Two Bro’s, Two All Blacks

The days are shorter, and the temperature in the FreshChoice meat department seems warmer.  This can only mean one thing:  winter’s here.  Darker days call for darker beers, so you get some comforting warmth from dark malt-driven beers that pack slightly more alcoholic warmth.

Two of the nicest winter blanket beers I’ve had come from a couple of Danish brothers who call themselves To Øl.  Pronounced “toe ool” (Danish for two beers), they started brewing in Denmark after they felt a need to taste modern beer styles instead of the centuries-old traditional beers with the same- old same-old.  To Øl don’t push the boundaries of beer styles as their beer styles have no boundaries to push.  They brew beers you do not forget (unless you’ve had too many).  Since their conception in 2005, To Øl have risen to ninth most popular brewery on the 2015 Ratebeer rating.

Anywho, back to the winter blanket beers!

Goliat Imperial Stout at 10.1% is a goliath of a stout.  Brewed with oats, it results in a buttery  smoothness with the mouth feel of melted chocolate.  Infused with fancy French coffee that enriches the layers of delicious malt flavours with no over-roasted acrid bitterness.  It’s on the sweetish side and tastes a lot like you ain’t going to work tomorrow.

Liquid Confidence Imperial Stout.  Even though it’s brewed with three different kinds of chillies it’s not a chilli stout but rather a stout brewed with chillies.  She starts hot but simmers towards the end as the taste buds get numbed from the 12.2% ABV.  And it’s not your mouth burning only smoke from the Chipotle chillies.  It’s all good as these chillies counter the malt’s sweetness.  The chilli kick will give you the backbone to tell the missus you’re not going to her mother’s 80^th birthday!

And finally, for a taste of autumn there is ‘Releaf Me Lime Leaf Blonde’ 5.8%. - lime, ruby grapefruit and tart rhubarb flavours make this brew the perfect accompaniment to any Asian food.

To Øl, for flavour as bold as Steven Adams’s moustache.

Denis “the shark is back with one in black” Cooper

Presenting the Great Garage Project Freak Show

Roll up roll up, for your drinking pleasure, in conjunction with Garage Project, FreshChoice brings you the greatest beer extravaganza on earth.  Come ride the magical mystery tour of eclectic beer styles and sample the three brews developed by Garage Project for the ‘Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular’ (GABS).  The Garage project freak show is waiting to take you astray. 

Taste in awe ‘The Wolf Man’, he’s gonna take your taste buds high.  He’s a bad ass IPA with legend saying he’s the bitter ancestor of ‘Death from Above’.  Crammed with a howl of a lot of melonicious hops, you’re gonna dig him till the day you die.

Try the ‘Old Grinderman’, a stout little beer.  He’s a contortionist who’ll twist your taste buds from bitter to sweet then will untangle and astound you with grindings of coffee and Kahlua, and finally leave you mesmerised with mercurial malts.

And last but not least is ‘Marvellous Madam Mahvash’.  This fortune-telling Belgian blond beauty is love at first sip.  With fragrant cotton candy smells, you will be lulled into her magical spicy spells of Turkish Delight and delightful citrus.  She can be a little tart but give her time and her finishing smile is gingery confection.

Come gargle these gargoyles and experience these beerzare beers. Showtime starts 3 pm this Friday at FreshChoice Nelson and tickets cost nothing.

Denis “Clap for the Wolf Man” Cooper