What are you drinking ?

[jt]

Ok, so What Are You Brewing was a hotty, as topics go.

Now I'm 15 pints into a keg I only filled on Tuesday and wondering if anyone else has a favourite at the moment ?

It's my second brown with US-Oh05 and it's better than the forst, maybe Ikept the temps down a bit during the scorcher we had in januray

[Stu McKinlay]

At Hashigo yesterday afternoon...

NZNBC Deliverance Dortmunder - get your banjo out and get on down to Hashigo, this is a cracker. Minerally, bitter, sessionable. I've tried this three times now and am happy to say I think it's the best lager in the country.

Rogue American Amber - delicious, rich, almost chocolaty, fruity red ale. Porbably lacks the hop spark of a fresher taste but it's a lovely balanced quaffer.

Might pop down to D4 at lunch.

[Greig McGill]

So glad to hear you say minerally. I thought it was just me. When Ben was talking to us at the RCC Meet the Brewer night, I asked about his water treatment, as the beer had a serious minerally thing going on (not in a bad way - works so well, try it and see if you've not), and he said his water was extremely soft and untreated. I nearly fell over. Surely then, it can only come from the malt?

I agree, best lager in the country.

[Stu McKinlay]

hmmm... if he says so. I'd say, at a very minimum, he must have a pretty strong chloride element in that water (when compared to Wellington). Great hop bitterness.

Did he say if he used an lager yeast? It seems more "lager" than the average NZ craft lager. And what malt is he using?

[Greig McGill]

We didn't ask about his malt bill, as he was giving such an awesome talk in general about his history (which is like a tapestry of brewing in NZ) that nobody thought to talk much about the beer. He said he filters his water, and it's extremely soft. He adds nothing at all as far as I can remember. The yeast is his own, maintained in a professional yeast bank, and originating from a German brewery, iirc. Sorry it's a bit hazy, we drunk a LOT of Deliverance! :)

[Reviled]

Funny you say that Greig cos when we were out at Saratoga I also found the Pilsner we were drinking quite minerally, again not in a bad way and totally to style, but yeh, definately a unique character and not one ive picked up on in any other NZ beers... Maybe Waiheke has magic water? ;oP

[Greig McGill]

I think I liked the Pilsner better than the Dortmunder too. I hope he brings it back, though he sounds like he has way too many cool ideas for beers and not enough time to brew them all.

[denimglen]

Just finished a Weihenstephaner Original Bayrisch Mild. In the vein of 'Have Our Expectations Changed?' thread it's really nice to have a beer that's just that, a beer. Nothing extreme. Just a great light lager/helles that's still ten-fold of the mass made green bottle beers.

And to go to the opposite end of the spectrum now drinking a Brew Dog Rip Tide stout. Great beer. Pretty damn roasty but oh so smooth at the same time.

I'm so chucking a RIS onto the 1272 cake when my brown has finished.

[David Wood]

Tonight I had a go at some new Rogues - official imports direct from the Rogue brewery of course.
Eugene City Brewery Tracktown 200m IPA - An amazing West Coast IPA. Full of resiny hops, kinda spicy, and a big accumulative bitterness. I needed more of this, but it's gonna be on tap soon so my wishes will be granted.
Rogue Shakespeare Stout - Woah, a huge dose of roastyness! Chocolate and coffee kicking ass here, big body reminding me immensely of 3boys Oyster Stout. The 69IBU (Neil would love this just for the IBU) shows well with roast malt bitterness too, balancing perfectly. Just great. Stoked that this is gonna be on tap too!

[Stu McKinlay]

Love that Shakespeare... has a nice hop character if it is reasonably fresh too.

[Mike Neilson]

Off license yet???

[David Wood]

Some guy with a grudge against the liquor industry objected, so it's been delayed even further.

[Mike Neilson]

Bernard O'Shaughnessy can fuck right off!! I suppose their has to be one dickhead per 4 millon.

Dude that guy is a dirty old eccentric idiot!! Its a total kick in the teeth to what Dominic is trying to
achieve!! I like how he calls it booze, and how he also states that it is cheap!! I should get him to have a chat to my wife on how cheap Mikeller Three Floyds, Oatgoop is. Maybe then may I will be able to drink more of it!!

I was hoping to have a few Rogue XS ranged beers for my first borns head wetting, now what am I supposed to do? Cheers Bernard!! Fucking dick smoker!! Get a life.