fruitallica

This is a re-brew of the original collaboration done with Stone Brewing in 2017, once again containing golden kiwifruit, yuzu and habanero chilli.  I missed out on the original release, so I’ll get to experience this juiced-up ride (8 per cent ABV) for the first time here.  On the nose the yuzu pops off as always out in front, with lychee and mango dominated hops and some soft kiwifruit sweetness further back.  The flavour is such a rapid and juicy ride that picking out the individual flavours as they race past is difficult, but the sharpness of the yuzu stays more or less at the forefront, with massively ripe hop fruitiness punctuating the mid palate.  At first you might even miss the chilli, but a few sips in, a building warmth will remind you they’re in there.  This is a hard one to classify.  It’s got the juice of a hazy, but the clarity and bite of a west coast IPA, and that’s even before the fruit comes into the equation.  Safe to say though that if you like an IPA with simply ‘more’ then you’ll love this one.

Nectaron — A Familiar Song Played Differently

Nectaron hops are capturing the imagination of American brewers, particularly after the most recent harvest where it was the standout in sensory testing. NZ Hops Ltd, in their post-harvest report noted that Nectaron stood out this season alongside Superdelic and...

Two Bays Widens NZ Gluten-Free Market

Just about anywhere you go to eat these days understands a large chunk of the population is gluten-free. You see GF beside dishes listed on menu and on packaged food in the supermarket. But until now, with a couple of long-standing exceptions, you didn’t see...

Brewer Becomes Co-Owner at Searchlight

Ash Hutchinson, head brewer from Searchlight in Queenstown, is now a co-owner of the business — and one of his first big jobs will be showcasing Searchlight to the wider world at Beervana this year. Ash has worked at some of the best breweries in the country:...

150 years of Speight’s

Speight's Brewery in Dunedin — New Zealand's oldest brewery — is celebrating its 150th birthday. It's quite the yarn, because it's a brewery that has risen, fallen, partly revived, fallen, risen and risen further. In celebrating the landmark birthday, owner Lion noted...

Altitude’s Trophy-Winning Attitude

Queenstown's Altitude Brewing are celebrating (another) stunning awards performance at the Australian International Beer Awards, held in Melbourne last night. They increased their haul from last year’s AIBAs — taking home three trophies and a swag of medals (20 in...

Bach Brewing Sticky Buds III

I’m far from ready to declare a favourite from this year's fresh hop season, but I surely have some contenders, and the third edition of Bach Brewing Sticky Buds (by way of Steam Brewing) is most definitely on the list.  Fresh Nectaron is the pick here, supporting a...