Garage Project 10
A big birthday requires a big beer and in this case Garage Project have delivered a monster! Fresh off their win at the 2021 NZ Beer Guild Awards, New Zealand’s Champion Large Brewery of the year has produced a triple hazy IPA celebrating 10 years in the brew game. The name says a lot about what’s in the can.  Ten different hop additions; no two the same. Cryo, incognito, hop oil extract and pellets added at different times throughout the brewing process from mash to ferment. To say this beer is complex is an understatement.  The use of 10 hops has added layers that really challenge my reviewing skills — but I’m up for it. Big fruity aromas smack you firmly in the face leaving you under no illusions of what’s to come. The first mouthful is a delight sending taste buds in all directions as I try to decipher what exactly is going on.   At 10% ABV the alcohol heat is present throughout the experience but as a beer lover I expect it when in the “Imperial Zone”. You have to be pretty bloody bold even taking on this this style of beer but as always Garage Project have come up trumps.  They’ve made the perfect beer to encompass all they have achieved over the past ten years. Happy Birthday Team GP!  Thank you for all you have done in the New Zealand brewing industry, you’re pioneers, leaders and most importantly continue to challenge the norm! Here’s to the next 10 years.

Nectaron — A Familiar Song Played Differently

Nectaron hops are capturing the imagination of American brewers, particularly after the most recent harvest where it was the standout in sensory testing. NZ Hops Ltd, in their post-harvest report noted that Nectaron stood out this season alongside Superdelic and...

Two Bays Widens NZ Gluten-Free Market

Just about anywhere you go to eat these days understands a large chunk of the population is gluten-free. You see GF beside dishes listed on menu and on packaged food in the supermarket. But until now, with a couple of long-standing exceptions, you didn’t see...

Brewer Becomes Co-Owner at Searchlight

Ash Hutchinson, head brewer from Searchlight in Queenstown, is now a co-owner of the business — and one of his first big jobs will be showcasing Searchlight to the wider world at Beervana this year. Ash has worked at some of the best breweries in the country:...

150 years of Speight’s

Speight's Brewery in Dunedin — New Zealand's oldest brewery — is celebrating its 150th birthday. It's quite the yarn, because it's a brewery that has risen, fallen, partly revived, fallen, risen and risen further. In celebrating the landmark birthday, owner Lion noted...

Altitude’s Trophy-Winning Attitude

Queenstown's Altitude Brewing are celebrating (another) stunning awards performance at the Australian International Beer Awards, held in Melbourne last night. They increased their haul from last year’s AIBAs — taking home three trophies and a swag of medals (20 in...

Bach Brewing Sticky Buds III

I’m far from ready to declare a favourite from this year's fresh hop season, but I surely have some contenders, and the third edition of Bach Brewing Sticky Buds (by way of Steam Brewing) is most definitely on the list.  Fresh Nectaron is the pick here, supporting a...