badass
Winner of the International Lager category at the 2021 Brewers Guild Awards.  Boneface IPL is, ostensibly, lager that’s hopped like an IPA.  It’s been one of my favorite beers for a long time, but seems to forever be stuck as a fringe style.  Outlaw has clean and bright aromas of lime, pineapple and rockmelon, with an extremely neutral and fresh malt base.  Smooth malt and citrus-focused hop character leads on the palate, with faint tropicals and minty herbaceousness following.  Moderate but precise bitterness closes out the brisk and refreshing finish, leaving the palate cleansed and wanting nothing more than another sip.  Hopefully its recent success at the awards encourages a few more brewers to tackle this style.  We’ll see.

Badass Beverages Out But Not Down

by | September 13, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Start-up brand Badass Beverages is shutting up the shop with the brand for sale. On face value it’s a sad day because Badass did some cool things — and they were good people too. But, as co-founder Dave Pearce told me, he’s not “sad” it’s over, and he makes some...
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I Am Hope Rejects Funding Over “Not For Pussies” Beer

by | September 6, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Mental health charity I Am Hope has refused to take money from a boxing fund-raiser because a beer with the tagline “not for pussies” is being co-promoted alongside the event. Swordfish Mojo is a low-carb lager created by Matt Watson, the star of the ITM Fishing Show...
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Duncan’s Drop The Lactose For Vegan Beer

by | September 4, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

New Zealand’s self-professed biggest user of lactose (milk sugar) in the brewing process is set to find new customers after creating a lactose-free, vegan-friendly smoothie sour. The use of lactose in dessert beers, ice cream sours, smoothie sours and milkshake IPAs...
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The Beer Project — Karamu Barrelworks

by | August 28, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

It's a magical drive into Karamu Barrelworks on Daryl Bryant's rural Waikato lifestyle block. The morning light softly filters through the trees he and his wife Lynette planted when they first moved onto the property. Vision, a bit of hard graft, followed by time has...
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Sprig & Fern The G.O.A.T Doppelbock

by | August 27, 2024 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Over the next wee bit I’ll be exploring the trophy winners from the recent New Zealand Beer Awards, starting with The G.O.A.T Doppelbock (7.9%) from Nelson brewing legends Sprig + Fern.  As the name implies, this is a beer with a long history of awards, including a...
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Fermented Culture – A Moment of Communion

by | August 27, 2024 | Opinion | 0 Comments

This column was pitched to me as a vehicle for me to reprise “The Grumpy Brewer” a character I played during lockdown that comedically allowed my frustrations with the world of beer and my general eccentricities out into the world. However I didn’t want to wallow in...
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