not for pussies

A new all-American hopped West Coast IPA from Taupo’s Lakeman, with Amarillo, Citra and Zythos in the mix.  There’s lime and grapefruit up first on the nose, with a distinct Zythos’y tangerine note rising further back.  Remarkably focused grapefruit on the palate, with some pine and very faint passionfruit mixed in with the light and fresh malt base.  All good stuff, but the most striking thing about this 6.9 per cent IPA is the bitterness.  It kicks in right from the front of the palate, like chomping straight down on a grapefruit (skin and all), and it stays meshed with the citrus flavour right through to the finish.  Impactful, arresting and laser focused on its style.  One of the top IPAs I’ve tasted this year.

I Am Hope Rejects Funding Over “Not For Pussies” Beer

by | September 6, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Mental health charity I Am Hope has refused to take money from a boxing fund-raiser because a beer with the tagline “not for pussies” is being co-promoted alongside the event. Swordfish Mojo is a low-carb lager created by Matt Watson, the star of the ITM Fishing Show...
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Duncan’s Drop The Lactose For Vegan Beer

by | September 4, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

New Zealand’s self-professed biggest user of lactose (milk sugar) in the brewing process is set to find new customers after creating a lactose-free, vegan-friendly smoothie sour. The use of lactose in dessert beers, ice cream sours, smoothie sours and milkshake IPAs...
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The Beer Project — Karamu Barrelworks

by | August 28, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

It's a magical drive into Karamu Barrelworks on Daryl Bryant's rural Waikato lifestyle block. The morning light softly filters through the trees he and his wife Lynette planted when they first moved onto the property. Vision, a bit of hard graft, followed by time has...
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Sprig & Fern The G.O.A.T Doppelbock

by | August 27, 2024 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Over the next wee bit I’ll be exploring the trophy winners from the recent New Zealand Beer Awards, starting with The G.O.A.T Doppelbock (7.9%) from Nelson brewing legends Sprig + Fern.  As the name implies, this is a beer with a long history of awards, including a...
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Fermented Culture – A Moment of Communion

by | August 27, 2024 | Opinion | 0 Comments

This column was pitched to me as a vehicle for me to reprise “The Grumpy Brewer” a character I played during lockdown that comedically allowed my frustrations with the world of beer and my general eccentricities out into the world. However I didn’t want to wallow in...
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Craft Reaches New Heights at Broken River

by | August 20, 2024 | Features | 0 Comments

With news of brewers and premises in strife seemingly now a daily headline, it’s with some relief that I find myself writing about one reaching new heights. The Broken River Ski Club recently completed upgrades to its hospitality offering at 1600m, making it one of...
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Instagratification: Dusty’s Winter Warmers

by | August 20, 2024 | Opinion | 0 Comments

Photographer, beer-lover and Instagram influencer Dusty, rounds up a bevvy of winter warmers 8 Wired X Pinta Crumbs if there's one dark brew you should deep dive into this winter, or this year even, it's Crumbs, a 10% imperial cookie stout, a global colab featuring 8...
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Pacific Coast In Liquidation

by | August 16, 2024 | News | 0 Comments

Pacific Coast — the Mangawhai brewery that opened last year to great fanfare — is in liquidation. It’s a little bit complicated because the business that went into liquidation is called Vanderlay Industries and it owns the brewery/production side of the Pacific Coast...
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Dylan Adams — Two Breweries, Two Liquidations

by | August 13, 2024 | Features | 0 Comments

For a few days in June, Dylan Adams thought he was cursed. He’d lost his job as lead brewer when Deep Creek went into liquidation last year. He soon picked up a new gig, as head brewer at Brothers Beer — but 11 months later he was looking at unemployment again when...
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We’re Goin’ To Jackson Street

by | August 9, 2024 | Features | 0 Comments

Food-centric Jackson Street — the thumping main artery heart of vibrant Petone — is now officially a craft beer destination™. For those who don’t know it, Petone is the fulcrum between the capital and Hutt Valley — not quite Welly, not too Hutty — and always with a...
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Parrotdog End Garage Project’s Reign at NZ Beer Awards

by | August 4, 2024 | News | 0 Comments

Recent history was turned on its head at the NZ Beer Awards in Auckland last night with Parrotdog usurping Garage Project as the country's champion large brewery, and McLeod's ending Behemoth's reign in the medium-sized category. Three Boys, for the second time in...
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Liberty Brewing Win Third Malthouse WCIPA Challenge

by | August 2, 2024 | Features | 0 Comments

Liberty Brewing won their third Malthouse West Coast IPA Challenge title claiming the Golden Gumboots with God of War (6.9%). Another three-time winner Epic, were second with Atari Baby (6.7%) while Brave Brewing were third with Dreamcast (6.5%); and the much...
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International Acts Star at Beervana 2024

by | July 31, 2024 | Features | 0 Comments

Roll up, roll up! Aotearoa’s premier festival of froth is on for the 22nd time on August 23-24 at Wellington’s Sky Stadium! Whether you’re a Nerd or Noob — Beervana 2024 promises to deliver something for everyone and we got the inside word from Beervana ringmaster,...
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Mr Goodbar — Wellington

by | July 31, 2024 | Travel | 0 Comments

When in Wellington, visit the temples of taste. And I’m not talking about Unity Books or Slow Boat Records, the legendary Cuba Street music store. No, I’m talking brewbars. And there are plenty of good ones in the region, which offers, perhaps, the most intense...
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8 Wired Southland Hopwired

by | July 31, 2024 | Recommended | 0 Comments

8 Wired Hopwired has a special place for me, both in my heart and in my fridge.  Tracing back those 15 years since its inception in 2009, this most fundamental of New Zealand IPAs is amongst the formative beers that set me on the trajectory that would eventually...
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Beervana — 48 Hours In Wellington

by | July 31, 2024 | Travel | 0 Comments

It doesn’t matter how you plan to get to Wellington for Beervana, you can start enjoying the Craft Beer Capital long before you hit the stadium. Make it a four-day weekend. Arrive on Thursday and give yourself extra travel time to stop at a few favourites on the way....
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Panhead Go Hard on Bright IPA

by | July 12, 2024 | News | 0 Comments

Panhead Custom Ales has one of the most iconic core ranges on the market, with beers such as the super-classic Supercharger APA and the indomitable trophy machine Port Road Pilsner.  Whether it’s across the bar or across the supermarket aisle, this timeless range is...
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Panhead Batch 206

by | July 11, 2024 | Recommended | 0 Comments

A couple of years ago I visited Panhead brewery, the jewel in the crown of Upper Hutt’s Brewtown.  As with all such visits, when it came to the taproom, I skipped straight past the core range and got stuck into tasting the experimental one-off brews that I wouldn’t...
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Beer Baroness Double Danger

by | July 11, 2024 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Beer Baroness Double Danger, an Imperial Hoppy Red Ale (7.9%abv) is the first from their upcoming range of barrel-aged limited releases. Lady Danger (one of the all-time classics from the Christchurch brewery) serves as the platform for this imperial red ale, further...
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Hop Federation Deep Space IPL

by | July 1, 2024 | Recommended | 0 Comments

There’s been quite a few beers bouncing around recently that have showcased trial hops from the NZ Hops Ltd's Bract Brewing Project.  They’ve run the usual gamut of quality, but in terms of styles, it’s been India Pale Lagers like this one that I’ve found best...
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