Emerson’s, the Lion’s Share of the Craft Brew Market.

Emersons, one of the original NZ craft brewers to enter the market, established back in 1992. One year ago was bought out by Lion Nathan and at that time the news of the takeover resulted in a storm of comment on social media with some drinkers speculating that the craft beer maker's product quality would decline under Lion's ownership. In the interests of quality, I’ll partake and see.

Bookbinder.

The label says it all, “anytime refreshing new world ale” and the Booky is exactly that, tasting bigger than its 3.7% abv would suggest. The booky is a well rated beer by overseas beer aficionado Roger Protz in his recent “300 More Beers To Try Before You Die”. Roge has penned over 20 beer books so should be my idol but I rather prefer Ben Smith. Of the eight NZ beers listed, three are from Emersons, suggesting no dodgy beers from this brewery. For me, it’s an all occasion beer, from watching the footy, to rehydrating during a marathon.

1812 Aromatic Hoppy Ale

If cutting the grass on a hot spring afternoon develops a wicked first and the smell reminds you of hops, then this is the brew for you. Don’t drink from the bottle or you’ll miss the marmalade and malt bouquet. Pours a foamy head atop a clear bright amber medium bodied brew. More malt taste than you’d expect from a hoppy ale but its balanced so well with the bite of grassy piny hops and leaves a crisp dry refreshing taste.

Bird Dog IPA. 

Crack the bottle and straight away you get a whiff of fruity grapefruit, then pour out the dark amber full bodied brew that metamorphs into a big foamy white head. Wait a mo for some to settle, then drink the liquid and head together, for a creamy hop hit. I’m guessing American cascade hops in this brew has it has huge bitterness with a spicy citrus tang. Don’t why it’s called bird dog when it could be called the bee’s knees and is perfectly suited for hopaholics and my favourite.

Since the takeover Emersons have won five awards at the recent 2013 Brewers Guild NZ Awards including gold and class trophy for their Dinner Bell in the European Ale Styles.

So, watered down inferior quality product? Yeah right!

Spring has sprung, the pollen is drifting and the lambs are bleating.

A quick gawk around the lollyshop fridge and my parched eyes settle upon this little gem, a “Lean Lamb barrel aged sour” from the Mussel Inn.  I thought I’d tried them all, from peaches to pancakes, chillies to whiskies, and bacon to butterscotch, all of them different varieties of craft beer but one made out of lamb? Oh well, it’s lean so gotta be good for you? I must say, that a lean lamb and being sour certainly gets my curiosity going plus the label sports a couple of wheat stalks as well as a lamb. Certainly the right time of year for this brew then so here she goes.

Pours a thin bodied slightly hazy dark amber colour with small head that gets going once provoked.  An aroma of apple cider vinegar and fresh wood with a bite that jerks the nose back like you do when smelling ammonia. First taste and instant mouth pucker.  This is one grizzly beer and has some serious sourness and is like biting straight into a lemon. After the initial sour shock and realisation that you’ve spent good money on this so you’re going to drink this whether you like it or not I give it another go. Hmmm, better, it’s a lot like doing shots of tequila and biting lemon without the sucking the salt.

Once you’ve braved a few more sips your taste buds start to acclimatise and this brew gathers momentum and starts to reveal what its style is all about. This brew is complex enough to be interesting but unfortunately I’ve finished the bottle without appreciating this style’s finer points.

The label blurb says Lambic hence the Lamb name (derr!) and this style of Lambic is a Gueuze.   Lambic style beers were started when there was no knowledge of yeast cultures and were left to naturally occurring wild yeast and bacteria. Before yeast was identified as a living organism, it was known as ‘God is Good.’ They knew it as a something, but in absence of a firm scientific explanation, it was assumed to be a divine something. A Gueuze style is a blend of several different aged Lambics mixed according to the brewer’s taste.

Lambics are brewed with at least 30% raw wheat and the malt flavours are not balanced by hop bitterness but more by lactic acidity so probably not best to drink one before exercise.  The hops that are used are deliberately old and so have fewer flavours and are used just for their preservative compounds. Lambics are therefore a tribute to the art of controlled spoilage.

O.K. back from the lollyshop with another bottle and now that I know what to expect, can give it a second go for some finer appreciation, what the hell, it’s one of the cheaper craft brews in the shop and my taste buds need to get out of their comfort zone as much as possible.

This time, after the initial effervescent tang on the front of the tongue, I can detect flavours of apple cider, pickled onions and an aged barrel woodiness that you get from good whiskey. Each sip finishes with a lingering malt background and dryness on the back of the tongue. So much complexity with this brew that each sip has something different about it. This is a must do taste experience for every craft brew drinker and is sure to expand the palate boundaries. Actually, it’s like discovering a new alcoholic beverage that you can call beer.

If you appreciate what a blue vein is compared to a tasty then you’ll appreciate what a lambic is to ale. You’re not put off by the smell of the cheese and same with the Lamb as this brew is as delicious as it is stinky. Perfect for the adventurous beer taster, just make sure that if you try one, get two bottles.

Canny Can Plan

They Can so we can knock em back
30 years ago there were just 3 craft breweries in NZ. Today there are over 47 registered breweries and with Wellington claiming themselves as the craft capital of NZ.  But just because they may have the highest number, I’d argue that Nelson would rank higher on a per capita basis and after a few more beers I’m sure I could do the maths to confirm that.

One such Welly brewery is Garage Project and they have just started to can their craft. Their justification, the advantages of Fresh beer, fresh can, no pasteurising and no filtering and for us beer buffs, a cheaper way to experiment with the offerings from craft beer.

For me, 330mls is only a teaser and not enough to explore the full complexities of craft beer flavours so this could be a canny plan just to get you to buy more, plus, I like to know how much is left without having to shake!

Here’s three of their latest offerings, fresh out of the smelter

Pils n Thrills

Pilsners are distinguished from other lager styles by their more assertive hop character and ‘Pils n Thrills’ is bang on here. With a flowery citrusy aroma, soft white head, and clear golden straw colour, this medium bodied grapefruit tasting brew is zesty and very refreshing. My wine and cider swilling Missus took a liking to this brew, which is high praise coming from a non-beer drinker. She’s the boss, what more can I say?

Smoke & Mirrors

A lager that has a dark brown colour must be sleight of hand. Distinct smokey taste on first gulp, but once taste buds have acclimatised this mellows, revealing a myriad of malt flavours. Great BBQ brew and easy to drink but couldn’t taste the mirrors.

Angry Peaches

Don’t be like me and be fooled that this brew might taste like a fruit punch or alco pop. Whoa, I was gloriously wrong. Clear copper colour with strong floral and grapefruit hoppy aroma. Smooth full body and a tart dried apricot, yes apricot flavour combined with strong hops and balanced perfectly with a malty background. This brew is angry and does have a knockout punch

Bellynote:  Can’t mention garage project without mentioning their award winning brew’ Cockswain’s Courage Tastes Like War!’, a blended porter that’s as complex as a Team NZ yacht and a deserved winner.  If this tastes like war, then what does peace taste like?