Brother Thelonius bottle
Brother Thelonius (9.4 per cent ABV) is not quite in the echelon of a Pliny the Elder, but definitely one of those American craft beers with international recognition. Brewed by North Coast in Fort Bragg, California, it is loosely described as a Belgian Style Ale, but this is a Quadrupel no doubt about it. Burnt caramel and tutti-frutti ester on the nose, with banana lollies and Liquorice Allsorts. Big golden syrup on the palate, with some brief stone fruit before a smoky bitterness rises into the finish. A recognisably American version of a Belgian classic, bringing more weight and bitterness but less earthy spice and yeast nuance. Belgian purists may find reason to look askance, but I appreciate confidently different take.

 

Aussie Pirate Washes Ashore in NZ

by | March 14, 2025 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Former Aussie “pirate” Jared Proudfoot is now a Kiwi landlubber. Proudfoot, known as Red, co-founded the hugely successful Pirate Life in Australia — a brewery that was sold to global giant AB InBev for $10 million in 2017. He’s now settled in Geraldine where he’s...
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First-Timers Win 2025 Rare Beer Challenge

by | March 14, 2025 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

New Plymouth’s Shining Peak Brewery were crowned — or capped, as it were — the winners of the fifth annual Rare Beer Challenge on March 7. Hosted by Wellington’s Fortune Favours Brewery, this year there was not only a sister bar in Auckland serving the beers on the...
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Moa Superdelic IPA

by | March 10, 2025 | Recommended | 0 Comments

As much as it was exciting to see the recent Superdelic hop step onto the stage of commercial New Zealand varieties, it’s one I’ve been struggling to really love when put in the lead of an IPA. That red berry confectionary note has always come on a bit strong. Perhaps...
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Sunshine Brewing Wants Sale or Merger

by | March 10, 2025 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

New Zealand’s oldest craft brewery, Sunshine Brewing in Gisborne, looking for new owners or — more intriguingly — seeking expressions of interest for a merger with an existing brand. The move comes as the trio of existing owners, who have been at the helm for the past...
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Green, Fruity, Dank … Tom Shellhammer On Hops

by | March 4, 2025 | Features | 0 Comments

For a hop scientist, a months-long summer holiday coinciding with the annual hop harvest in New Zealand is a dream sabbatical. Tom Shellhammer is a Professor of Fermentation Science at Oregon State University where he leads the brewing science education and research...
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Hop Federation Concrete Jungle

by | March 3, 2025 | Recommended | 0 Comments

Fresh off the line this week Hop Federation Concrete Jungle is this bright version of the (also rather good) Inflation hazy IPA that dropped a little earlier in the year.  Sporting an identical 6% ABV and hop bill of Idaho 7, Rakau, and Nectaron, the difference here...
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