Garage Project Snug

Garage Project’s application of nitro tech could lead to very exciting things for dry stouts like this, as well as malt driven beers generally.  Snug is deeply roasty on the nose with burned malt, toasted coconut and mocha.  The palate has the full spectrum of malt flavour on blast, starting with sweet toffee and finishing all the way over in the bitterest black, which gradually burns off over the long finish.  Despite the intensity of flavour and ferocity of the bitterness, the body stays light and crisp.  Not just another Guinness-a-like, this handily beats the old Irish favorite in my opinion, having vastly more flavour with only a 0.8% hike in ABV compared with the Irish benchmark. 

Derelict Are Back!

by | August 7, 2026 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

When Derelict Brewing unexpectedly closed down in 2024 after just six years in business, much of it as New Zealand’s top-ranked brewery on Untappd, it was scarcely believable. Owner-brewer Sam Cottier had created so many incredible beers in such a short time it felt...
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Magic Week For Neck Of The Woods

by | August 4, 2026 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

In the space of six days, start-up brewery Neck Of The Woods went from virtually unknown to the toast of Tauranga after winning the title of Champion Microbrewery at the New Zealand Beer Awards and then winning the Golden Gumboot at The Malthouse West Coast IPA...
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Not Such A Nutty Idea

by | August 4, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

This is an intriguing development — cashew nuts in beer to approximate the creamy texture you might normally get from lactose. That’s what 8 Wired did when they collaborated with Wellington plant-based chocolatier Wonderland to create Talia, an imperial chocolate...
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Leading Malt Producer Celebrates 100 Years

by | August 3, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

Joe White Maltings, Australia's largest malt producer, is celebrating 100 years of specialty malt production. The milestone reflects a century of innovation, quality and collaboration, supporting generations of brewers on both sides of the Tasman with premium...
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Parrotdog at 15 — Moving From Craft To Beer

by | July 30, 2026 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

At 15, Wellington’s Parrotdog stands out among New Zealand’s independent breweries — as a business actively moving away from its owners. The path of most small breweries is built on the owner-brewer model — and even when growth comes the founders continue to be the...
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Karamu Barrelworks — A Victory for The Style

by | July 30, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

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,...
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Bringing It All Back Home — Emerson’s Golden Night

by | July 27, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

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...
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NZ Brewing Shock As Major Malt Supplier Shuts

by | July 17, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

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...
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Spirit Of Derelict Lives On At No 19 Brewing

by | July 17, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

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...
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Wilding Working Wonders For The Wilderness

by | July 16, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

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...
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Flood Shuts Emporium Brewing

by | July 15, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

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...
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Garage Project Top Cutter NZIPA

by | July 8, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

The Smith’s NZIPA challenge concluded for another year last weekend, and some of the entries are already hitting the shelves in package.  While not one of the notable winners (go South Island Brewing!), this entry from Wellington’s Garage Project was the first of the...
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8 Wired Rogue & Villian ESB

by | July 8, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Though I daren’t speak it too loud for fear of jinxing it, this has (so far) been something of a revival year for ESB, with even flash North Island brewers giving it a go. Rogue & Villain is the latest such release, from one of said flash North Island brewers,...
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Boneface The Darkness American Stout

by | July 8, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Boneface have a new (or old, actually) dark beer out for the winter months, with a classic of the old ownership's core range, The Darkness (5.8% ABV), making a fresh appearance.  While the original bore the style of ‘India Stout’ the ever-shifting naming conventions...
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Epic Coming Of Age Imperial Stout

by | July 8, 2026 | Recommended | 0 Comments

With their momentous 20th anniversary just been, Auckland's Epic Brewing have found another reason to celebrate, with this 21st birthday imperial stout (10% ABV).  Brewed to stand on its own as a classic stout, it contains no adjuncts or flavourings, just full-on malt...
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NZ Brewers Frustrated at Unfair Export Burden

by | July 3, 2026 | News | 0 Comments

Kiwi brewers are frustrated at the political inaction that’s leaves them at a huge disadvantage when selling their beer in Australia. Australian breweries get a $400,000-a-year excise tax rebate and New Zealand breweries argue they should get the same relief under the...
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The Beer Project — Urbanaut

by | July 1, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

Working with a hangover is never fun, even if you're a brewer. The effects of Urbanaut's belated Christmas party at Sawmill the day before are apparent on the brew crew as they get stuck into their work one day in late January. Head brewer and co-founder, Bruce...
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The Hoptimist — Neon, Lactose & A Missing T-shirt

by | June 26, 2026 | Travel | 0 Comments

There’s a rumour that somewhere out there exists a t‑shirt emblazoned with “Dean Moses” in full 1980s neon arcade, sci‑fi, vaporwave glory — perfectly aligned with the aesthetic branding of Wellington’s Mean Doses Brewery and taproom. There’s another rumour linking...
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Exploring Vancouver’s Historic Brewery Creek

by | June 24, 2026 | Travel | 0 Comments

It's 12 years between drinks in Vancouver, but I'm finally back at one of my favourite taprooms. In late 2014, Brassneck Brewery was just a year old, but it's now transitioned from craft beer pioneer to a community hub for the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. Brassneck's...
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Don’t Fear The Dark — How To Enjoy Stout

by | June 22, 2026 | Features | 0 Comments

In 15 years writing and talking about beer, I’ve learned the style that most surprises people — once they give it a chance — is stout. The fear is about the “weight” of the beer — that it’ll be “heavy” and/or high in alcohol. Or it’s a fear based on a fledgling sip of...
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