Boneface
Winner of the IPA category at the 2021 Brewers Guild Awards.  Behemoth founder Andrew Childs wanted to return to a more expressive old-school malt base with this beer, while still showing off the brewery’s flair for modern hop varieties.  Interestingly, those varieties are sourced from not just the US but Australia and NZ too, making it a more international IPA than most.  Full bodied with a big malty chew at first, a breadth of drying hop flavours begins to emerge.  Strongly dominant American pine, with some drier Aussie grassiness and New Zealand tropicals follow.  The bitterness builds into the finish, ending up firmly in charge.  A classic old school IPA for classic old school IPA drinkers.

Boneface Brewing Deadlift Double IPA

by | October 22, 2025 | Recommended | 0 Comments

I’ve said it before, but if you want to precision test a brewery then ask for a double IPA. Everything has to work harder; the ferment, the grain selection, the hops and (in particular) the conditioning.  As the ABV speedo climbs above seven, only the most precisely...
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Thief Brewing Frog Wallop IPA

by | October 22, 2025 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Thief Brewing continues to prove that there’s IPA in them thar hills of Banks Peninsula, adding this West Coast style to the range.  West Coast by way of New Zealand anyway, being driven by Nelson Sauvin, Rakau and NZ grown Chinook.   The...
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Double Vision x Baan Bangkok Thunder Struck Triple IPA

by | October 22, 2025 | Recommended | 0 Comments

The method by which I pick a beer to feature here every week is extremely loose, but usually there’s an equation that balances between ‘interesting’ ‘relevant’ and ‘good’.  Sometimes, one of those spokes dominates to such an extent that the others cease to...
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Behemoth Chur-Toberfest 2025

by | October 22, 2025 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Every year more of our local craft brewers don the lederhosen and kick out a kiwi version of a Munich Festbier.  Historically, the results have been mixed… NZ malt and even more so our hops just don’t mesh well with the peerlessly smooth, crisp and understated...
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New Zealand’s Most Awarded Beers

by | October 14, 2025 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

It was Stay Gold that started this … the Brave Brewing XPA that won a trophy in the International Pale Ale class at this year’s New Zealand Beer Awards. I was looking back through the records and realised it was the fifth gold medal that beer had won, and I started to...
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Slow Walk Through Paradise — Visiting Every Brewery in NZ

by | October 10, 2025 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

There’s something about beer that’s always been part of my story. From the early days of sneaking sips of Lion Brown at my dad’s feet and walking around the house with my ‘beer mou’, to the $2 jugs of Joseph Kuhtze Lager at the Southern Cross Tavern during University...
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