While still at university in 2008 and after a hot Friday of Wellington hillside landscaping, I vividly remember propping up at the end of The Malthouse bar with my flatmate and being smacked in the face with a pint of Emerson’s Pilsner. It was brash, full of grapefruit, diesel and burnt rubber — powerful flavours that I had never experienced in a beer before. This was my first craft beer and I will never forget it.
A friend had told Matt Kristofski and I to go down to a basement bar called Hashigo Zake. There were to be many ‘wow’ moment beers experienced at the bottom of these stairs, but one that stands out was the day that Green Flash West Coast IPA was fresh on tap. Pale for an IPA in those days and full of big and bold American hop characters — grapefruit, hints of tropical notes and huge pine resin bitterness. Inspirational.
It was 2015 and I was sitting in a garden bar in Vienna at the end of a European holiday. There were some incredible beers sampled throughout this trip, but it was a Trumer Pils in a tall pilsner glass that lingers long in my memory. It was beautiful and bright pale gold with an everlasting dense white foam, just enough fresh malt character to keep it interesting, with a perfectly balanced crisp European hop finish. Outstanding.
I was on a trip to Byron Bay to visit the team at Stone & Wood. Garry took us to The Beach Hotel, right on the waterfront. Upon walking in there, it all started to make sense. The unmistakably bright hazy yellow pints of Pacific Ale were dotted around everywhere. It was 30C in the late afternoon, and this cold, juicy pint was so fresh that the keg must have been delivered that day. The execution in simplicity was incredible.
While staying in San Diego in 2019, we visited Toronado SD (RIP). On tap was the latest offering from Firestone Walker’s Luponic Distortion IPA series. Wow. For the first time, I was able to see exactly what this new wave of super pale West Coast IPAs was all about. Lean and mean, with only just enough malt to support an absolute barrage of citrus and tropical American hop flavour and a classic firm and resiny West Coast bitterness.
