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?

Get your Oats with some Impressive Imperials

First of the Makos home games brought a clear crisp night and the resulting emphatic win by the team, electrified the crowd with exited anticipation for perhaps a serious shield challenge.  Well, I was excited and had me scurrying back home faster than a Makos back line to check the fridge for some thirst quenching warming oatmeal stouts to ease the chill of the night and toast a great win.

Oatmeal stouts are exactly as labelled, having rolled oats added to the fermentation for their higher fat content to give qualities of sweetness and rich mouth feel, and used to be viewed as a healthful and restorative drink, so make sure your Doctor reads this!

First up was Liberty Brewing ‘Darkest Days’ named because of the ever increasing difficulty for craft brewers to get regular supplies of hops, not because Richie and Dan are injured.  Swirl the glass to encourage a creamy head, take a gulp and experience a thin bodied yet silky texture as the oat fats lubricate the mouth. Perfectly balanced mild strength with pleasant hop and cocoa malt flavours.  This is an easy to drink stout and is in stark contrast to the next oatmeal stout,

The ‘Epicurean Coffee and Fig Imperial Oatmeal Stout’ from Epic.

Distinct aroma of fresh figs, taste is of dark chocolate with a ‘long black’ background and a dry woody lingering aftertaste exactly like a freshly picked fig.  Strangely, this dry aftertaste keeps you going back for more. This brew is an unusual departure from Epic’s normal in your face hoppy brews as the Epic Epicurean is more an about face in your face fig brew, not just their play on words!

‘8 Wired Mighty Imperial Ale’ hasn’t any oatmeal, but I’m sure is just as healthy?

A full bodied brew with a port barrel aged woodiness to it that smacks of bitterness, hoppy pines then a pleasant afterglow of malty diversity with just a touch of smokiness.  An 11% blockbuster that’ll warm you to your toes!

Maybe Richie and Dan should be trying oatmeal for their restoration?

Denis  Cooper - Zythologist

 

No rogue Rogues for this rogue

 

Had no tastings to do for da boss for a while and then at the last minute he plonks 9 beers on me to try, all in one evening and a test match night as well.  I’ll quickly review the beers so then I can relax and watch some Prime time rugby.  Man, hard making a living these days!

The beers are all from an American brewery going by the name of Rogue which was one of the earliest craft breweries to establish themselves way back in 1988 starting from a bunch of home brewing mates.  The head brewer, John “more hops” Maier, has a caricature of himself on many of the different beer bottle labels and sports a distinct beard that is not at all dissimilar to our own illustrious Grocer’s beard.

Okey dokey, that’s enough about rogues and more about the Rogues.

 ‘Brutal I.P.A.’   Don’t drink this one out of the bottle as you won’t get the stupendous aroma of hoppy tangerines that intensifies the flavour taste experience from this malty award winning brew. The hops are there alright, (man, love those American hops) but maybe not as much as the name might suggest.  A Very well balanced full bodied IPA.

‘Dad’s Little Helper Black IPA’.  I’m a big fan of black IPAs and this doesn’t disappoint.  Long story short behind the strange name of this brew boils down to the naming of Father’s Day.  Big aroma of hops, dark full body with big white head, and an intense hop flavour with lingering bitter butterscotch that keeps on going.  So with Father’s day coming up shortly, this brew might be the bomb! (hint, hint, my good Mrs).

‘Yellow Snow IPA’.  Made for the Salt Lake City winter Olympics in 2000 this brew has a hazy clarity, medium body and a citrusy aroma, and man, there is hops all the way through it. Bitter till the end and then some.  Just the way I like it!

‘Chatoe Rogue Oregasmic Ale’.  The Rogue guys made this with their own home grown hops and barley which you would think should make this brew cheaper, but isn’t!  None the less, a fruity aroma with a good amount of hoppy flavour, malty background and good body.  Excellent ale and maybe the pick of the night?

‘Juniper Pale Ale’, I’ve no idea what juniper berries taste like but this brew has a uniqueness about it that is very drinkable.  Big on effervescence and a good hop flavour coming through with those unusual juniper berries.  After the whole bottle I still could not come up with a taste description that would do this brew justice so I’ll leave it up to you: suffice to say that it was world beer champion in 2010 and 2011.  (I wonder if the world beer championships have the same rankings as the world baseball champs i.e., only American competitors?)

Chipotle Ale.  A chipotle is a smoked chilli pepper from Mexico and definitely makes this fellow a spicy little number.  A beautiful clear reddish colour with malt and hop aromas and quickly dissipating head.  The peppers almost give a medicinal taste to the brew and may be off-putting if you’re not used to spicy brews; the resultant heat gives a looong aftertaste.  This brew could be the go as the sun settles on the BBQ and the air starts to get cooler?

‘Hazelnut Brown Nectar’.  This brew is just like drinking pecan pie from a bottle.  A real nutty caramelly aroma with this brew and has strong tastes of chocolate hazelnuts that are very pleasant and quite sweet.  Definitely a dessert beer with such a richness that you only need one.

The ‘Voodoo Doughnut’ a bacon maple ale.  Sounds mental and tastes mental.  This brew is so far off the planet that it’s tipped off the edge of the universe.  With a pink spray painted bottle and wacky flavour combo’s you’re better to leave the shop with this bottle in a brown paper bag.  Personally, to save the embarrassment of carrying a pink bottle, I would have painted this Rogue red.  Easily identifiable smoky bacon flavour with a sweet maple finish.  This could be a breakfast drink but with 6.5% Abv you’d need a pool and deckchair to cope with the rest of the day.

‘Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale’.  Big frothy head and dark clarity.  Some complexity here, with a variety of malts and hops used in the making resulting in a crisp hop note with lingering chocolate vanilla nut malt flavours.  A lower 5.3%Abv it could be a good second half beer.

Apart from the crazy pink one, all these Rogues live up to the brewmeister’s middle name having a big hop character which I’m a fan of, so for this rogue there are no rogue Rogues and everyone a gem. Now I can get on with that other R word, rugby!

Denis “no relation to Quaid” Cooper

Oxymorons

So, not much blogging after a hard week of late night finishes and no time for perusing the lollyshop taste temptations. After a particularly stressful shift I needed a cheer beer, so I’m soon off to the lollyshop to pick me out a treat. Not sure what I’m in the mood for so I’ll cover all bets with a black I.P.A.  Black Indian pale ale I hear you say. How can you have a black pale, isn’t that an oxymoron?  A black IPA is named from its roasted malts which are similar to a stout or porter beers yet still has enough hop flavour to retain the hoppy character of an IPA.

The chosen one was Funk’n’Stein from Funk Estate at a not to be sneezed at 7% Abv.  On its label shows a frizzy haired light brown grey coloured girl that was remarkably similar to the colour of the small quickly dissipating head produced when this brew was poured.  The liquid colour was definitely not a normal amber IPA colour but instead an intense dark red more akin to a stout. The aroma however was not of malt which you would expect from such a colour, but of a definite hop and maybe hints of mandarin?

I tried this baby just before tea, which normally I’d quickly polish off before eating, however the late night work shifts meant the good woman had tea ready and I was ready to devour it. With the first sip the initial taste was of smoky malt wood chips with only a slight after taste of hops lingering on the palate. Quickly tucking into a steak tea, I then took a few more swigs of the Funkenstein and wow, no more smoky notes but a much more richer malt flavour when first touching the tongue and then a stronger hop flavour coming through as you swallow and breathing out through the nose.

Homemade banana bread for dessert and I still had some of the brew left. After a slice I had another swig.  Wow again! This time still the rich malt, only now the hop flavour has reached a whole new level with a wonderful bitterness of mandarins coming through.

The black IPA from Funkenstein is like a taste hologram that’s different from any angle and these oxymorons will change their character depending on what you’re chewing on and in doing so, you will have forgotten all that stressed you out in the first place!

Stop the Press, this here is a bargain!

With one of my frequent visits to the lollylanddreamworld whilst trying to decide which craft brew to buy to wet the whistle, I spied upon perhaps what I thought an incorrect price note on a particular brand of beer.  Now here’s the thing, the price for this imported lager beer from Belgium in a 500ml can was only 2 dollars! But wait there’s more, the abV of this bargain is a whopping 9%! I’m thinking either it is a bargain or this brew has got a funny taste. Two bucks, worth a try!

Get home, open the can, into a glass, nice white foamy head, clear straw colour, nothing wrong so far. Into the mouth, hey not bad, in fact, it’s good! Wow, this is very drinkable much like a commercial lager only this has the mouth feel giving away its high alcohol content.

For two bucks, this is the bomb.  For you late night clubbers fill yer boots with this before you go instead of that synthetic smokey stuff. For you Chiefs supports, drink this whilst watching the semi and you still won’t be disappointed.

I’ll give this beer a nine out of ten cause I put value in my ratings.