Do mainstream Kiwi beers use many adjuncts?

[Michael Gardner]

Here in Australia the mainstream beers such as Tooheys New, VB and XXXX can contain up to 30% fermentables from cane sugar, and have long done so.
ABV has traditionally been up around 5% although dropping a tad in recent years.

I'm visiting Beervana and researching NZ beers. Apart from a Steinlager a few years ago I've never tried Kiwi mainstream beer, and out of curiosity will calibrate my tastebuds with a couple of Lion Reds and DB tap beers equivalent to our VB etc. then get onto the good stuff of course.

It strikes me that mainstreams are mostly around 4% which we would regard as midstrength, but on the other hand NZ is not exactly a sugar growing Mecca. Does this mean that the beers are all-malt and just brewed to 4%, or do they contain locally grown adjuncts in quantity, such as maize?

This is information I can't seem to find anywhere. Cheers.


Edit: and please no smart childish comments along the lines of "it contains cats piss"

Because I know for a fact that the entire World supply is utilised for VB.

[Horace]

Yes - plenty of sugar

If you tour any of the mainstream breweries you will see pallets of chealsea sugar sitting in with the ingredients. I'm pretty sure the only beer at Speight s that doesn't contain sugar is the Pilsener

[Hugh Grierson]

Lazy + Cheap + Profit Driven + Uneducated Consumers = Sugar

[Reviled]

Gday BribieG ;o)

All of the 'classic NZ draught' type beers are all 4% abv (allthough ive heard they are all actually only 3.75%), with all of the green neck lagers being 5%ish or higher - The actually horrendously funny thing about this is if every big manly kiwi bloke knew he had been sippingt 3.75% beer his whole life he would be absolutely outraged!! Anything lower than 4% has not caught on in NZ, in fact most would say its not even beer, steinlager tried the whole midstrength beer but it didnt exactly do very well as far as I know..

And yes, at a guess id say they all contain sugar, at least in small portions with some probably being up to 20% sugar..

[Stu McKinlay]

You might struggle to find some of those beers at Beervana... I'm sure Tui will be there but not sure about any of the other "draughts".

[Reviled]

"I'm sure Tui will be there"

Far out really? What a laugh, I imagine its like the Steinlager pure stand at the liquorland beer festival - tumbleweeds :oD lol

[Stu McKinlay]

there are usually not many people drinking at it but quite a few looking at it...

[Reviled]

"but quite a few looking at it..."

Looking at the stand or the promo girls? ;o) I wouldnt be able to help looking either haha