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.

Karamu Barrelworks — A Victory for The Style

A couple of days after being named New Zealand's champion brewery, Daryl Bryant of Karamu Barrelworks dropped off 40 dozen bottles of his wild-fermented beer to online seller The Beer Cellar — the best place to shop if you're looking for one of his unique bottles,...

Bringing It All Back Home — Emerson’s Golden Night

Dunedin's Emerson's Brewery are home-town heroes after a golden night at the New Zealand Beer Awards on July 25. Emerson's won the champion large brewery title, ending Garage Project's reign — GP had won four of the past five large brewery crowns, with Parrotdog...

NZ Brewing Shock As Major Malt Supplier Shuts

The New Zealand brewing industry is set for a massive shock after France-based multi-national Malteurop announced they will close their malt plant in Marton at the end of September. Malteurop is the main supplier of malt to New Zealand’s big three breweries — Lion, DB...

Spirit Of Derelict Lives On At No 19 Brewing

The win by No 19 Brewing in the NZ Stout Challenge on July 11 in Christchurch has a direct connection to one of the country’s most celebrated but short-lived breweries: the newcomers are creating their beer on the brew kit once owned by Derelict. No 19 Brewing are...

Wilding Working Wonders For The Wilderness

Kudos to the team at Froth Technologies for the work they’re doing with their New Zealand native yeast, Wilding. I’ve always enjoyed the handful of beers where Wilding has turned up: notably the first brew Emerson’s did to showcase the yeast as well as Three Sisters...

Flood Shuts Emporium Brewing

Emporium Brewing in Kaikoura will be closed until further notice following the devastating flood that roared through the town last week. Owner-brewer Paul Finney has just had insurance assessors through the premises which includes a brewery, bar, escape rooms, and a...