Instagram influencer Dusty brings you a round-up of his favourite beers and best photos from the social media platform.
Alibi x Bracket Solid Excuse Cold Black Double IPA
Contender for my beer of the year and a style that needs more love: Solid Excuse is an 8.4% Cold Black Double IPA — a trans-Tasman colab between Waiheke’s Alibi and Bracket Brewing from XXX. Off the rip, it’s all toasty/roasty malts and ripe pineapple but I’m also picking up grapefruit and pine courtesy of the Columbus/Chinook/Simcoe in the hop department, a citric bitterness and a juicy finish makes for a close to perfect beer for me.
Laughing Bones Treeline Mountain IPA
East meets west courtesy of Laughing Bones Treeline Mountain IPA. Sequoia hops provides the east coast juice with mango/pineapple vibes, while the Warrior/Columbus/Chinook combo throws down westy pine hits, prickly bitterness and a juicy finish. Nice hybrid.
Yeastie Boys Gunnamatta Earl Grey IPA
A cult classic returns: Gunnamatta Earl Grey IPA is 6.5% ABV and has a great balance of zesty citrus/floral/apricot notes with a black tea bitterness, great to see it in a 440ml tin. Welcome back Yeasties!
Shining Peak x Dangerous Ales Smashed Pav Sour
The contentious issue of pavlova’s origins is cast aside momentarily as Shining Peak and New South Wales brewery Dangerous Ales team up to create Smashed Pav Sour. Plenty of acidic kiwifruit and tart red berry is offset by background sweet vanilla. Clean, crisp, refreshing with a drying finish.
Eddyline American As Pumpkin Pie
Something a bit different in springtime is American As Pumpkin Pie, a 5% pumpkin ale from Nelson’s Eddyline. The pumpkin aspect is definitely there visually as well in taste but is offset by subtle spicing with hints of cumin/ginger/nutmeg and a farmhouse funk vibe, highly recommend giving it a crack.
Three Sisters Scatterbomb Rye Brown Porter
Scatterbomb is a 5.5% ABV rye brown porter from New Zealand’s champion small brewery Three Sisters — all the toasty and roasty feels here alongside notes of chocolate and coffee and it picks up subtle cola/liquorice as it warms. All on a soft creamy mouthfeel. Tasty.
Heyday Jeremiah Imperial Pilsner
More rad tin art and great beer from Wellington outfit Heyday Beer Co. Jeremiah is a 6.9% imperial pilsner hopped up on a trio of Kiwi hops —Riwaka, Motueka and Nelson Sauvin — that provide lots of lime/melon/passionfruit hits with a dank juicy mouthfeel and spikey bitterness. Absolute banger!
Rhyme X Reason Wacky Beatles
Rhyme X Reason’s WCIPA Challenge entry Wacky Beatles has a hopalyptic bill featuring Simcoe, Galaxy, Altus, Mosiac, Citra, Centennial and Ekuanot. This 7.3% westy is big on zesty citrus, pine with pineapple and melon. Mouthfeel is resiny with a prickly bitterness. Belter!