badass

Winner of the massive ‘Juicy/Hazy’ category at the 2021 Brewers Guild Awards, this full strength Hazy IPA (6.7 per cent ABV) from Waitoa Beer in Wellington is brewed with the new and aptly named ‘Vape’ yeast, tailored just for such beers.  True to its name, Afterglow bears an inviting golden luminosity that shines through the haze.  With some other strong hazies presenting as spoiled milk cut with dirty dishwater, I appreciate the attention to the aesthetic.  Sharp citrus, tropical fruit and drying green herbal notes on the heavily pungent nose, while a more subdued palate brings juicy green apple and pear along with grape and passionfruit.  Light bodied, rapid and refreshing; quick, precise and lithe on the palate  while maintaining that full-strength IPA oomph.

Photo: @_____dusty_____

Badass Beverages Out But Not Down

by | September 13, 2024 | Cover Story | 0 Comments

Start-up brand Badass Beverages is shutting up the shop with the brand for sale. On face value it’s a sad day because Badass did some cool things — and they were good people too. But, as co-founder Dave Pearce told me, he’s not “sad” it’s over, and he makes some...
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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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