A Homebrew Star

It’s every home brewer’s dream to have their beer made on a commercial scale. While many home brewers have recently, and successfully, made the leap to become a real life brewer¹, others dream of being handed the chance. While some try to impress local brewers with generous homebrewed samples, winning the coveted best beer award at the annual Society of Beer Advocates National Homebrew competition is what most of us really dream of. The prize? To have your beer brewed on a commercial scale at Auckland’s Hallertau Brewery. Big deal.

The winner of the 2012 best beer was Richard Deeble with his New Zealand Pale Ale entry. I was lucky enough to be an NHC table steward, and while our table didn’t get the chance to judge Richard’s beer, we did get to sample a selection of the NZ Pale Ale entries. And it’s no easy thing to brew a good pale ale. Of the 6-8 entries my table judged, we only gave out one medal, with all of the other beers too thin, too bitter or too faulty. So for Richard not only to brew a gold-medal-winning beer in that style, but to score the highest total score of the competition, he’s got to know what he’s doing. So I was really looking forward to tasting the commercially-brewed Deeble’s Pale Ale.

The beer went on tap in Wellington on Saturday, April the 27^th at the Kelburn Village Pub, and there was quite a turnout. I bought myself a glass and managed to grab a seat with two Kelburn pub locals, Frances and Ted Verrity, and sat down for a taste.

Richard Deeble pouring his Deeble’s Pale Ale at the Kelburn Village Pub. Photo courtesy of Clare Keegan.

Deeble’s Pale Ale smelled like a pretty traditional NZ pale ale – earth, caramel, citrus. But I was impressed with the flavour – its earthiness was well-balanced by lemon and grapefruit characters, and the hops didn’t overpower the malt, with a good caramel kick to it all. At 5.9%, the beer was on the upper reaches of the style, but it tasted more around the 5% mark with a good body, but very drinkable. The beer was just a bit too sweet for my liking – I personally would’ve liked a slightly bigger bitter kick on the finish to balance that out, but I was impressed by Richard’s ability to pull off a tasty and easy-drinking pale ale – a pretty tough feat.

I managed to grab a couple of words with Richard as well, and was impressed to hear about his hopping schedule. He only started adding his hops with 15 minutes to go in the boil, and used Southern Cross as a flavour AND aroma hop, as well as using Pacific Jade to dry-hop with. I was surprised – Southern Cross and Pacific Jade are very popular among home brewers here in New Zealand, but usually only as a bittering hop. Bold move, but it worked!

This year marks my second year of home brewing², and while Richard managed to claim the top beer prize with just three years brewing experience, I feel I have a lot more to learn and a lot more experimenting to do before I might be lucky enough to do the same. But it doesn’t hurt to dream, right?

*****

¹ The Funk Estate quartet – Shiggy Takagi, Dan Lord, Jordan Evison and Dylan Shearer; two-thirds of the Parrot Dog crew – Matt Warner and Matt Kristovski; the Brewaucracy duo, Greig McGill and Phil Murray; all-round beer guru, Kieran Haslet-Moore of Southstar Brewing…

² While the boyf has been brewing for about four years now, I’ve only started developing and brewing my own recipes over the past 18 months or so.

Beer of the month – April

April has been a pretty great month for beer. It kicked off with Marchfest – 15 brand new beers from breweries in Nelson and Marlborough, poured all day at Nelson’s Founders Park. That was followed by Wellington’s Hopstock – eight fresh-hopped beers poured at 12 different bars around the city. And my beer of the month came smack bang in the middle of the two.

Marchfest 2013 was possibly the best one yet – the sun was out all day, the food was as delicious as ever and 10 of the 15 brews on offer were tasty enough for a second glass. But it’s what was on offer after the festival that really made an impression on me.

Marchfest 2013 – Saturday 6th of April at Founders Park. I was particularly taken with the pink glass.

After a pint at the Milton Street Sprig & Fern, we went for a couple of beers and some food at the relatively new Rhythm and Brown bar on New Street.  New on the beer engine was a collaboration from Townshend and Liberty called Chatham’s Rise. The 5.7% pale ale was brewed using New Zealand Chinook and Cascade fresh hops, and went incredibly well with the cheese platter and Connect Four¹.

Connect Four! At the wonderful Rhythm and Brown.

Chatham’s Rise was pretty much the perfect hand-pulled beer. It tasted of earth and grapefruit with a great caramel and roast malt body and a velvety-smooth mouth feel. The earthy hop character balanced the malt body well and after a day of drinking a very wide range of beers, it was just so tasty and easy all in one mouthful. I had two.  Maybe even three².

When it got too busy at Rhythm and Brown to continue to play Connect Four, or really even have a conversation³, the boyf and I walked around the corner to The Free House – the traditional Marchfest after-party venue. But when we arrived, things were clearly winding down and last drinks had just been called. So with that, we ordered one more beer – a Chatham’s Rise – and sat on the couches for a festival debrief.

Chatham’s Rise pale ale from Townshend Brewery and Liberty Brewing Company. A perfect way to end the day.

Just a few short days later it was available in Wellington as part of Hopstock, and while I didn’t manage to get around to tasting all eight of the beers, Chatham’s Rise remains my favourite fresh-hopped beer of the season, and my favourite beer of the month.

I’m looking forward to giving it another try on Friday at Hashigo Zake’s second annual fresh hop tap takeover – I can’t wait to find out if Chatham’s Rise will remain on top when up against seven other hop harvest beers!

*****

¹ It turns out I still really love Connect Four. And I think I surprised most of my fellow festival-goers with how competitive I am. I now happen to be the reigning Connect Four champion, and it turns out Chatham’s Rise is a pretty tasty victory beer too.

² You’ll understand if you’ve ever been to Marchfest. By about 8pm, every beer begins to merge into one glorious haze…

³ An acoustic duo, while incredibly talented and playing all the right songs, were oh-so-loud, and there were so many people packed into the place that coming back from the bar was a ten-minute ordeal. Clearly, Rhythm and Brown was THE place to be.

‘Twas the Saison

We have had a wonderful, wonderful summer. Hot, dry days and warm, calm evenings – perfect beer-drinking weather. And as the days have been getting shorter and cooler, I’ve been thinking back to some of the best drops of my summer.

One style that has perhaps made the biggest impression on me over the past few months is the saison. The saison rose to NZ-beer-fame back in 2011 when it seemed every second brewery¹ released their version of the zesty, fruity, spicy, beer style.

The saison is a farmhouse ale that originated in the French-speaking part of Belgium. It was brewed in the cooler months and stored until summer when it was drunk by the farm workers. One of the best things about the saison is that no two are ever the same. They’re zesty, sweet, tart and funky. Mmmm…

Hallertau’s Saison aged in chardonnay barrels was on tap at Hashigo Zake for a short time last month and I managed to enjoy several glasses of it. I generally like saisons – their sweet-yet-tart character is a winner in my book. But this was next-level good. It was dry, tart and tasted of grapefruit, lemon, plum, sweet grain and a good bitter kick. Oh-so-delicious and oh-so-moreish – and at 5.3%, I didn’t feel guilty about going back for more.

Garage Project recently brewed a Farmhouse Ale of its own. Mon P’tit Chou² is a 5% ale brewed with Belgian malt and French hops. It was released at the beginning of March and kegs were floating all around Wellington for weeks.

My little cabbage, No cabbages were harmed in the making of this beer. Picture courtesy of Garage Project.

However, my timing was off. I was arriving at bars hours after the kegs had been drained. So as soon as a keg went on at Hashigo, the boyf bought me a two-litre rigger and I was able to enjoy it in the comfort of my own home. It was a lovely honey-orange colour and tasted of lemon, lime, earth, a touch of caramel and a bitter finish. It was tart and dry and tasty, but it could have done with just a touch more sweetness to boost the body and round it out.

But my favourite saison of the summer season was the very rare Arthur – a 6% ale brewed by Hill Farmstead Brewery in Vermont. The beer was courtesy of Phil Zander, who’s a law student and the beer man for Wellington’s Bruhaus and Tap Haus bars. Arthur was one of the beer-y treats he brought back after spending several weeks in the US state.

Meet the wonderful Arthur – 6% and very handsome, don’t ya think? Photo courtesy of David Wood.

I immediately loved the beer because it was called Arthur, named after the brewer’s great-uncle. I name my beers as if they were people³. But there was so much more to love! It was almost the perfect saison. It was dry and zesty, with lemon and pepper flavours, a touch of sweet grain and a good dose of tart, yeasty, funk. It’s depressing to think I may never get to try this beer again. It’s also depressing to think I wasted part of my share after spilling my glass on the table in the most spectacular fashion. I somehow managed to head-butt my glass while laughing at whatever Phil and the boyf were saying. I had managed to consume a good half of my glass by the time of the spillage and I managed to save some of what was left in the glass, but some good beer was absorbed by paper towels that day. Sigh.

I’m sure there’ll be plenty more delicious saisons to enjoy in the coming months too. But right now, I’m looking forward to what the surprise style of the winter will be.

*****

¹ Yeastie Boys – Her Majesty 2011, Invercargill Brewery – Sa!son, 8 Wired – Saison Sauvin, Golden Bear – Pirate Peach Saison.

² Mon P’tit Chou is a term of endearment in French which translates to “my little cabbage”.

³ Andy, Matilda, Beatrice. They’re just names though, they’re not actually named after anybody. Many people think I’m strange to give my beers people names, but really, how normal is it to give a beer any name? Surely ‘Andy’ is not as weird as ‘Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster’.

 

Beer of the month – March

There is one beer that hundreds, probably thousands, of beer enthusiasts the world over agree is one of the greatest beers in the world. Thomas Hardy’s Ale is an 11.7% barley wine¹, originally brewed in 1968 to commemorate the death of writer Thomas Hardy, and brewed annually (or there abouts) since the mid-1970s. Despite drawing in near-perfect scores on online beer websites, the beer has a bit of a chequered history.

Breweries have twice ceased production of the beer, with it last being brewed in 2008 by O’Hanlon’s in the UK. While it’s hoped Thomas Hardy’s Ale will soon be on the shelves again, with the Italian beer importers and distributers, Brew Invest, buying the brand late last year, it’s a beer that should really only be consumed on special occasions due to its rarity.

The boyf and I have managed to collect a reasonable number of Thomas Hardy’s Ales over the years², but it’s been a good wee while since we’ve had one. So when he decided he’d quite like to celebrate with one at his early birthday party, I was more than excited.

Thomas Hardy’s Ale 2004. You know it’s going to be good when the bottle has a gold medal around its neck.

We cracked opened a bottle of the 2004 vintage. I’ve only tried one Thomas Hardy’s older than that – a 1999 vintage (the last brewed by the original brewery, Eldridge Pope) in late 2009 or early 2010, which tasted, to be frank, quite vile³.

But there were no such disappointments with the 2004. It poured a glorious clear, dark brown colour and looked ruby in the light. It gave off strong raisin, prune and caramel aromas, and tasted of sweet prunes, dark fruit, molasses and chocolate. I’ve had some delicious Thomas Hardy’s in the past, but this one was utter perfection.

There are several more 2004 vintages in the beer cellar, so it’ll be interesting to see if they get even better with age, or whether nine years is the optimum age to drink the beer. Either way, I look forward to collecting more bottles when production resumes – hopefully sooner rather than later.

*****

¹ There is some argument over whether Thomas Hardy’s is a Barley Wine or an Old Ale, and whether the two styles are mutually exclusive. Beer writer Martyn Cornell writes about it all here. I’m using the term Barley Wine because that’s what the new owners of the brand call it on their website. 

² In fact, the majority were collected while we were still students. Clearly we had our priorities right when it came to the inevitable ‘meat now or beer in several years’ quandary.

 ³ Possibly something to do with Eldridge Pope adjusting the recipe in the 90s – I remember the 1999 being a very clear, amber colour, tasting thin, salty and savoury. It’s the only Thomas Hardy’s Ale I’ve tried that I haven’t enjoyed. 

 

Auckland – Playing Catch Up

Last month, the boyf and I managed a short trip to Auckland for my little brother’s engagement party. While the Saturday was packed full of family stuff, I’d booked the flights back to Wellington late enough on the Sunday that we could check out some of Auckland’s growing beer scene.

2010 was the last time I spent time in Auckland, and a lot has changed since then. Two-and-a-half years ago, Galbraith’s Alehouse was really the only beer lovers retreat, and we spent days drinking their deliciously fresh wares and chowing down on their yummy food. But now, it would probably take at least two hands to count all the good beer bars in Auckland city alone.

So on the gorgeous Sunday afternoon, the boyf and I met Andrew Childs of Wellington beer geek fame¹ to start our Auckland craft beer tour.

First beers of the day at No. 1 Queen Street.

We started at No. 1 Queen St Café and Bar, a newly opened glass box with four taps of goodness.  Super-friendly staff and a good selection of craft beer despite the lack of space and taps, it was a great way to start the tour. Just one beer each² and we were off to the viaduct to see what the Sky Sports Bar and Grill fuss was all about.

While its adverts are full of crap³, the bar itself is not bad. It has a good outdoor area out the front, and a wide-ranging selection of beer on tap which celebrates locally made beer. I had a Customs 69 IPA from the now-closed Brewery Britomart⁴, which was a lovely, hazy, honey colour, had a full body and tasted of earth and a touch of sweet grain.

A pint of Customs 69 IPA 6.5% ABV from the now closed Brewery Britomart at Sky Sport Bar and Grill. The boyf deep in explanation and the football in the background.

A brief stop off at Andrew Andrew only to find it wasn’t opening until 3pm, and then on to Brew on Quay, which I’d heard plenty of good things about. Situated in a beautiful old building, it had a great open area at the bar and then a number of separate rooms if you wanted to tuck yourself out of the way. It had a great bottle selection and some good tap offerings, but my favourite part was the wonderful ladies bathroom. Huge mirrors, proper towels for drying your hands, incredibly clean (though I’m pretty sure the only other female in the whole bar at this time was the helpful lady behind the bar) and there was an armchair to sit in if you were waiting for a stall to become free. I will definitely be going back there.

We then walked back to the bustle of Auckland city and stopped off for a beer at O’Carroll’s Freehouse. Yet another great selection of tap beers (at fantastic prices), we opted for pilsners and pale ales and headed out the front to the sun, where we attempted to get our tan on while contemplating our next move.

The boyf and our tour guide Andrew catching some rays outside O’Carroll’s Freehouse.

It was a bar of another kind that we had a quick stop-off at next – Moustache, a milk bar with the most delicious home-baked cookies. A quick snickers cookie and we were on our way to Brother’s Beer – a warehouse-turned craft beer bar with a wee beer store inside, and brewery aspirations.

And it was wonderful. The big space was filled with leaners and the comfiest retro lounge chairs⁵, with sun streaming through windows near the roof, 18 beers on tap and a vast bottle selection in the fridge. A recent Liberty tap takeover meant we happily selected some of Jo Wood’s tasty brews and enjoyed them while talking yeast strains and home-brewing.

Brothers Beer, central Auckland.

The only man on deck for the bar that afternoon was the wonderful Nick, who, despite it being quite a steady Sunday afternoon with a decent number of customers, still managed to find time to describe the beers we hadn’t tried and offer small samples as if he had all of the time in the world to give to us. He was even able to find time to peel away from behind the bar to talk beer and hospo with us for short periods.

Nana’s couches and the tables and chairs from Dad’s workshop, but the space in Brothers Beer just works.

It was a beer bar experience I’d never had before. There wasn’t the same urgency that you experience from the customers and bar staff at most of the bars in Wellington, the space was large, open and well thought-out, creating an easy-going atmosphere, and Nick was just so darn nice and helpful, despite probably having a million other things to do behind the scenes. The experience was so good, I can barely remember the beers we had.

And so concluded our Auckland beer bar crawl. While we missed out on visiting many other fabulous bars, including the amazing Galbraith’s, all but one⁶ of places we stopped in at were new to us. And there will be many other opportunities to visit Auckland’s bar scene again, I’m sure.

*****

¹ Brewer of the Wellington in a Pint Celia Wade Brown Ale and now a fresh-faced Aucklander, after making the move north to take up a job as Mangrove Jacks’ beer man.

² A Liberty XPA for me – a 5% American Pale Ale with a perfect balance between fruity, bitter, and malt sweetness. I can’t believe I missed the beer when it was pouring around Wellington

³ Where do I start? “New Zealand’s largest tap selection” my arse. Wellington’s Tap Haus generally has more than 40 beers on tap, and from what I can tell, Sky Sports 40 beers also includes some cider taps. And there could very well be other bars around the country with more taps too. They also explain that the term “rule of thumb” comes from when brewers tested the temperature of the hops by using their thumbs, before thermometers existed. What the fuck!? The hops are what you add to the wort when brewing. And you have to boil the wort to make the beer – you can tell the water is boiling without having to use a bloody thermometer.  IT MAKES NO SENSE!

⁴ Brewery Britomart closed on the 28^th of February after a falling out between the two owners. Unfortunately, the bar was closed on Sundays so I never got to check it out, and its beers never really made it to Wellington, so this one beer is the only beer I will ever get to try from these guys. Sigh.

⁵ We actually had to shift outside after our first pints because the soft couch paired with the sunlight streaming in was putting me to sleep.

⁶ It was our second visit to O’Carroll’s.

Beer of the Month – February

I find it strange, but fascinating, how sometimes the beer drinking moment can elevate, or spoil, any beer.

One of my most memorable beers of the past few years is drinking a cool, crisp, well-hopped Heineken (yes, Heineken), in the Cook Islands. The temperature was in the mid to late 20s and my family and I had just been snorkelling in the lagoon at Aitutaki. I hadn’t even got out of the water before our snorkelling tour guide thrust the beer in my hand, and I just stood in the lagoon, guzzling down the crisp, tasty liquid.

The boyf and I in the Aitutaki lagoon drinking Heineken. It tasted amazing. Photo courtesy of Daniel Garland.

My beer of the month for February left just as big of an impression on me – though has considerably more flavour than a Heineken.

It all happened in Christchurch last weekend. The second annual Great Kiwi Beer Festival was being held in North Hagley Park on the Saturday, and being a Christchurch girl, it was a good opportunity to head to my hometown and experience some good beer-y times – especially since it’s held in the exact same spot as where I used to run my school cross-country every year.

I’m a strange person however, in that I rather enjoy the beer volunteering experience¹. So to Christchurch I went, and spent three days helping to set up the Hashigo Zake World of Beer tent, pour beer at the Hashigo tent, and pack down the Hashigo tent. And boy, did I deserve my beers each of those nights. The big night though, Saturday, was what really took it out of me, The sun, the dust, being on my feet for hours on end, the physical labour², and interacting with the hundreds of people who came to my taps – it was all just plain exhausting.

So by the time I made it to Pomeroy’s³, I was ready for… well, something with some punch. Not wanting to have anything too alcoholic⁴, I started with the tasty 4.6% Haywired from the ever-talented Søren Eriksen of 8 Wired and joined the Hashigo crew at an outside table.  And while it was the favourite of everyone I was drinking with, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It was slightly too bitter and not hoppy enough all at the same time. On paper it should’ve satisfied – under 5% ABV, hoppy, full-bodied, refreshing… it was one of those beer moments gone a little awry.

At the bar, I noted the Epic Mayhem was listed as on tap, and as my current go-to beer, I figured it would be a great beer to have while I planned my next beer move. But the friendly bar tender informed me that Mayhem had just finished, and had been replaced by Dale’s American Amber. It had been a while since my last Dale’s Amber, and a quick scan of the beer list confirmed there was plenty of lighter beers and strong beers, but not much in between the two.

The Dale’s range. The American Amber is 5.4% ABV. Photograph courtesy of Renée Louise Appelman.

And it turned out to be a fabulous decision.  There is nothing sexier than a red beer, and Dale’s American Amber is a beautiful red-amber with a cream-coloured head. It smelled of fruity American hops and tasted fresh and fruity too, with sweet citrus flavours like mandarin and grapefruit coming through prominently. It had a delicious, piney, earth kick to it too, good bitterness, and it was all balanced out by a great malt body with a touch of chocolate.

It was sweet, it was bitter, it had a great body and it turns out that it was exactly what I needed after my big day in the heat. Hands down it was my most memorable beer of February, and the whole satisfying experience was topped off by running into the lovely Dale at the bar. I’m looking forward to trying his Marchfest offering, Dale’s Extra Special Bitter, in Nelson in just over a month!

*****

¹ I actually asked the Beervana crew if I could volunteer for my second “free” session last year – I tried plenty of beer in my one free session and I got to hang out with all of the awesome brewers for three full sessions behind the bars. Awesome.

² I have a desk job, okay?

³ Arguably the greatest bar in NZ…

⁴ That would’ve been a sure-fire way to either put me straight to sleep or to get incredibly rowdy – either way it had huge potential to get me thrown out of the pub…

Beer of the Month – January

It’s the first day of February which means, rather depressingly, we’ve already lived through an entire month of 2013. Usually at this point each year, I feel like I’ve wasted about 30 of the past 31 days. But I’ve happened to surprise myself this year.

Maybe it’s had something to do with the fabulous weather Wellington’s had, but as of today, I’ve managed to keep up a semi-regular exercise regime, write a blog post, keep up with my chores, keep my New Year’s resolution¹ and work four out of the five weeks in January. I’ve also managed to drink quite a lot of interesting beer – which in itself is rather impressive. Some months my work schedule conspires against me, and I managed to miss every major beer release or event there is in Wellington.

In a bid to try and keep up my on-to-it-attitude, I have decided to end each month² by selecting and writing about one beer which has left the biggest impression on me during the 30 or 31 (or 28) day period. So without further ado, the beer receiving the nod for January is… Garage Project Angry Peaches.

Garage Project Angry Peaches tap badge. These guys have some of the best branding in NZ. Picture courtesy of Garage Project.

I know what you might be thinking. This tasty IPA has been around before. Garage Project even released a super-sized version for the 2012 Malthouse West Coast IPA Challenge, which ultimately won the people’s choice award. But my timing with the peaches beers has been rather awful. I never got to try the first version of Angry Peaches thanks to my work schedules and not being in the right place at the right time³. And I didn’t even try the souped-up release at the Malthouse West Coast IPA Challenge, with its 10.1% ABV making it one of the heftiest of the 17 beers on offer that night –not the best turn-on for someone volunteering at the SOBA Winter Ale festival the next day.

But I have certainly made up for all of those missed opportunities this past month. In fact, Angry Peaches was my very first beer of 2013. Depressingly, I was working on December 31 and while my shift was scheduled to end at about 10pm, my workmate and I found ourselves still tapping away at our keyboards as the clock crept closer to midnight. At 11.50pm, we made a mad dash out the door, grabbed a taxi to Frank Kitts Park on the waterfront, where we arrived 90 seconds before the countdown. With no fireworks, we decided to head to Bin44 for a drink to try and brighten a somewhat mediocre start to 2013.

Bin44 was rather empty and had fantastic views of the zoo of people outside – exactly what we were looking for. I wasn’t sure Angry Peaches was what I was after, considering it was my first beer of the night and it weighed in at 7%, but it was the only thing that looked really exciting on the taps and besides, my night needed a powerful kick.

And it was exactly what I needed. The beer looks great, with a red-amber hue and decent off-white head and it smells of citrus, passionfruit and peaches – even though there are no peaches in the beer. It could be that the name of the beer tricks my mind into thinking I smell/taste something that’s not there, but the Amarillo hop – of which they used bucketloads – is known for its ability to give beer stone fruit characters. It tastes a bit peachy too, with that sitting alongside citrus notes, particularly sweet orange, before making way for caramel, earth, and a bitter kick on the finish.

Enjoying an Angry Peaches at Bebemos, Newtown. I did not drink the whole jug by myself! Photo courtesy of David Wood.

Angry Peaches made such an impression on me, that I have spent the month of January continuing to try and track it down. My most recent tasting of it at Bebemos a few of nights ago was just as wonderful as every other during January, with its beautiful balance of sweet and bitter making it the perfect beer for the super-warm evenings Wellington’s been experiencing.

I cannot wait until it’s out in bottles, when I can sit sipping it in front of the TV while the cricket’s on.

*****

¹ The trick, as I’ve found out, is to pick a New Year’s resolution that is actually fun. Mine is to see at least one movie a month. Awesome.

² Or begin the following month, as I am today.

³ Which is so much easier these days with Garage Project’s weekly Friday tap roundup on their Facebook page.