Photographer, beer-lover and Instagram influencer Dusty, picks his highlights from the latest releases.
Aliment X Froth Waimarama Wilding ale
Waimarama Wilding Ale is a 5.8% colab ft Aliment Brewing x Froth Tech & Nelson’s Brook Waimarama Sanctuary.
Just wow! A lot going on here initially: fruity esters meets nutty spicy elements to soft banana lollies, yet all meld into unison on a gentle effervescent carb. Complex and layered — a thing of beauty remarkable beer.
Boneface The Darkness
How goods an American Stout? Hop forward punch meets traditional roasty toasty goodness; Boneface Brewing deliver that in spades here…this is bristly! Verging on aggressive with zested orange and piney resin offset by roasted coffee & earthy dark chocolate, a sleek mouthfeel and drying finish deliver a copy book American stout. Love letter to my taste buds.
Renaissance Pohutukawa Sunset
Something magical how sunlight hits a Red Ale —mesmerizing like fire.
Speaking of fire, Renaissance Brewing’s 5.9% Red NZ IPA Pohutakawa Sunset is exactly that with a ruby copper hue leading into gooey toffee caramel note. There’s lashings of sappy resiny pine overlayed with soft tropicals & citrus creating a marmalade vibe, a slap of bitterness ties together an exquisite example of the style.
Mount Brewing Flow State
Flow State, a 9% dessert stout with raspberry chocolate & coconut, was Mount Brewing Co’s entry into the 8th Annual NZ Stout Challenge
OOOOFFFF ! from the midnight mahogany hue to lead notes of dark chocolate & sweet tart spiced raspberry this brew oozes elite status, theres flaky coconut deeper in providing depth an balance without overpowering keeping the coconut phobes happy, moutheel is weighty yet sleek tieing together an impeccable brew.
McLeod’s Endless Blue IPA
Where ocean meets the sky — Endless Blue is a 6.4% IPA from Waipu legends Mcleod’s.
Dosed with NZH-112 Motueka & Rhapzody its crisp clean snappy just like a Taranaki Winters day, pops of zesty lemon lime an juicy mandarin play alongside lowkey pineapple peach notes with a refreshing mouthfeel tieing everything together…definitely a delete an repeat brew!
Heyday X Brave Red IPA
Next iteration in Heyday’s Beer Friends series sees them buddy up with Hawkes Bay locals Brave Brewing Co to create a 6.9% Red IPA.
I luv a Red so was pumped to see a new edition hitting the market, pours a beautiful mahogany with ruby tinges leading into notes of grapefruit blueberry apricot courtesy of NZ Cascade Simcoe an Mosiac, mouthfeel is plump with an array of complex malts offering depth, theres fleeting floral an spice notes on a snappy bitterness preventing any cloying and delivering an immaculate example of a Red IPA.
8 Wired Rogue & Villan ESB
8 Wired Brewing deliver winter smoko vibes here with 5.5% Rogue & Villain ESB.
A rich amber glow sets the tone for sweet honeyed toffee malt laying a platform for citrusy marmalade vibes to zing, a robust bitterness an crisp mouthfeel reminds you its a brew…delicious!
Fork & Brewer Bond St Porter
Bond Street Porter from capital locals Fork & Brewer is a stunning lil 4.5% brew, it utilises ale chocolate & crystal malts delivering notes of dark chocolate cacao and black treacle with a few hidden berry surprises.
Nitro pour enhances the experience providing a full bodied creamy mouthfeel big on flavour low on ABV clever!
