Same old crap...

[Stu McKinlay]

Same old story in the press: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4662866a7773.html

The oil is to be at 350 degrees and the wine should be Gewurtztraminer but the beer is... you guessed it... "beer".

Imperial Stout with your satay anyone?

[jt]

Much better beer writing here - always worth a look http://www.stuff.co.nz/0a26793.html

[Tony]

I heard an interview on Radio NZ testerday. They were talking about the latest study, by Lincoln university, into wine drinking habits of NZ'ers. They interviewed a proprieter, of a wine bar in Wellington City (name escapes me). He said and I qoute

" ten years ago some of these poeple were drinking that swill, they call beer".

This, from a proprieter, of a drinking establishment, in our capitol city. I thought he would have been a little more educated and open minded? It amazed such ignorance still existed in such circles.

[denimglen]

I know what you mean but to me that could read two ways.

That all beer is swill.

Or

That some beer, eg our sweet brown lagers, are swill that gets called beer but really is just swill.

Guess it was all in the tone of his voice.

[Tony]

I don't think there was much doubt from the tone in his voice, what he meant. This guy sounded like a complete pompous twat. I wish I could remember the name of his bar. I'd make a point of paying him a visit and take a dump on his bar.

[Stu McKinlay]

If the quote is verbatim it does sound like he is saying that there is "beer" and then "that swill they call beer". Most wine bars in Wellington have a very small but decent selection of beer (along the lines of Tuatara Pilsner, Tuatara Porter, Duvel, Leffe Gold, Leffe Brune... a couple more if you are lucky... and one or two pale hop-shy lagers).

The word "they" is a funny word, isn't it. It is disassociates yourself but doesn't really associate anyone else, which means you are really saynig nothing at all.


They are all a bunch of tossers!
That they are, that they are...

[Ollie]

What bar? I wonder. Wellington has few wine bars... a few wine restaurants though - perhaps Arbitraguer or something? Anyone who drinks beer in a place with a wine selection that good is an idiot anyway. If you could choose Shingle Peak sauvignon or Sam Adams Utopias what would you pick? Likewise Ata Rangi 2006 Pinot Noir is going to beat Budvar or some similar crap (swill sorry).

Regarding food...
Perhaps the beer match was intended to be implied as something asian?
That's not exactly a wide range of flavour in NZ and almost any of them from tsing-tao to kirin (maybe not Chang...hehe) will work with satay. I'd probably go with tsingtao or similar though since the extra rice will balance the greasyness of the satay. You certainly don't want a bold malt statement. Hell I can think of several gewurtzs (region, winery or vintage) that wouldn't work with that dish either. Anything German/French is going to be wasted on it, and probably will have too high an acidity and not enough sweetness and fruit character to compliment the shrimp. Likewise with asian beer I think the gewurtz is assumed to be something new world (sh*t probably from New World supermarket!) from the north of the South Island (I'm thinking Nelson as opposed to Marlborough).
Either they assume their readers to have some intelligence or are completely hopeless at matching food and wine/beer. I suspect the latter.

This is making me salivate.

[Tony]

I don't have the ability to listen to podcasts on my pc at work. But here is the link to the interview in question. It is under the Panel part 1 or 2. Have a listen for yourselves, if you are interested. It states the bar and the owner is interviewed.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/20080825