I Martin Craig will endeavour to drink more beer. I admit I may have let the occasional NYResolution wither and die in the past, so I will have to make an extra effort to stick with this one. […]
Filed under: Gushing forth | 106 Comments »
Cheers 2010, you’ve been a good year for New Zealand beer fans. The highlight for me was the exponential spread of good graft beer. Several mainstream (tied) pubs here in Wellington renegotiated their supply contracts this year and now stock craft breweries like Epic and Emerson’s alongside mainstream taps. Bottled craft beer is turning up […]
Filed under: Gushing forth | 4 Comments »
Binge drinking used to be compulsory here in New Zealand, and was reinforced by an emergency law that lasted for half a century. For the benefit of international readers, let me start at the beginning. Back in 1917, New Zealand was at war. We were attempting to drive the Hun out of Flanders, and the […]
Filed under: Gushing forth | 2 Comments »
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 »
Summer’s a great time for beer – I don’t know if I drink more beer in summer, but I seem to drink it more often. I live halfway up a mountain, and so I deserve a beer at the end of the working day. (What? Well, yes, I do work from home. What’s your point?) […]
Filed under: Beer Makers, Reviews | 2 Comments »