swifty
The Champion Beer at the 2021 Brewers Guild Awards pours black and heavily opaque for its lighter 5.9 per cent ABV, with exceptionally tight and creamy coffee-tan head, which may well be a result of its time stored under higher carbonation.  The nose deftly touches all the porter notes of roasted malt, toffee, chocolate and coffee, with a distinct fresh cream aroma despite the absence of lactose.  The hops integrate perfectly, adding a spice and dried fruit character that holds the whole aroma beautifully aloft. The palate starts off rich with sweet roasted malt and stone fruit, before pivoting around almost completely into an arresting black coffee bitterness, with drying smoke and flinty minerality which wind together into the earthy finish.  Full bodied but effortlessly nimble, classic and yet mysterious.  Despite being ‘just’ a porter, Unforgiven takes that one brush and paints a masterpiece in black.

Powerhouse Collab Launches Swifty

A new beer is not usually enough to justify a story but when you’re talking powerhouse brand names Nadia Lim and Garage Project, a beer called Swifty might be in a different league. I was wondering only recently when New Zealand might see a celebrity-driven beer that...

Brothers Beer Back In Business

Brothers Beer are back in business and aim to pay off all their creditors by the end of 2024 says new general manager Frans Bos. They’ve had a management restructure, just hired Dylan Adams as head brewer after he lost his job when Deep Creek went into liquidation...

Police Defend Dunedin Festival

Police are happy with behaviour at the Dunedin Craft Beer & Food Festival earlier this month despite the event generating international headlines after two assaults — one inside the venue, one outside. Festival director Jason Schroeder felt the bad publicity...

Free Glass Flagon Scheme Launches Nationwide

Dozens of high-profile breweries around the country, including Garage Project, Parrotdog and Emerson's, are today launching a scheme that provides customers with free, returnable, 1-litre glass flagons for takeaway beer purchased at taprooms and filleries. Backed by...

Hop Federation Hold The Line NZIPA

It was already shaping up to be a pretty good year for New Zealand IPAs — and Hop Federation have nudged it a little closer to a great one with this new limited release, Hold The Line.  Powered by Southern Cross, Taiheke and Nectaron, all of which should be found...

UPDATED: Deep Creek Owes More Than $4m

Deep Creek Brewing went into liquidation last week owing more than $4 million. The first report from liquidator Rodgers Reidy noted that Deep Creek Brewing Operations Ltd owed unsecured creditors around $3.5 million. They also owed ASB $603,845. Money owed to secured...