Bach Skinnay

After tasting a few disappointing examples of IPAs utilising Yakima Chief’s all-in-one cryo-hop blend, I was beginning to build up a bit of speculation towards it.  But, if anyone can make an IPA work then it’s Epic, so I’ll go in hopeful once again.  Golden peach and guava lead the nose, with sweet orange citrus and some surprising strawberry fondant further back.  There’s grapefruit juice and strong orange rind on the palate, with more heavily ripe peach emerging before an absolutely belting bitterness slaps across the finish.  While I still think the Cryo-Pop blend lacks a bit of lift and zing, a big (6.9%), bright and bitter IPA like this is definitely where it does its best work.

Bach Skinnay Ultra Low Carb Hazy Pale Ale

by | March 2, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

While low carb beers are bigger than they’ve ever been, it’s still uncommon to see the styles range too far from the lager safe-zone.  You’ll find a few zero% hazy IPA’s, but an actual low-carb-full-strength example is rarer.   Never idle for long,...
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Eruption Brewing — Lyttelton’s Local Legend

by | February 18, 2026 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

To understand Eruption Brewing’s place in Lyttelton, it helps to zoom out — first a couple of centuries, then a few million years. The town sits inside the remnants of the Banks Peninsula volcano, long extinct but still shaping the landscape and, fittingly, inspiring...
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Epic Stout

by | February 13, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

While not to say that Epic is a total stranger to dark beer (they’ve made some extremely good ones over the years) it would be fair to say that it wasn’t exactly the style they’re known for.  So it was a surprise to see this one show up (and slickly presented too, I...
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“Unicorn” Brewery For Sale — Emporium On Market

by | February 6, 2026 | News, Cover Story | 0 Comments

Here's a big opportunity for someone who wants to get into the brewing game: Emporium — a profitable, successful business is — for sale! You heard that right. Profitable, successful. Given that, why, I asked Paul Finney of Emporium, does he want to sell his brewery,...
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A New “Weed” Pops Up At Garage Project

by | February 5, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

Fresh off another triumph in the GABS Hottest 100, Garage Project are launching a new member of the Pernicious Weed family. Pernicious Weed was Garage Project's first proper commercial release and it's now taking on a life of its own. We've already had Double...
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Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale

by | February 1, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Former Marlborough brewing icons Renaissance have been in the news recently, having finally found a home of their own again at the former Chinchiller Brewery in Kaiapoi.  Arguably Renaissance's most famous beer, Stonecutter is a delightfully nuanced take on an already...
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