fruitallica

This is a re-brew of the original collaboration done with Stone Brewing in 2017, once again containing golden kiwifruit, yuzu and habanero chilli.  I missed out on the original release, so I’ll get to experience this juiced-up ride (8 per cent ABV) for the first time here.  On the nose the yuzu pops off as always out in front, with lychee and mango dominated hops and some soft kiwifruit sweetness further back.  The flavour is such a rapid and juicy ride that picking out the individual flavours as they race past is difficult, but the sharpness of the yuzu stays more or less at the forefront, with massively ripe hop fruitiness punctuating the mid palate.  At first you might even miss the chilli, but a few sips in, a building warmth will remind you they’re in there.  This is a hard one to classify.  It’s got the juice of a hazy, but the clarity and bite of a west coast IPA, and that’s even before the fruit comes into the equation.  Safe to say though that if you like an IPA with simply ‘more’ then you’ll love this one.

Brothers Beer Mad Science #2 IPA

Mt Eden’s Brothers Beer invites us to taste the future with Mad Science #2 — a new trial hopped IPA. Amongst the first generation of commercially-released beers to use the latest clutch of trial hops (NZH-111, NZH-112 and NZH-115 variously) from the NZ Hops Ltd's...

Competition Watchdog Blocks Kegstar’s Acquisition of Konvoy

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has blocked MicroStar’s proposed acquisition of keg lending rival Konvoy. MicroStar, which operates as Kegstar in Australia and New Zealand, and Konvoy are the only suppliers of keg leasing services in this...

Boneface Brewing Deadlift Double IPA

I’ve said it before, but if you want to precision test a brewery then ask for a double IPA. Everything has to work harder; the ferment, the grain selection, the hops and (in particular) the conditioning.  As the ABV speedo climbs above seven, only the most precisely...

Thief Brewing Frog Wallop IPA

Thief Brewing continues to prove that there’s IPA in them thar hills of Banks Peninsula, adding this West Coast style to the range.  West Coast by way of New Zealand anyway, being driven by Nelson Sauvin, Rakau and NZ grown Chinook.   The...

Double Vision x Baan Bangkok Thunder Struck Triple IPA

The method by which I pick a beer to feature here every week is extremely loose, but usually there’s an equation that balances between ‘interesting’ ‘relevant’ and ‘good’.  Sometimes, one of those spokes dominates to such an extent that the others cease to...

Behemoth Chur-Toberfest 2025

Every year more of our local craft brewers don the lederhosen and kick out a kiwi version of a Munich Festbier.  Historically, the results have been mixed… NZ malt and even more so our hops just don’t mesh well with the peerlessly smooth, crisp and understated...