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

[Martin Bridges]

I did.

But "if you want better head, add more CaraPils" doesn't scan quite so well.

[Denise Garland]

I went to Hashigo Zake's first beer tasting last night and tried the bar's Nogne O range, 7 beers in total. I was surprised to find myself voting for the IPA as my least favourite on the night, which will tell you just how tasty and well-brewed the beer is!

We tried:
Nøgne Ø #100
Nogne O IPA
Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout
Nøgne Ø Pale Ale
Nøgne Ø Saison
Nøgne Ø Sahti
Nøgne Ø Tiger Tripel

Sahti was my winner on the night, so incredibly unusual and full of flavour. Worth a try.

[Steph]

Wish I knew abou this. Needed to be on the mail list.

[Greig McGill]

Careful what you wish for Steph. I am on the list, and being in Hamilton, it's just sweet sweet torture to me! ;)

[David Wood]

After work at Hashigo Zake I had a Mikkeller Jackie Brown & a Meantime IPA, followed by a half blind tasting at home with my lovely girlfriend Denise (see above).
Jackie Brown - Hoppy nose, initial hoppy flavour overtaken by chocoalty roast malt finishing with american hoppy goodness. Almost a black IPA, but more a brown IPA.
Meantime IPA - 330mL bottles seem to have traveled less well. Hops provide bitterness but little aroma so comes off sweet.
(blind taste) Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne - A nice sour nose, nice sour flavour but faaaaaaar too sweet. A sweet Rodenbach GC.
Stone IPA - A funny sweet & hoppy nose with a nice hoppy flavour. Wierd hop flavour.
(blind taste) St. Bernadus Tripel - A beautiful Tripel. Complex tripel character, very drinkable, amazing. <3 Tripel.
Descheutes Obsidian Stout - A Renaissance Elemental with loads of American hops, just wonderful.

And I'm just getting started on my Beerstore order!

[Matthew]

Was at the Malthouse at lunch. Quality 3 boys IPA. Yeastie Boys Plan K!! and a taster of Mata horopito which was surprisingly good. Not sure how to describe it though... I got bananas...

[MrC]

Just about to launch into some Rooster Hefeweizen.

Popped in to Roosters Brew House in Hastings recently. Managed to sample all the beers, met Darrel Tong and got a tour of the brewery. Darrel is great, friendly guy and nowhere near as intimidating in real life as his picture suggests ;-) As you can see I managed to pick up some takeaways but Darrel also gave me a sample straight from the fermenter of the upcoming summer ale. Very nice! Pity it wasn't ready yet. I would definitely recommend a Roosters visit to anyone visiting the Hawkes Bay. Try to catch Darrel if you can too, top bloke. Cheers Darrel.

[Dale Cooper]

II think Darrel is the brewer who worked for Kea during their brief existance? If so I can vouch for his friendlyness, definitely a top bloke :-)

[jt]

The same, and at the brewery there before it, top chap
That ginger beer looks enticing too ... I recall quaffing a few litres of ginger beer from Hastings, I hope that lot's as good

[Stu McKinlay]

Just back from Aus and so desperate for my own beer...
PKB 2010 Trial
Nerdherder Trial

Little Creatures (in 568ml bottles) was the standout beer for me over in Aus. Better than I remebered it. It is so finely balanced. I remember drinking it, years ago at Boulcott street Bistro, alongside Hopsmacker and the latter really blew it away. Hopsmakcer is long gone but I'd be hard pressed to pick a hoppy pale ale regularly available here in NZ that I'd rather drink than the Little one.

Nothing else over there was really worth mentioning, besides Little Creatures Rogers' Beer - a beer that reminded me a lot of M'Lord. 3.8%, nutty, with just a little tropical fruit and a mild bitterness.

[666 Brewing]

oh common Stu..you were in the beer barenness of Queensland! Im surprised you got Little Creatures actually...but Hopsmacker I do remember, hopefully there maybe something like that to come out of Emersons...Father??

[Stu McKinlay]

I got some beer shipped from Purvis Cellars in Melbourne. I hinted at Murray's but they didn't oblige... Red Angus was the pick. A little grainy but a pretty nice subtle pilsner, very very well made. I'm glad I live over here.

North end of the Sunshine Coast is actually a little better than than the south end, where I spent some time a few years ago. Coolum was the only place I spotted Rogers' and LC Bright. A place in Mudjimba had Squire's Golden and Porter. I even spotted a Lord Nelson beer through a window of an offy at Noosa but I was leaving. If it had been a case of Murray's I2PA I may have hung around for a few hours.

Burleigh's "My Wife's Bitter" was everywhere. And wasn't flash.

Cooper's Sparkling certainly sparked my interest. I retried all their stuff I could, including the mild, while I was over and that was the only one that captured me this time... it is so unique, and it's really quite good if you take it as it is.