THIS month two beers are being released to honour the Flying Nun record label. Emerson’s Tally Ho! is making a return to taps around town after first appearing in February this year. Tally Ho! takes its name from The Clean’s debut single and forms part of the Dunedin brewer’s annual ‘Dunedin Sound Series’ of seasonal beers which first appeared last summer. Brewed in the English Golden Ale style, a type of pale fruity ale pioneered by English brewers in the 1980’s to compete with the golden lagers that were beginning to gain in popularity, Tally Ho! is fruity and complex with earthy herbaceous English hop notes, a hint of orchard fruit from a characterful fermentation and a rounded malt backbone.
Also out this month with a Flying Nun theme is the official 30 Year Ale from Epic. 30 Year Ale was brewed to be served at the Nunvember Anniversary gigs that are going on around the country throughout November. Epic brewers Luke Nicholas and Kelly Ryan set out to create a beer that would be accessible to Flying Nun fans who wouldn’t necessarily have drunk craft beer before but would still be identifiably an Epic beer. Much like the Emerson’s brew Epic have crafted a golden ale with a sweet malt backbone, however unlike Tally Ho! Epic 30 Year Ale is packed with loads of New World dry hop character. Brewed using a blend of American hops, Liberty, Cascade and Falconers Flight, and a New Australian hop called Galaxy. 30 Year Ale certainly has an assertive ‘Epic’ character to it. The aroma is full of lemon, tropical fruit and a big earthy ‘hopsack’ note. In the mouth the resiny earthy hop character dominates with some sweet malt just managing to cushion the hop attack before a resiny but not particularly bitter finish. 30 Year Ale certainly manages to identify itself as an Epic beer and will no doubt go down well with the hophead crowd, however I suspect it might prove too much for many of the non craft beer drinking music fans it’s been brewed for. I hope I am proved wrong. Tally Ho!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
CT Column 2/11/2011: Pacific Flavours
IN the midst of last month’s kerfuffle over the oval ball a new type of beer festival made its debut. The Pacific Beer Expo brought together a range of beers from around the Pacific rim highlighting beers from Australia, California, Japan and NZ. Organised by cult beer bar Hashigo Zake and held at The Boatshed the festival focused on the beers that Hashigo Zake import and some from their favourite local brewers. The festival had a great social vibe and presented the perfect environment to enjoy some characterful beers. My picks included the new hoppy amber ale from Wellington contract brewers Parrotdog, the citrus scented Islander IPA from San Diego’s Coronado Brewing Co and the sessionable vanilla flavoured porter from Hamilton’s Brewaucracy Brewery. Launched at the festival was a new barley wine from Renaissance Brewing Co called Tribute. Word has it that the beer narrowly avoided having its name changed after a misguided official took issue with a beer displaying the word wine. History has a way of repeating itself as American brewers across the Pacific faced the same petty objections when they first started to brew the style of beer 35 years ago. In America a compromise was achieved that resulted in the clumsy term ‘barleywine style ale’ being adopted. Here in NZ it seems a more sensible approach has been taken. The beer in question clocks in at a warming 10.8%abv with rich sweet malt character, with hints of toasty nut and treacle, a fruity orchard fruit note from the fermentation and a firm bitter finish. Tribute Barley Wine will age well and I think it might hit its straps in three or four years time, that said, it’s drinking well now and would make a great accompaniment to a nice wedge of Stilton cheese. I recommend grabbing a few for the cellar and one to drink now, when you toast calling a spade a spade! Cheers
CT Column 19/10/2011 : Ale from Adversity
A few weeks ago a very special beer found its way onto the market. Most beers pass through the production process smoothly with the result more or less as the brewer intended. Under normal circumstances the worst a beer might face would be an equipment malfunction proving a hassle for the brewer and the possibility of being detrimental to the finished beer. However the February earthquake in Christchurch has created some very extraordinary circumstances for the city’s brewers. When the quake hit, the staff and customers of Christchurch’s legendary brewpub The Twisted Hop, had to flee the building. The kitchen staff left with their pizza ovens still roaring, the punters left their pints unfinished on the tables, and the brewing staff left this year’s vintage of Enigma barley wine conditioning in a tank. It would be months before the staff and owners would be able to return to The Twisted Hop as it was stranded within the red zone. On May the 8th owners Martin Bennett and Stephen Hardman managed to return to the bar for an hour after gaining entry via the boudoirs of a neighbouring brothel. It took until August before they were able to access the brewhouse conditioning tanks and get the barley wine out. The beer was taken to Harrington’s Brewery where it was bottled and distributed around the country under the name Red Zone Enigma Barley Wine. Barley Wine is a strong malt accented style of beer that tends to benefit from age. The enforced ‘cordon aging’ has given the beer an rich smoothness and integration that I have never found in Engma before. The hop character has mellowed into a lovely marmalade character while the rich malt profile has increased in complexity. The label bears the line “Christchurch and The Twisted Hop will rise again, of that we’re certain. So if you need something to raise a glass to we hope that will suffice.” I can’t think of a better beer to toast Christchurch’s future, get some while you can as it won’t last long! Cheers
CT Column 12/10/2011: Beers from the Peak
NEW Zealand brewers have played a part in two of the most exciting and innovative English breweries to emerge in the past five years.
First Kelly Ryan helped build the Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire up to become one of the most innovative and high profile breweries in the UK. Kelly was then joined at Thornbridge by long time New Zealand resident James Kemp. James is a classic ‘ping pong pom’ having been born in the UK and then raised in New Zealand before returning to England in his 20’s where he had the enviable job of Quality Control at Fullers Brewery in London. He then returned to NZ where he became the Champion Homebrewer of NZ at the S.O.B.A National Homebrew Competition. He moved back again to the UK where he joined Kelly at Thornbridge, although now he is working as head brewer at a small Peak District brewery called Buxton. Since James’ arrival Buxton has earned itself a reputation as a brewery to watch with many English bloggers and commentators expecting big things.
Last month my partner Sarah returned to her native Sussex in the south of England to visit friends and family and brought home several of the Buxton beers that James had packaged specially for me.
Buxton is part of a new wave of English brewers who are increasingly looking to America, and New Zealand for inspiration, brewing hop accented beers with big new world hop characters, restrained malt characters and clean neutral yeast profiles. James skilfully uses primarily NZ, continental and English hops to create big unique hop characters that grab you by the nose as soon as you open the bottle. Interestingly James does not use a lot of American hops despite the obvious American influence on his beers.
My picks from the range would be the hoppy golden ale SPA, the robust India Pale Ale Wild Boar and the rich rounded Imperial Stout Tsar.
SPA combines a zesty clean exotic tropical hop aroma with a lean supporting malt body and a zesty fruity finish. Wild Boar presents with a big tropical fruit bowl aroma, some lightly nutty malt notes and a firm bitter finish. Finally Tsar is a dangerously drinkable Imperial Stout with a complex aroma of chocolate, espresso, berry fruit and caramel , a restrained balanced palate and a long smooth finish.
A range of Buxton beers are available in NZ but James warns that they have travelled down the globe in less than ideal conditions and are not likely to be the best representation of his work. The best way to experience them would be in a Peak District pubs. Keep it in mind next time you are up that way!
Cheers
First Kelly Ryan helped build the Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire up to become one of the most innovative and high profile breweries in the UK. Kelly was then joined at Thornbridge by long time New Zealand resident James Kemp. James is a classic ‘ping pong pom’ having been born in the UK and then raised in New Zealand before returning to England in his 20’s where he had the enviable job of Quality Control at Fullers Brewery in London. He then returned to NZ where he became the Champion Homebrewer of NZ at the S.O.B.A National Homebrew Competition. He moved back again to the UK where he joined Kelly at Thornbridge, although now he is working as head brewer at a small Peak District brewery called Buxton. Since James’ arrival Buxton has earned itself a reputation as a brewery to watch with many English bloggers and commentators expecting big things.
Last month my partner Sarah returned to her native Sussex in the south of England to visit friends and family and brought home several of the Buxton beers that James had packaged specially for me.
Buxton is part of a new wave of English brewers who are increasingly looking to America, and New Zealand for inspiration, brewing hop accented beers with big new world hop characters, restrained malt characters and clean neutral yeast profiles. James skilfully uses primarily NZ, continental and English hops to create big unique hop characters that grab you by the nose as soon as you open the bottle. Interestingly James does not use a lot of American hops despite the obvious American influence on his beers.
My picks from the range would be the hoppy golden ale SPA, the robust India Pale Ale Wild Boar and the rich rounded Imperial Stout Tsar.
SPA combines a zesty clean exotic tropical hop aroma with a lean supporting malt body and a zesty fruity finish. Wild Boar presents with a big tropical fruit bowl aroma, some lightly nutty malt notes and a firm bitter finish. Finally Tsar is a dangerously drinkable Imperial Stout with a complex aroma of chocolate, espresso, berry fruit and caramel , a restrained balanced palate and a long smooth finish.
A range of Buxton beers are available in NZ but James warns that they have travelled down the globe in less than ideal conditions and are not likely to be the best representation of his work. The best way to experience them would be in a Peak District pubs. Keep it in mind next time you are up that way!
Cheers
CT Column 5/10/2011: Does it matter who owns a brewery?
A fortnight ago it was announced that the Australian brewing giant Fosters was to be sold to London based South African Brewing giant SABMiller.
This has caused considerable consternation across the Tasman where it is being heralded by some as a sign of ebbing national identity. Here in NZ our two major brewing companies are both internationally owned, Lion by the Japanese Brewing company Kirin who is in turn owned by Mitsubishi Motors, and DB which is owned by the Singaporean Asia Pacific Breweries who are in turn owned by the Dutch brewer Heineken. When ever one of these companies is sold there is always a lot of nationalistic toned hyperbole and wringing of hands. There are local brewers who seem to think that the nationality of ownership is important with customers with some stressing their local credentials. For me the beer in the glass is always more important than any surrounding issues and inordinate talk of ownership sets alarm bells off in my head in the same way as brewers who talk more about their water than beer. However that’s not to say that ownership doesn’t matter. At an independent craft brewery level a sale to a major brewer often results in a dumbing down of the beer and an increasing reliance of style over substance. There are exceptions. A prime example being the Mac’s beers which I would argue have increased in character under Lion Nathan ownership. For me the most important thing is what influence the owner exerts on the beer being produced rather than their nationality.
This latest sale does form what is becoming a concerning trend towards larger and larger brewing giants. There are already plans by the world’s largest brewer AB InBev to purchase SABMiller something that would mark the biggest cash take over in history and result in one company controlling a huge percentage of the world’s beer production.
As far as the Fosters sale goes it doesn’t look like there will be much in the way of practical change as far as we are concerned. Of the Fosters beers imported into New Zealand the lightly hoppy Matilda Bay Fat Yak would be my pick. I would love it if the change meant the introduction of the more characterful Matilda Bay Alpha Male Pale Ale but I won’t be holding my breath. Cheers.
This has caused considerable consternation across the Tasman where it is being heralded by some as a sign of ebbing national identity. Here in NZ our two major brewing companies are both internationally owned, Lion by the Japanese Brewing company Kirin who is in turn owned by Mitsubishi Motors, and DB which is owned by the Singaporean Asia Pacific Breweries who are in turn owned by the Dutch brewer Heineken. When ever one of these companies is sold there is always a lot of nationalistic toned hyperbole and wringing of hands. There are local brewers who seem to think that the nationality of ownership is important with customers with some stressing their local credentials. For me the beer in the glass is always more important than any surrounding issues and inordinate talk of ownership sets alarm bells off in my head in the same way as brewers who talk more about their water than beer. However that’s not to say that ownership doesn’t matter. At an independent craft brewery level a sale to a major brewer often results in a dumbing down of the beer and an increasing reliance of style over substance. There are exceptions. A prime example being the Mac’s beers which I would argue have increased in character under Lion Nathan ownership. For me the most important thing is what influence the owner exerts on the beer being produced rather than their nationality.
This latest sale does form what is becoming a concerning trend towards larger and larger brewing giants. There are already plans by the world’s largest brewer AB InBev to purchase SABMiller something that would mark the biggest cash take over in history and result in one company controlling a huge percentage of the world’s beer production.
As far as the Fosters sale goes it doesn’t look like there will be much in the way of practical change as far as we are concerned. Of the Fosters beers imported into New Zealand the lightly hoppy Matilda Bay Fat Yak would be my pick. I would love it if the change meant the introduction of the more characterful Matilda Bay Alpha Male Pale Ale but I won’t be holding my breath. Cheers.
CT Column 28/09/2011: Tower brewery empty
HERE in New Zealand there is precious little of our brewing history left to see.
New Zealand was once littered with breweries many of them grand and ornate. Before rail and road networks made distribution of beer easy every town and many villages had their own brewery.
In Dunedin the Lion Nathan owned Speights Brewery still operates in an impressive pre World War One building. In Mangatainoka a 1930’s tower brewery sits empty and somewhat forlornly over the modern Tui production brewery. In Wellington the grand old Staples Beehive Brewery can still be visited, however these days it sells a range of beers alongside the veges, baked beans and bacon trading as Thorndon New World, it was once the main regional brewery for Wellington producing the fondly remembered Red Band Beer.
The situation is rather different in England where many historic breweries are not only still there to be seen but are still actively brewing beer and in some cases they still use equipment that dates back 100 or more years. The Hook Norton Brewery in the village of Hook Norton, Oxfordshire is a classic example. Late Victorian breweries like Hook Norton are often known as Tower breweries because they were built high using gravity instead of pumps to transport beer around the brew plant. The Hook Norton beers are available in New Zealand and represent a slice of traditional English brewing. Old Hooky is a 4.6%abv best bitter combining rich complex caramel and toffee accented malt with a fruity fermentation note and a hint of earthy hop flavour. Flagship is a classic English IPA combining a pale nutty malt character and a vibrant zesty English hop character. My third pick from the range is the roasty fruity Double Stout that combines flavours of espresso, chocolate and toast with a tangy stone fruit character. Cheers
New Zealand was once littered with breweries many of them grand and ornate. Before rail and road networks made distribution of beer easy every town and many villages had their own brewery.
In Dunedin the Lion Nathan owned Speights Brewery still operates in an impressive pre World War One building. In Mangatainoka a 1930’s tower brewery sits empty and somewhat forlornly over the modern Tui production brewery. In Wellington the grand old Staples Beehive Brewery can still be visited, however these days it sells a range of beers alongside the veges, baked beans and bacon trading as Thorndon New World, it was once the main regional brewery for Wellington producing the fondly remembered Red Band Beer.
The situation is rather different in England where many historic breweries are not only still there to be seen but are still actively brewing beer and in some cases they still use equipment that dates back 100 or more years. The Hook Norton Brewery in the village of Hook Norton, Oxfordshire is a classic example. Late Victorian breweries like Hook Norton are often known as Tower breweries because they were built high using gravity instead of pumps to transport beer around the brew plant. The Hook Norton beers are available in New Zealand and represent a slice of traditional English brewing. Old Hooky is a 4.6%abv best bitter combining rich complex caramel and toffee accented malt with a fruity fermentation note and a hint of earthy hop flavour. Flagship is a classic English IPA combining a pale nutty malt character and a vibrant zesty English hop character. My third pick from the range is the roasty fruity Double Stout that combines flavours of espresso, chocolate and toast with a tangy stone fruit character. Cheers
CT Column 21/09/2011 : Craft Beer Capital
OUT of conflict arises creativity, well at least that’s what happens when the world works the way we would like it to. Earlier this year a group of Nelson brewers, hop growers and publicans decided to join forces and promote Nelson as a beer destination. They decided to call themselves Craft Beer Capital of New Zealand, and started working towards trade marking the term. With the Radler verdict fresh in people’s minds the prospect of another controversial trademark led to many in the beer world, myself included, raising concerns. For us Wellingtonians the prospect of Nelson having a monopoly on a term that clearly better suited our own fair city didn’t sit well. As a result of the negative reaction the Nelson group renamed themselves Craft Brewing Capital referring to the fact that Nelson has the highest number of breweries per capita in the country. Craft Brewing Capital of New Zealand launched several weeks ago with pamphlets being produced in order to attract visitors to Nelson during the Rugby World Cup.
The debate had however sparked the imaginations of several Wellington beer businessmen. A plan was hatched in conjunction with the Wellington City Council to take the lead from Nelson. A collective of beer retailers and bars was set up to promote all the fantastic beer related stuff that goes on in our little capital. Craft Beer Capital stickers will start to appear in the windows local beer bars and retailers, the website www.craftbeercapital.com has been launched and an advertising campaign has started on radio stations around the country. You can also check out Nelson’s Craft Brewing Capital at www.craftbrewingcapital.co.nz .
One of the outlets on the Wellington Craft Beer Capital map is the newly opened Fork and Brewer in Bond Street. The very originally decked out bar is open however the brewery is still on the water coming from China. Former Mac’s brewer Lester Dunn has been employed and the beer should be pouring by Christmas.
The debate had however sparked the imaginations of several Wellington beer businessmen. A plan was hatched in conjunction with the Wellington City Council to take the lead from Nelson. A collective of beer retailers and bars was set up to promote all the fantastic beer related stuff that goes on in our little capital. Craft Beer Capital stickers will start to appear in the windows local beer bars and retailers, the website www.craftbeercapital.com has been launched and an advertising campaign has started on radio stations around the country. You can also check out Nelson’s Craft Brewing Capital at www.craftbrewingcapital.co.nz .
One of the outlets on the Wellington Craft Beer Capital map is the newly opened Fork and Brewer in Bond Street. The very originally decked out bar is open however the brewery is still on the water coming from China. Former Mac’s brewer Lester Dunn has been employed and the beer should be pouring by Christmas.
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