What New Craft Beers Have You Tried Recently?

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Hey guys still very new to this whole new world to home brew, and loving what I have learnt by reading so much information on it. I love the love "Craft" beer evolution, and today was a new experience for me. I was wowed by the number of Hand-Crafted Beer that was on display for sale at Pak N Sav and selling as individual beers, priced through the roof of course. Drinking one now  for my first time is a Tuatara India Pale Ale beautiful bottle and was recommended by a mate at work who I bumped in to at the supermarket who incidentally is a home brewer mainly a kit guy. going in to Extract. and for the price of $6.49 for the bottle be it a 500ml job is slowly growing on me, but wouldn't do it again solely on it's price....shame. So what have you tried recently lately or last one you tried that was actually a marketable saleable beer not from some guy who brewed a mean one at home.

Cheers.

Daza. 

[Kyle Cameron]

Good on you for getting into the scene. It's an expensive and eclectic world, but there is plenty of fun and the people and brewers (home and commercial) are all nice friendly people by nature.

If you want a good commercial offering off beer that doesn't cost too much. As far as pale ales and IPA's go, get through the Mac's Three Wolves and Green Berets 6 packs. Not bad dollars to taste value. The Monteiths APA isn't bad either price wise. But yeah, any beer by Epic (try the pale ale) and Tuatara is great. Moa make good beer too at a reasonable price. Work through their single bottles but the Imperial Stout and Southern Alps Wheat IPA are stand outs. 

Just try everything then quickly realise that its cheaper and more fun to make your own and learn the ways.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Hi and thanks for your response, so silly question but here it goes Mac's and Monteith's are considered to be craft beers right? and if so would they be the largest in todays market...in NZ? I have discovered there are many, many smaller craft breweries with there single beers on offer which are great to try but I think your right I will be better to make my own. Cheers.

[David R]

There isn't really a set definition for what constitutes "craft beer", so it's up to the individual and how they want to define it. Personally, if flavour is put ahead of profit then it's craft beer, so given the gradual decline (IMO) of Mac's beer over the years I'm not sure if it fits the mould. Hop Rocker is still my go-to supermarket beer though!

The two last new beers I tried were the Tuatara Copperhead autumn rye beer (thought it was pretty good) and Garage Project Bossa Nova bret-fermented fruit salad IPA, which was a pretty interesting drop. Not sure what the availability is like in Gisborne, it's slowly starting to get a bit better up here in Whangarei, but there is always beercellar.co.nz

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

There is a huge range of craft beers at Pak n Sav a whole section, and you know these are craft beers as they are separate from the others and sold individually. I would personally define it a Hand-CRAFTed beer as craft beer and as they say what tastes right to someone is different to someone else's just right. I too am a victim of getting over the usual beers and found that I no longer enjoy sadly Corona, or Heineken, and prefer Ales of Lagers...who would thought that would happen.

[David R]

I visited the Stone brewery in Escondido CA last year, the scale they do things on is certainly not hand-crafted, but the beer certainly tasted pretty crafty to me. :)

Sounds like Gisborne is well ahead of Whangarei, our Pak'n Save has a few Emmersons and Epics, but still mostly Lion Red and Heinlager...

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

The Sunshine Brewery beers are very nice and on the label it says hand crafted but there are massive stainless vessels and again not the "hand-crafted" we are think of but still must be right. I'll upload a photo next time I'm in there and pot it here to see what I mean, it's like over night there has been this explosion of small micro-breweries with there buy singularly on the shelves.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

I love the Sunshine Brewery's 'Gisborne pale Ale' They are hand-crafted beers. nice hoppy flavour like a IPA nice malt like head on it which sticks to the glass as you drink nice aroma will try others from their range tomorrow, and let you know my thoughts on that. cheers.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Tonight am trying Monteith's Brewer's Series...American pale Ale, nice subtle flavor, the head doesn't last very long like others, would recommend trying it. I bought a 6 pack to try would be interested to see what else Monteith's are producing in this "Brewer's Series" give it a 7/10.