Hop And Vine

Dogfish Head 90 Minute (named for the continuous hopping process used) IPA is one of the grandfather’s of strong American IPA.  It’s difficult to find in New Zealand, and even more difficult to find in good condition, but it’s something I think all lovers of strong IPA like myself should try at least once and taste where this thing started.   There’s distinctly barleywine-type malt intensity on the nose, with orange barley sugars before dried apricot, candied citrus peel and sweet pine.  Luscious malt sweetness is again first on the palate, tempered by juicy bitter orange and stonefruit.  With an unabashedly full body and comparatively (for 9 per cent abv) moderate bitterness, this would probably be classified as an American Barley Wine rather than IPA if it was released today.  But categories aside, this is an immensely rich and satisfying drop that’s defiantly malt forward in today’s hop dominated world.

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...