
Let the right one in
In my years running craft beer bars and bottle shops, one of the things I’ve heard over and over again – usually from someone who’s been dragged along to my niche corner of beer nerdery by their more enthusiastic mate or partner – is “I don’t like beer”. My response...

I how learned to stop worrying and love lager
The winds of change came like an unforecast southerly blast. The weather was still warm, Auckland deep in its drought. And I craved a cold lager. The winds of change came like an unforecast southerly blast. The weather was still warm, Auckland deep in its drought. And...

Hawke’s Bay A-Z
It’s an exciting time for beer in the Bay. The Hawke’s Bay beer scene is going from strength to strength. Our beers are picking up awards and our venues are evolving. If you haven’t been here in a while, make...

Lockdown Untapped
In lockdown, I got more deliveries in five weeks than I would normally get in a year, and that’s because I had this sudden realisation that if I wasn’t going out and buying beer, it might suddenly cease to exist, and I was not prepared to take that risk. While the...

Keep swimming and Winning
Paul Finney hopes the last setback for his business will be just that: the last. Finney and his wife Laura run Emporium Brewing in Kaikoura – a dream that’s flipped over to nightmare more than once since they started five years ago. The first shock came with the big...

Reviews: July 2020
Behemoth Juicing Room Blueberry Sour 6.9%abv The latest oddball release to come rolling out of the Behemoth brewery. This blueberry infused wheat stands out from the sour crowd in a couple of ways. First, in the strength department at a wonkering...