Antipodean Gems

One of the New Zealand breweries I was most impressed by on my recent trip (and beforehand) is 8 wired. So much so that I managed to track down some of their beers at the excellent bottle shop when I got home. Here are my thoughts:

Ø for awesome is a collaboration brew between 8-wired, Renaissance and Nøgne Ø (check out the pics on this blog). It gets its name from a now cult TV appearance of a former heavyweight boxer. Dark garnet-mahogany with fluffy ochre head. Very dull musty pine needles and caramel on the nose. Some initial resin up front, then cardboard, toffee and warming alcohol. Touch solventy in finish. Can see the nogneø and renaissance influences, sadly hops have long since faded.  A shame as its only been out for a year. (Release date was that wonderful palindrome 21/02/2012).

Saison Sauvin was the beer I was most keen to try and had actively searched for it in New Zealand but to no avail. To me it sounded the perfect combination of Belgian yeast and New Zealand hops. The actual beer was slightly disappointing though. cloudy amber with pithy tangerine and dusty saison yeast. Sweet passion fruit and gooseberry flavours followed by a mix of yeast esters and warming dry malt. The alcohol is a bit heavy in the finish. Fairly biting carbonation and medium body. 

In complete contrast Fresh Hopwired is my highest rated beer in the 8 Wired lineup, besting even their excellent iStout. Looking at the hop line-up its unsurprising as the big hitters and my favourites are there...Pacific Jade, Nelson Sauvin and Motueka. As the name suggests, this is Hopwired with the added lupulin hit that only using wet hops can provide. very hazy amber with strong passion fruit and gooseberry. Plenty of damp hops woody notes too. High carbonation, juicy medium bodied, gooseberries up front, lupulin punch on tip of tongue. Long pithy tropical bitter finish. 

Finally we have C4 double coffee brown ale. Hopped with Pacific Jade, Pacifica and new Zealand Cascade its a clash of coffee and hops. Chestnut brown fruity coffee with grey brown head. Milk chocolate and some ashen notes. Pithy orange hops come first. Plum pudding and rich fruit coffee with increasing alcohol warmth down glass. Medium body with high residual sugar, low carbonation and slight burnt toast bitterness in finish.

So a mixed bunch then, probably my fault for not drinking them fresh enough but disappointing nonetheless.

On another note I really like the 8 wired website, lots of useful information and (more importantly) each beer has its own page for linking purposes! Follow them on twitter.

The ones that got away

Here are some breweries, bars and beers I'd hoped to try whilst in New Zealand but for whatever reason didn't get a chance. Again, by no means exhaustive. If you're headed that way feel free to bring me some beer back ;)

Brothers: This is a new brewery in the CBD of Auckland. My phone died whilst I was away, so without the address I resorted to asking around for directions. After a fruitless half hour looking for it we resolved to return the next day, only to find it had closed for a New Year's break d'oh!

Hallertau Brewbar: Based to the North of Auckland this brewbar with a decent menu and well regarded beers was just an arse to try to get to on public transport and will have to remain for another day.

Brewmoon: another well regarded brewpub, this time to the North of Christchurch. Lack of transport again being the deciding factor against this one.

The Twisted Hop: the plan was to head here on the final day of our trip, but the precipitation put paid to that. I did get to try their old ale in Pomeroys and it paired well with sausages in onion gravy.

8-Wired Saison Sauvin: try as I might I couldn't find this beer anywhere! It must have been on at least 5 menus but it had sold out and careful searching for it in off-licences yielded no joy either. I have found it online in Germany but shipping is the kicker there...the search continues!

Edit: the fantastic Bottle Shop in Canterbury saved the day with 5 untried 8-wired beers in stock!

Its not just about the beer

It seems I have been unfair to wine. My belief that I disliked wine was driven by the fact that the majority of wines tried to date weren't very nice. But when on honeymoon on New Zealand we found a few wines that changed that.

The first (and a wine synonymous with New Zealand) was Sauvignon Blanc. I love New Zealand hops and one of the best is Nelson Sauvin, named for its ability to produce similar flavours as the aforementioned grape. Cracking open a fresh bottle of wine in New Zealand and this comparison is immediately apparent with sherberty lime and passion fruit notes at the fore with gooseberry grapey flavours.

We enjoyed the Lawsons Dry Hills interpretation of Sauvignon Blanc so much that we came away with a bottle of it (you can buyit from Majestic in the UK)! This could easily be substituted for a pale ale or IPA with less of the associated bitterness and a higher alcohol to make you drink it more slowly (and thus not be filled up by drinking too much liquid!). I also very much enjoyed the Riesling whilst daisy favoured their award-winning herbal Gewürztraminer.

Another we enjoyed was the Syrah from Topknot Hill on Waiheke island. This a red wine unlike any we had tried before. Intensely fruity with well rounded body and long blackberry finish. More of a sipper this would substitute well for a malt-led imperial stout or old ale as an after dinner drink or with robust red meat like beef or venison. They're worth a visit as they also have a microbrewery and restaurant on site.

We also visited a vineyard in Kaikoura, and whilst we were gave warm welcome by our host, we weren't as taken by any of the wines on offer. They're a fairly young operation though, so the wines will only improve with time.

It seems I will have to give wine a chance more often...but not so often that it becomes a costly habit!

Where to drink in New Zealand

Enjoying Epicurean in Brew on Quay

I was lucky enough to spend a few evenings in pubs whilst away in New Zealand, they're all well worth visiting. In general New  Zealand is well served for beer outlets, the majority of restaurants have a halfway-decent selection of local brews and more importantly in a range of styles. The following were some places I particularly enjoyed. See my Top 10 for suggestions of what to drink.

Eoghan excited to meet me*
*NB may not be true

Brew on Quay, Auckland. I didn't get a chance to eat here, but with friendly ex-pat barstaff on hand (Eoghan from Ireland) and a decent selection of bottles its well worth a visit. Easy to find too as its just along the road from the ferry terminal. Get browsing that beer bible and pick something from the fridges!

Croucher delights

Brew, Rotorua is fantastic, dealing with two brewed products, mainly coffee and beer. Full range of Croucher beers plus decent guests on tap. I had a chance to talk to brewer Nige about their plans for world domination expansion which can only be a good thing. Skip the guests and drink the fantastic local beers.

Good George's FVs

In a refitted church!

Good George, Hamilton is a brand new brew pub outfit with a brew team of good pedigree including the redoubtable Kelly Ryan (formerly of Thornbridge and Epic). The first iterations of beers are designed to be mass appeal to wean the locals onto more interesting fare, though I thought that their IPA and dry-coffee'd amber ale show the direction they'll be heading. You can truly worship at the altar of craft beer here as the brewpub is in a former church!

Secret Imperial Stout

A peek in their storage area found that they've already delved into barrel aging and they also make dry-hopped cider. If the drinks aren't reason enough to head there they also have a decent food menu and its walkable from town or ten minutes by taxi.

The Malthouse, Wellington is a stalwart of the beer scene. I only had a chance for a quick half here but could have lingered all afternoon. Unparalleled range of beers on tap and in the fridge. Great Christmas decorations too!

Dodson Street Bistro Blenheim is the brewery tap for Renaissance and now sporting a German Menu. Schnitzel and Pale ale is the way forward plus the home-made bread and dips make excellent beer snacks. Pop into the brewery next door for off sales.

Great range of Renaissance beers

Pomeroys, Christchurch has recently got its own microbrewery which is being contracted out to all and sundry who require it. Their own beers are available in the bar, alongside other taps (both keg and cask) including dedicated 8-wired and yeastie boys lines. I did my best to try them all but there's a lot to get through. Caramelised onion gravy and pork sausages were also fantastic.

Casssels, CBD Bar Christchurch is a new venture from the guys who have a brewery out in the 'burbs. Its fantastic to see them recolonising the city centre after the devastation of the earthquakes a few years ago. Wood-fired pizzas, cocktails and the full Cassels range should be enough to keep people occupied for a few hours.

Cassels CBD selection

Regional Wines in Wellington is by far the best off-licence that I found. It was difficult to limit myself to what I could sensibly carry as there were plenty of other tasty beers available including loads of "fill-your-own" taps. And if beer isn't your thing then the selection of wines and spirits is even more vast.

What to drink in New Zealand

Merely an indicative, rather than exhaustive list, based on my "top ten" beers whilst in New Zealand. There are obviously plenty of beers I didn't get to try but these ones make an excellent starting point. So, in reverse order:

10.Wigram Spruce Beer may not be for everyone, but if you like the use of interesting spice additions then you should try it. Pale ale in style this has added manuka and spruce bringing herbal though not medicinal qualities to thebeer. Think Williams Bros Nollaig and you're not far off. Spicy nutmeg and honey notes combine with spicy dry malts like a bastardised Christmas cake. White pepper, creme caramel and increasing spruce (not spruceness) arrive as it warms up. Not something for everyday drinking sure, but worth a try.

9. 8-wired hop wired is all that you want from an NZ IPA Pithy lime and passion fruit nose, sweet malt to balance it without any 'orrible caramalt notes, light carbonation so you don't end up with a mouth full of gas then lots of Nelson Sauvin grape, motueka lime and a pithy finish.

8. Epic Mayhem is a sticky pithy  IPA in the American style - hazy with a resinous pithy nose,clean hop profile and bite with balancing malt and a long resinous finish. Epic to me seem to be the Kernel of the southern hemisphere with plenty of hop-forward ales, though unlike the KErnel they focus on a core range which is fairly widely available.

7.Croucher Galaxy IPA is the best use of that hop  I've come across. Strong peaches, mango and passion fruit like the old 1 penny fruit salad jacks Smooth bodied with fruity passion fruit and a touch of chalky mature cheddar rind just in the long finish with pineapple notes.

6. Yeastie boys Digital IPA brings yeast to the fore as an integral flavour component which adds some cheesecake notes to this IPA. The recipe is also open source which is pretty cool. Melon and custard creams in nose becoming pineapple cheesecake on warming. Think that’s the yeastie boys yeast coming through as I got similar flavours in their pot kettle black too.Plenty of Motueka flavour and perhaps a touch of NS grapeiness.

5. Yeastie Boys Golden Perch is a seasonal brewed for the premiere of The Hobbit Light in body with medium carbonation, passion fruit, orange pith and a slight bitterness in finish with balancing shortcake malt. One of the best session beers I tried in NZ. For those of you headed that way its due out in bottles soon; so keep an eye out!

4. Croucher Patriot is a proper BIPA strong orangey simcoe with chocolate (think jaffacakes), grapefruit and cocoa on the nose. Medium carbonation, with initial malt sweetness seugueing into pithy citrus and some lemon cheesecake notes. Touch of coffee and dark malt round it off nicely.

3. Epic Epicurean is perhaps a tad pricy for a casual drink down the pub, but for a special occasion its perfect.  Kelly had been taunting his twitter followers with pictures of the ingredients arriving and I was determined to try it whilst here.I got my wish when we shared a bottle on New Years Eve at Brew on Quay in Auckland. ich smoky coffee and sweet thick honey on the nose. Smooth, thick body with rich coffee, sweet chocolate and a long dry finish.

2.8 wired iStout I actually tried in the UK before travelling to New Zealand but its a fantastic imperial stout that deserves to be on this list. Sweet coffee and dark chosolate on the nose. Unctuous and thick mouthfeel, with a good roast barley finish.

1.Yeastie Boys Gunnamatta is a fantastic fusion of tea and hop. Its infused with bergamot which really comes into its own when blended with NZ tropical fruitbowl hops. Strong passion fruit and tannic tea flavours, its probably a beer that will divide opinion as does the eponymous tea, but it was by some margin the best beer I tried whilst in New Zealand.

Best cider was Good George's new effort, made even better in the "hop-drop" form; that's right dry-hopped cider! No idea if its an original idea but its new to me and tastes great. Using high quality concentrate (apples canbe hard to get hold of) then dry-hopped in the conditioning tank its like a flavoured cider without the artificial taste that coats your tongue in the usual suspects. The nose is strong grapefruit and kiwi notes. Rich hoppy fruit flavours with no bitterness in sight but a tang of apple tartness lingering in behind.

Honourable mentions were Mata's festive seasonal tried at the Croucher flagship bar in Rotorua with free piece of carrot and orange cake. The beer tasted exactly as the cake did! Lots of cinnamon on the nose  with cola, orange peel, carrot cake and a sweet nutmeg finish. Definitely a dessert beer but it does what it says on the tin fairly well.

Croucher's NZ Pilsener was one of the best pilseners I've had in a long time, brewed with all NZ ingredients but keeping true to the Czech recipe by sticking to Saaz hops, albeit those much transformed indigenous cultivars Motueka ("B Saaz") and Riawka. Crisp nelson sauvin grape aroma (there may be some dry-hopping), very fruity with lots of grapefruit, lemon and herbal hop with a bitter finish but still with that crisp malt and cleanessthat all the best pilsners have.

A tale of two hemispheres

Hops, as with all herbs, suffer from age. Those volatile compounds which make up the wonderful aromas are escaping all of the time and being lost at every stage of the process; from being disturbed on picking and drying, to being compressed on packing. Hops being left for too long become shadows of their former selves. Feeling that it was perhaps unfair that hops should not be showcased in their full glory, Sierra Nevada chose to use some freshly harvested hops in two beers with the same base recipe. They're released 6 months apart as the USA and NZ hop harvests are similarly spaced.


I tried the Southern Hemisphere harvest back in July last year. The hops (NZ hallertauer, motueka and southern cross)are picked, dried and arrive for brewing within a week.  Here's what I thought then:
A wonderful fresh hop aroma of mangos and resinous pine in this red-amber beer. It forms a thick creamy head. Initially tastes of tropical fruit and toasted malt followed by orange pith with a sweet hoppy finish. Easy drinking for its strength due to the light carbonation and hidden alcohol.

Two tasty beers.

I enjoyed it so much I tried it again 9 months on. Those hop flavours have certainly subdued now but still plenty of body in there. Its obtained the marmalade flavours that are often present in aged IPAs but still a lovely beer.




The Northern Hemisphere version uses the hops (centennial, cascade) even fresher, they're not even dried and are from field to kettle within 24 hours.
Dark amber with resinous pine, mango and orange peel on the nose. Strongly bitter with more pine, high carbonation and a tropical bitter finish. I preferred the New Zealand hopped version actually, this one being perhaps too piney to become almost car freshener. But a minor quibble really as I still scored it higher than many other DIPAs I've rated.