Inspired by a bunch of other writers and critics with too little to do in the festive season at the end of the decade I’ve…
The Art and Heart of Kiwi Beer
Beer Nation Posts
New Zealand’s Champion Brewery almost didn’t enter the NZ Beer Awards. Liberty Brewing’s Joe Wood confessed to it was only after a rev-up from his…
The concept was straightforward – how has West Coast-style IPA changed in the past decade? The measure was even more straightforward – compare the inaugural…
Urbanaut Brewing are just over two years old but already they’ve become one of the innovators on the New Zealand beer scene. Their Copacabana was…
Like New Zealand’s most famous breweries, Taupō’s Lakeman is founded on a free and plentiful local water supply. Speight’s in Dunedin is built above a…
Is it a beer? An orange juice? Or a mango smoothie? Welcome to the world of hazy beer, a trend that started by accident, but…
Andrew Childs lowers his 195cm frame on to a bar stool and pops the top off one of his irreverently amusing Behemoth beers. Apart from…
I’m a beer writer on a low-carb lifestyle – what could possibly go wrong? Well, so far, not too much because I think I’ve cracked…
Pete Gillespie of Garage Project calls it an illicit tryst. The Ministry for Primary Industries asked about its legality. Other people just call it lunacy.…
A Blenheim winter bites hard. Especially when you’re sleeping on the floor of a warehouse with only mice for company. Sleeping on a fold-out futon…
Auckland’s summer “heatwave” (or was it the media’s summer heatwave) reminded of when I lived in Auckland as a teenager – long sleepless nights of…
Bach Brewing has just celebrated their fifth birthday and it’s been a coming of age in terms of achievements. Their Billfish APA won the trophy…
The hours are long and lonely, your creations are constantly criticised and alcohol is everywhere – is it any wonder many brewers are struggling? Content…
In late 2018 I set out to get a collective view on New Zealand’s best beer. I picked the brains of beer writers and bloggers,…
Here’s a quick run through some of strongest beer memories of the past year. I can never claim this is a definitive list of everything…
This is not a definitive bucket list, more my cut-and-paste for the next time someone asks me about my favourite beer. The answer often depends…
Two of New Zealand’s best-loved brewpubs are bringing their beer to the people. Galbraith’s Alehouse in Auckland is famous for its traditional cask ales but…
Love not war. Finger on the pulse rather than the trigger. Wellington brewery Garage Project have, in their seven years, managed to stay edgy but…
Sweet or dry? It used to be a question for wine drinkers back in … oh, let’s say the 1970s; before grape knowledge grew like…