As we’ve ticked into winter, it’s important to know that all your beer drinking dreams can still continue. 

Whether you’re into the hoppiest, juiciest, dankest brews on the planet, it’s time to light the fire, settle down with some soup, and most importantly – unlock the dark beers.

I was always unsure about stouts and porters when I was younger. I think it’s to do with traumatic events that may or may not revolve around a certain day in the middle of March…

Anyway, many years ago, I knew it was time to try and develop my beer palate further.

I’d never really strayed past an IPA or lager on those days too (and boy, that feels like a lifetime ago).

I remember asking on Twitter what dark beers I should start with, and I got a few recommendations from friends and strangers.

Living in Katikati at the time, the bottle store only had one of these beers that was recommended to me: Garage Project’s Aro Noir.

This was the first true dark beer I got to experience and enjoy with its deep black colour, inspired by the darkness of a Wellington winter in Aro Valley, and a slight citrus bitterness and aroma that blends in with the roasted maltiness of it all.

And since then, I’ve found my groove with dark beers.

With the bitter southerly howling through my home in Wellington, it made me think about how there could be people like younger me, unsure about what to pick off the shelves this winter to try their hand at the dark arts.

So here are five beers to get you started on stout and porter season.

Cassels Brewing Co Milk Stout

Plenty to like about this one. The boldness of coffee and cream with the sweetness of dried fruits and chocolate. Award winning and downright delicious.

Hop And Vine

Garage Project Cereal Milk Stout

Did someone say a beer brewed with corn flakes!? A more creamy stout, offering up a rich roast character. Don’t think this is a substitute for a bowl of cereal, however.

Hop And Vine

Sawmill Baltic Porter

This beauty is in the Top 30 in the recent New World beer and Cider Awards. The silkiness of the chocolate marries up wonderfully with the roast coffee and caramel notes.

Sawmill baltic porter

Boneface The Darkness India Stout

Weighing in at 5.8% ABV, there’s something really special about this one. Its’ a gentle one that eventually warms you up by the time you finish it. Leaves you licking your lips and asking for another.

Hop And Vine

Three Boys Oyster Stout

If you’re able to enjoy the first four, this one comes off a little thicker, stronger, and bolder. It’s the beer form of a bear hug, with plenty of rich, salty points to it that make you question your existence.

Hop And Vine

Distributor Hop And Vine Explains Liquidation

Prominent Christchurch-based distributor Hop And Vine says the loss of three potential new customers combined with changing drinking habits and tough economic conditions led to their liquidation. Hop And Vine and another company it half-owned, ABV Beverages, both went...

Eddyline Hoptimus Prime Fresh Hop WCIPA

Fresh hop season is well and truly upon us now, with a deluge of fresh releases landing day by day. It’s been less a case of hunting them out and more one of deciding what to choose… The beginning of the season usually means a lot of hazy beers in the first wave while...

Hazzy Hunter vs Browns Bay Brewing Co

Andrew Ranum joined Deep Creek in 2016 as their General Manager. When the brewery sold the brewpub in Browns Bay, Andrew left his GM role and became a part-owner and brewer at Browns Bay Brewing Co.  He goes face to face with Joshua Lee aka Hazzy Hunter. Hazzy...

Mac Hops Celebrates 125 Years Growing Hops

Mac Hops in Motueka celebrated 125 years of growing hops with a bumper harvest, but it was also a harvest that summed up the tough nature of hop-growing — both now and historically. “We had some great yields come through but unfortunately it's not a great year to have...

The Beer Project — Mount Brewing

Paweł Lewandowski, head brewer at Mount Brewing, isn't supposed to be here. He was travelling around the world with a plan to spend a little bit of time brewing in New Zealand and Australia before heading home to Poland to start his own brewery. Eight years later he...

Coromandel — One Door Closes, Another Opens

When we began brewing at the Coromandel Brewing Company, “craft beer” was barely on anyone’s radar. The most common response when offering new customers a craft beer was, “craft what?”. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has changed dramatically. While...