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

[sockmerchant]

Had a couple of early brews (few weeks off) for testing. Currently have a Moa St Josephs sitting next to me.  I am a fan

[Michael]

Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

 

This beer is certainly not on the level of any craft beers, or much of the homebrew I have had. However, coming from a relatively large brewery, it is not a bad drop. I would rate this at a 7/10. I find the mixture of hops to be a little odd for an IPA, but workable. The beer comes in at 6%, and finishes with a somewhat bitter note.

 

I didn't know this, but the beer is named about the 48th Latitude, which Samuel Adams asserts is the Northern Hemisphere 'hop belt.' Personally, I do not know anything about this, but think the beer is one of those that I would have if all I can find is Budweiser and Miller. I also want to commend Samuel Adams for their attempt, as they have at least surpassed, the so called 'craft beers' that Miller and Anheuser Bush have been putting out.

 

I need to go back to the Two Hearted Ale that I liked so much!

[Raffe]

Have been on a holiday through Southland and Otago over the last 12 days. The beer has only been ok until we hit Dunedin today.

Arrow Brewing: ZK-Ale. Ok, a 3.5%ish session ale. Needs more hops.
IPA, oak cask, handpump dispense. AVOID. Had been kept in the cask far too long. perhaps it wasn't selling. Nil hops, sharp nail polish aroma, loads of oaky vanilla in the mouth. I only could stomach a few sips, thankfully it was only a half. Considered talking to the brewer, but he had been nice enough to show me around the brewhouse earlier, I just felt a bit mean. Given how off the beer was though, I wonder if they know what they are doing.

Dux de Lux: (Qtn) Nor'wester IPA, 6.5%. A good beer, decent english hop flavour, but not enough for the abv.
Black Shag Stout, 5%. Very nice indeed.

Much of the time we have been doing our own cooking in backpackers & lodges so have been buying bottles of Emerson's Booky and 1812. How good is that 1812? One of the underrated NZ beers.

Four days on the Milford track (not a drop of rain, or beer), but had some Bowmore 12 to keep me company.

Dunedin. Albar. Why can't we have one of these in Akl? Emersons London Porter on handpump. Very nice, even though it was a little sour and oxidised from being right near the end of the cask. Then, two pints of Renaissance Paradox Blonde, also via handpump. Heaven. The closest beer to Hopback Summer Lightning I have had since living in the UK. High praise.

[Stu H]

I'm an ex Dunedinite in AK, and damn I miss the Albar! Make sure you also pop into Inch Bar, and Mou Very. Both good watering holes!

 

Plus Castle MacAdam Wines on Lower Stuart Street for the biggest selection of off-license craft beers in the South Island.

[Michael]

Good ol' standby tonight. Guiness Extra Stout.

 

As expected, it is a little bit oxidised with a touch of cardboard flavour.  Apart from this, the beer is going well with a pork chop dinner. :)

[Chris Banks]

Hey Michael is it as good as old faithfull Coopers Best Extra Stout?

[jt]

I picked up a couple of screw top bottles of Guinness Original ahile back, can't remember where from though. no nitro and really very good, nor smooothed out like the regular stuff

[Chris Banks]

Hmm I shall keep my eyes peeled for Guinness Original I have had normal in can and bottle and well it was nitrogenated black water very sad!

I had it on tap once at Firemans Arms Petone poured by a very pasionate bar girl and it was delicious creamy malty roasty even a nice bitterness even had a little shamrock shape in the creamy head but never found one the same since :-(

[jt]

It was in a dumpy short squat bottle not the usual bottle - think it might've been New World, or maybe Woolies, possibly Tawa

[Dave W]

Just finished off one of my last batch of IPA's..... More hops needed next time!

And now having a Rothaus Pils.

[denimglen]

Stopped in at Farro's Lunn Ave on the way home, some very nice beers:

 

Baroona Pale Ale - Waiheke

No 2 - Hallertau

No 1 - Hallertau

 

But I just cracked open the Best Bitter from Wigram.

 

Fuck.  Me.  Dead.  Honestly I think Wigram is one of the most underrated breweries in the country.  It's been a while since I've had any of their beers.  But, I've never had anything bad from them nor anything that's been less than absolutely great.

 

If I wanted to be nit-picky I'd say this is probably more on the light side of a Northern brown ale but styles and labels aside - it's just so full of flavour and awesomeness.  The nose is like sticking your face into a bag of toasted malt, with some nice subtle fruity esters.  Flavour is all toasted vogels, with some really light chocolate notes coming through.  Just enough cara-type malt to pull it together but not so much that it's really a noticeable character, maybe some goldings-type hops as well.  Very well balanced - bitterness, sweetness, body, carbonation.

 

Really, this is probably the most amount of flavour I've had in a smallish (4.5%) beer in such a long time.  This is the sort of beer that will turn a hop head like me into a malt head.

 

Awesome as.  Props Wigram!

[JoKing]

Awesome props Glen - you're the man bro.