Photographer, beer-lover and Instagram influencer Dusty, picks his highlights from the summer of 2024.
Thief Brewing Tropic Myopic
New tin drop from Tai Tapu’s Thief Brewing and it’s a beaut! Tropic Myopic is a mash up of the trending West Coast Pilsner style, rolling at 6% and loaded with Nelson Sauvin & Motueka in the hop department. There’s plenty of lemon/lime/passionfruit to the fore, mouthfeel is soft and juicy with a prickly dank bitterness sitting atop of a cracker-like malt backbone with a drying finish to round out a great example of the style.
Three Sisters Tune in Drop Out
Tune In, Drop Out, the motto for summer, is another smashable drop from Three Sisters in New Plymouth. A 5.1% NZ pilsner ft. Nectaron & Superdelic. Plenty of candied lollies meets red berries with secondary pops of passionfruit on a light silky mouthfeel — NZ pils done right.
Urbanaut Habanero & Lime Lager
Need chilli? Need lager? The “drink fresh stay rad crew” at Urbanaut have got you covered with their 5.8% Habanero & Lime Lager. So crispy! So clean! Pops of lime & grapefruit passionfruit via Riwaka & Motueka hops, there’s the infamous Riwaka diesel and a slow creep from the habanero providing some lip/tongue tings! A flickering saltiness finishes off a crackin’ drop!
Pacific Coast The Deep
The Deep from Pacific Coast Beverages is a 5.5% NZ stout containing no less than 7 different malts. Outstanding brew this. Immediate burnt toffee/toast/dark chocolate notes. It’s hopped with Superdelic and Pacific Gem which add additional citrusy orange and subtle red berry hits. Take a smooth trip to the dark side.
North End Brett grisette
North End’s Brett Grisette is a 5.5% farmhouse ale conditioned with brettanomyces claussenii is all class, from the funky farmhouse upfront to the delicate citrus/floral notes to the champagne dryness, its subtle, layered, well-balanced and perfect summer drinking.
Mount Brewing Oishi Ume
Built for summer this one! Oishi Ume Lager is a Japanese plum rice lager that has a beautiful pink hue on the pour. So light and crisp with a delightful sweet/tart component from the plum, gentle carb and soft biscuity notes round out a well-thought-out lager — crusha!
Alibi Brewing First Catch Your Weka Pale Ale
From Alibi Brewing Co, who can do no wrong, comes First Catch Your Weka, a 6% fuzzy pale ale loaded Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Pacific Sunrise, Riwaka & Moutere — providing a full Kiwi assault in the hop department. Off the tear there’s intense grapefruit followed by orange/lime. Prickly carb and green bitterness finish out a brew you could crush all arvo!
Sunshine Brewing Point Annihilation WCIPA
A 2021 rebrew from Gizzy’s Sunshine Brewery, Point Annihilation is an 8% West Coast DIPA and is an absolute full send on the senses. Big notes of pineapple/apricot/grapefruit and pine with a bangin’ ol skool hop combo of Centennial/Simcoe/Cascade with a thumping malt backbone delivers one for the westy purists.
