Beer - #653 - Sawmill - IIPA

Mystery beer, mystery mix, mystery number, and mystery guest

a bit of nonsense here from the brewers notes

A keg only beer from the FYO station this works out to  285 calories a serve size, being 9.5% ABV and  70 IBU things, this would make it 7.5 standard drink units

Brewed by Sawmill Brewing Company in the style Imperial IPA and they are in Leigh, New Zealand

Usually I'd have a bit of nonsense here from the brewers notes or cribbed from other sources, but guess what?, nothing on the webs, nothing on the websites, nothing on the twitter, the instagram and all the other places I thought of looking and some I didn't. 

So I'm flying blind as it were, and then what follows is usually a load of nonsense plucked from the pretty word ensemble to make a pretty sentence. Seriously.... 

... what could possibly go wrong?

Beer - #652 - Liberty - Pacific Rim

Winner beer, winner music, winning numbers and winners party

As the Japanese say, “Hayaku”(hurry up)…

From the fill station, a keg only beer, giving me 1 litre of a beer that is 6.4% ABV, making this  5.0 Standard drinks per litre - this is around the 190 calories a serve size.

Brewed by Liberty Brewing Co in the style that is India Pale Ale (IPA) and they're based in Auckland, New Zealand

So juicy is the hop flavour and aroma, you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for a fresh hop brew.


This Limited Edition American style IPA continues Liberty’s tradition of taking on exciting craft beer projects, blending hops from New Zealand and America with the rare, but distinctive Sorachi Ace hop from Japan.

Packed with fresh tones of lemon grass, dill and tea, this bone dry beer has incredible length of bitter flavours and a slightly salty finish making you want to reach for the salt and pepper squid.

As the Japanese say, “Hayaku”    (hurry up).

So what could possibly go wrong?  The beer was an overnight success, taking out the People’s Choice at the highly regarded 2015 West Coast IPA Challenge.

Beer - #651 - Brewaucracy - Bean Counter

Alternative beers, Alternative Music, Alternating numbers and Alternate venues.

"..completely ruined ..... We’re sure you’ll get it once you try it!"

Understated packing on this 500ml bottle of a beer that is  5% ABV, and 135 calories a serve size, and also 30 IBU things, the bottle contains 2 standard drinks.

Brewed at Shunters Yard Brewery in the style Porter and that is in Matangi, New Zealand

Bean counter is a perfectly balanced and traditional English Porter, "completely ruined" by the addition of Tahitian vanilla!


While our traditionalist friends cringe, we celebrate the way the vanilla gently binds the chocolate and espresso notes present in the base beer and adds a warm creamy note.

Think a coffee laced creme brulee, and you won’t be far off.

The vanilla is subtle though, we didn’t want to offend those traditionalist mates of ours too much after all! It’s there to bring out the underlying flavours of the beer, and complement them with subtlety.

It’s not supposed to be a vanilla bomb. We’re sure you’ll get it once you try it! 

So what could possibly go wrong? Well I've had this on my travels from the keg, and it was from memory really nice and subtle.

Beer - #650 - 4 Horsemen - Hopocalypse (2015)

A beer by any other name, a year ago " Hallertau – Hopocalypse IIIPA 2014" since then they've agreed on and sorted out the name, I wouldn't have been that remiss would I to have got it wrong last time. Anyway same again, same again, same again and same again please.

Could you add anymore hops to one beer

This is a 500ml bottle of a beer that is 14% ABV, 250 IBU things, but that might not be reliable, and that is over 400 calories a serve size, and  a whopping 5.52 standard drink units in the bottle.

Four Horsemen Of The Hopocalypse is brewed by Steam Brewing Company this is in the style that is  Imperial IPA and that's around the corner from in in Riverhead Auckland, New Zealand

4 Horsemen of the Hopocalype.

Intergalactic Imperial India Pale Ale. 2015 Edition

Four Horsemen of the Hopocalyse – a collaboration with four of the most hop driven brewers in New Zealand.

Joseph Wood from Liberty Brewing, Steve Plowman from Hallertau, Kelly Ryan and Luke from Epic. 

Could you add anymore hops to one beer?

So what could possibly go wrong?

Beer - #649 - Epic - No Agenda

Unusually, or usually I can't remember, this is a beer that I'm having keg version first over the bottle version. Epic - No Agenda, which leaves me with; No Agenda, No rhythm, no numbers, not at this party.

Bingo, Boom, Shakalaka. No Agenda. Good beer.

It's also in bottles but I got this from the FYO station, so a 1 Litre bottle, and the beer is 7.5% ABV,  so thats 225 calories a serve size, making this  5.92 standard drinks worth.

For Epic Brewing Company (NZ)  this is brewed at Steam Brewing Company in the style that is of Brown Ale and they do that not so far from where I live, but generally in Auckland, New Zealand

Our formula is this, we go out and hit people in the mouth, with HOPS.

[caption id="attachment_11654" align="alignright" width="300"] My agenda might be to put new lenses in as these make me squint[/caption]

97% of scientists agree.

Shut up already! It's science!!

Drink beer because it is good, and because YOU enjoy the taste.

Don't be a slave to the brand and don't follow the crowd, don't cower to peer pressure. It tastes good. Drink it.

No agenda. Good Beer.

So what could possibly go wrong? Well I already feel a bit like Andy Capp thinking of Brown Ale. But then I'm old, and that might be a joke for one.

It has the aroma of sugar/malt and a mild citrus thing. Not really sure what you can tell by having a whiff. It did sound quite vigorous though.

It's very brown, then again it is a brown ale. although held up to the light (carefully as that often ends badly) it is blackcurrant juice ruby red. In the glass there is a lot more hop base aroma.

Um, it's quite bitter drinking, and it really is a full body tasting beer, lots of oomph in the middle, no mistaking, and lovely dryish finish.

The middle, lets talk about the middle, it's chewy spicy sticky and hoppy, it's all the thing's I've missed in the last couple of beers I had. It is ideal for a colder evening.

I've managed to drink two glasses, and I've not had palate fatigue, you know where the hops and malt just beat you up, this is still a beer that I'm looking forward to supping.

It isn't though a quaffing beer, I think you have to be much more measured and deferential. Plus it's a notch up on the ABV. I've really enjoyed drinking this though, it's kept me entertained and I've not become bored of the taste profile, despite it's fullness.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 of its things from the thing. It is a great thing, just, it sneaks over the bar of 'very good' because it's solid and consistent drinking, no changes in profile colder or warmer, and I've been sipping for a while now, and I enjoyed it first to nearly the last (obviously I finish drinking after writing about it)

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? I am, I have been for the whole bottle.


• Would I have another? I would, it's ideal for a cold night.


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? It's a full drinking beer, and then slower drinking, if you want conversation and a mooch to a happy place this is great.

Music for this. " Postcards From Jeff " an alternative group from Manchester England, The album " Postcards from Jeff" which I had on the Spotify

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzM3Lsjsd-I

BROWN ALE

Color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown. Lower in alcohol than porter, medium to full body flavor. Appropriate foods are apple pie, pork with brown sauce, beef vegetable soup and cheddar.

 

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Beer - #648 - Sawmill - Coffee Porter

A long time between drinks for me and this brewer, but they appear to be quite strong at the moment, and I haven't been wilfully avoiding them. So Long Gaps, Long Songs, Long Division and Long nights out.

 ...beer that is clean and flavoursome and straight up.

Brewed by Sawmill Brewing Company this on is styled as a Porter and that's North of Auckland in Leigh, New Zealand

This from the FYO station is a 5.2% ABV beer,  156 calories a serving size, and this bottle would be 4.1 standard drink units.

[caption id="attachment_11646" align="alignright" width="300"] Friday Evening is looking up[/caption]

A moderately strong brown beer that explores roasted malt flavors of chocolate and caramel.

So what could possibly go wrong?

The coffee aroma that I built myself up for, it's not there. It's there but it's not THERE! it's soft and quiet. It is however the only aroma from the bottle after I slip the flip top.

Pour is dark brown and the head looks like chocolate milkshake, I thought it would be a noise beer, it isn't. That head subsides a little to a more manageable size, still looks great though.

Aroma in the glass? That raw cold coffee aroma.

Taste? Well the coffee is there and present in the drinking of this. Very coffee.

Nicely lightly bitter and a flat neutral finish, a small persistence of coffee linger.

This might be better warmer, which is a hope more than a fact. At the moment it is 'thin' drinking, there doesn't appear anything to support or to carry the coffee in this, might be nice if there was some hop roughness, and a sharper finish, perhaps. I have patience, I can wait. Not f or long but I can wait.

I left it as long as I could, not long really, and the aroma that filled the glass was gorgeous. That is all, I'm leaving it some more.

[ a short while passed ]

The pour is much the same, but without the lovely head, the aroma still coffee, but slightly more bitter. Not a lot changed in the glass either, no pickup in the body, no addition to the finish. Much the same.

It is though a nice drinking beer, easy drinking, nothing that you might get upset with, but it's not a big hitter, more a go-to comfort beer, for me missing a big of body, some chewiness, and I'd have liked a finish that was something other than neutral.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. Nothing to write home about here, nothing to set the word afire. If though I was visiting Leigh, I'd be happy to order this and sit in their bar with a pizza and enjoy myself, it is interesting enough, neutral enough to have a wider appeal, I don't think it ever set out to be a flag-bearer or bench-mark setter.

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? I sort of am, it's a nice time waster of a beer, supping away without thinking about it really.


• Would I have another? I probably would if I was visiting, I don't think I'd go out of my way though.


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This would pass muster as a share beer because of the loud coffee note, but that might be the whole conversation because there isn't much else to talk about.

Music for this:  " Have Gun will Travel " is an alternative folk-rock band, They have an album " Science from an easy chair "  of course you can listen on Spotify.  Get a bit of the ' Spirit of Discovery ' in you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdtEYv_xSmI

PORTER

Black or chocolate malt gives the porter its dark brown color. Porters are well hopped and heavily malted. This is a medium-bodied beer. Porters can be sweet. Hoppiness can range from bitter to mild. Porters are often confused with stouts.

Beer - #647 - North End - Fieldway APA

It's the BeerJerkNZ Beer Club beer of the week, this week the  North End - Fieldway APA

A home grown classic.

330ml can of a beer that is 5.8% ABV 50 IBU things, and 174 calories in the can, an 1.5 standard drink units.

Brewed by North End Brewing Co in the style this is  American Pale Ale
and they do all that at Waikanae Beach, New Zealand

Aotearoa Pale Ale. Our hop forward pale ale is bursting with hops grown across the Strait in Nelson.

[caption id="attachment_11637" align="alignleft" width="300"] New beer new hair cut, it works.[/caption]

A fruity New Zealand pale ale combining NZ Cascade, Pacifica and Waimea hops with NZ malt and our fruity ale yeast strain.

Sweet lemon, lime and mandarin marmalade is joined by a hint of the herb garden and tempered by a malt from the Rangitikei.

A home grown classic.

Field Way APA is named for the surf break of the same name.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Well, for a beer that's been sitting in the fridge for a couple of weeks it's incredibly lively, or excitable, a foam runneth over when I ka-chinked the tab.

Fruity aroma of fruity things though was distracting enough to forgive, things like Mango, even i they say Lemon, Lime, marmalade, papaya and bubble gum. I'm saying mango.

Pour is a pale yellow golden with a nice head that is fluffy and yet appears thin, but isn't.

Aroma settles to the more pale ale hop aroma that you'd expect and is no surprise, still with that lovely tropical fruit note.

It's a lot more bitter than the IBU rate of 40 might have you on to believe, and it had a firm dry finish, it's a rather 'large' presence beer.

Quite tart, dry finish, lovely aromatics, it's quite entertaining, and not at all what I was expecting, but that might surprise no-one as I'd not really thought through the APA style  which are usually big bitter affairs, in which case this is a swing and a ding.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. It is lovely to drink, but that almost creamy tropical fruit sweetness is quite imposing and very near the front of the palate. Did enjoy and dryness of the finish and the overall bitterness that was persistent through the whole drink.

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? Yes, it's a stop and drink beer, I don't know that it's a sit and talk beer, it demands your attention.


• Would I have another? I would love another, if only to figure out where my limit was in the balance of the sweet and bitter.


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? No problems with cracking a few of these for a chat and tales session.

Music for this,  " Lee Fields and the Expressions "  Elmer "Lee" Fields is an American soul artist born in 1951 in North Carolina, An Album " Faithful Man "  on the Spotify.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhMJKkeVVVA

 

AMRICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads.

Related articles

• Next Round: In praise of the pale ale


• Beer - #630 - Rocky Knob - Home Again

Beer - #646 - Hop Federation - West Coast IPA

West Coast Style, West Coast Music, West of the even line and Go West!

An all American Hopped West Coast IPA.

1 litre, as I was at the FYO station, of beer that is 6.7% ABV, and 70 IBU things, thats about 200 calories a serve size, and thats 5.29 standard drink units.

Brewed by Hop Federation Brewery in the style that is India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in Riwaka, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_11628" align="alignleft" width="300"] Saturday on my mind...[/caption]

A marmalade nose, with a big tart grapefruit palette that sticks around until the very last mouthful.

Clean dry finish

You think being in Riwaka (they named a hop variety after it) that it would be local but no it has Chinook, Centennial, US Cascade hops.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Grassy hop and a slick of sweetness when I flip the lid, it smells sticky,

It really is a terribly pretty colour of orange brightness, and pours with a lovely light white head, the hop aroma in the glass is the same, the stickiness no so much.

The taste.

Well.

I don't know.

It's not such a big banger, I mean this isn't face scrunching nor is it arid dry at the finish.

The bitterness is 'bright' by what I mean that it's urgent and sharp but at one point, the front, although the linger, the aftertaste is grass tangy slightly.

It is high on citrus, and not eating grapefruit I'm going to bow to that descriptor, and having left it for a few minutes it is notable that the dryness is increasing, this might though be palate fatigue, which would be hard since I've had only a half glass.

It's difficult when you don't connect to a beer to be enthusiastic or pick the high points, this isn't a bad beer, not by any measure is is a bad beer. Obviously though it doesn't click with me.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. I don't think it's bad, it isn't I don't however think it's good in the sense that I'm enjoying 'chewing' the mouthfeel and enjoying the malts and hops. This seems to be too peaky in the bitterness and not so much carry in the body.  This might be how the West Coast likes it though, give me this in the summer and I bet I'd be a bigger fan. Possibly a more summer quencher enjoyment beer than a late winter soother.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? I am enjoying it, it's peaky and bitter and not at all unrewarding, it's easy drinking and made me smile.
Would I have another? I would, this is a decent beer.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would so that I could get to the bottom of the taste profile and understand what I think I'm missing or not.

Music for this. Music for this was “The Brian Jonestown Massacre” an American neo-psychedelia band formed in San Francisco in 1990. The band’s output spans psychedelic rock, folk rock and shoe gaze. The Album " Revelation " which I have on the Spotify

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo2Kkq4xcJ8

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

Related articles

• Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman rants at Apple Music free trial, says pressured by Apple

Beer - #645 - Tuatara - Tu-Rye-Aye

To be accurate -  Tu-Rye-Aye Midnight Rye IPA - Emerging beer, Forgotten songs, count your own beat and beat a path to the gathering.

Like the lyrics to Dexy’s famous song, rye refuses to be forgotten

From the FYO station at the local outlet, this is 1 litre of beer that is 60 IBU things, 7.5% ABV, which would be 225 calories a serve size, and the bottle is 5.92 standard drink units.

Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company in the emerging Style of  Black IPA and they are still in Paraparaumu, New Zealand

Like the lyrics to Dexy’s famous song, rye refuses to be forgotten.

[caption id="attachment_11612" align="alignright" width="300"] Come on Eileen ![/caption]

In this limited edition brew the rye grain’s spicy shrills duel exhilaratingly with the blended harmonies of fruity west coast hops, while deep dark malts plug away in the background.

The result is a complex, full, unfiltered cacophony in the concert hall of your mouth. So pour one, make a midnight run and sing just like our fathers.

Dungerees optional.

Taste: Tu-Rye-Aye black rye IPA starts with a rich dark malt, spicy rye malt, and US citric hop aroma. Complex flavour profile of dark malts and rye malt, balanced with 60 ibu of bitterness and full fruity flavor of American hops.

This brew is unfiltered to retain all of its character and fullness. 
Look: Black with a deep red hue and a light tan collar of foam
Aroma:Rich dark malt, spicy rye malt, and US citric hop aroma.

So what could possibly go wrong? Apart from bursting into song?

Certainly looks dark enough in the bottle.

There is no escaping the hop fresh aroma as I flip that top open, quite pronounced.

Pour is fantastic, lovely white head that is persistent-ih and then stops to a fine film that I'm overly happy with.

Taste. Stand on me. This is really really nice. Dominated by the firm middle of sweet roasted malts, the slightly dry finish is long and lingering.

The aroma now seems quite lost and odd on the nose as you raise to drink, but then you get that lovely wash of light bitterness and the sweetness and the light smack of dryness.  It is a bit good.

I went back to check the ABV, and then I wondered how they hid that, this is a beer that seems on the face of it to be very easy drinking and inviting to have a few (which is lucky I have another glass( but at the level it might be best tempered by a food thing.

Is this the perfect beer then? Hardly. It is however quite the lovely thing. It is lovely and dark, it has the toasted malt thing, it has the hop bite that should be there, it has a nice dry but not arid finish, but if anything it is over sweet which leads to a lot of lip smacking as you try to shake it off, despite the other flavours calling you back in, frequently, and which is why I think that in a bar you could get a bit over-indulged.

Play was interrupted by dinner, and so this sat for a bit doing what it did. Which is get a whole lot dryer and darker on the palate, which isn't at all a bad thing. So to the second glass, which I managed to pour as a half/half beer/head, because you know things happen.

So the second half of this is like a different beer, much hoppier, less sweet, harsher on the finish, and yet enough of that sweetness to make it still enjoyable.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. Eight again. It's a time for the eights. which is still on the better side of average. At the end of day the hop load catches up and frankly wears you out with its presence, which is quite loud, does a great job of deflecting attention early but is just too strong a hop based beer to get away with it for long. But all hail the beer.

Off to sing a song.....

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? I am, it's a journey.
Would I have another? I had a couple, I'd enjoy another, but then I really might start singing.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Actually I would turn up at yours with this, because it is one of those cross-over things and this one is fair decent and entertaining.

Music for this. Well of course it's ' Dexy's Midnight Runners ', but this isn't what you might expect. They have a spectacularly good very hard to find album called 'Don't Stand Me Down '  There is a play list on Youtube here.  For me  though the brilliant  standout is the track" This is what she's like " invest you're 15 minutes in this, or skip the first minute and get to the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXh19wfJT3Q&index=2&list=PL5BA914A30BD81D08

Don't Stand Me Down is the third studio album by Dexys Midnight Runners, released in September 1985.

BLACK IPA

An emerging beer style roughly defined as a beer with IPA-level hopping, relatively high alcohol and a distinct toasty dark malt character. Typically lacks the roastiness and body of a strong stout and is hoppier than a strong porter. Expressive dry-hopping is common. Also called India Dark Ale, India Black Ale, Cascadian Dark Ale, Dark IPA, and sometimes India Brown Ale.

Beer - #643 - ParrotDog - Rarebird Puffinus Huttoni

The second in a series of rare bird beers. Rare Beer, Common music, endangered numbers, and a rare quiet day in.

Haere ra e nga Titi — farewell o Hutton’s shearwater!

[caption id="attachment_11587" align="alignleft" width="150"] 312 of 900[/caption]

This is a limited edition of 900 bottles, I have number 312, of a  650ml bottle of a beer that is 5.1% ABV, 153 calories a serve size, 50 IBU things, and 2.6 standard drink units. 

Brewed by ParrotDog  in the style that is of a  Sour/Wild Ale in Wellington, New Zealand

A Boysenberry Sour.

[caption id="attachment_11586" align="alignright" width="300"] RareBird beer, Rare Sunday beer.[/caption]

Soured from Lactobacillus and aged on Nelson boysenberries, we launched this one at the Great Australasian Beer Spec-TAP-ular, in dedication to our little Trans-Tasman seabird.

The bird version of Puffinus Huttoni is more commonly known as the endangered Hutton's Shearwater. Currently only two breeding colonies are known of (in Kaikoura), and are under threat from stoats and habitat loss

So what could possibly go wrong?

So it does have a sour aroma on opening, but has a note of boysenberry.

Pour is a very deep pink beer, with what starts as a really pink and fluffy head of foam that dissipates. It looks a bit like fizzy ribbena drink.

Aroma in the glass is distinctly boysenberry, and that note that it's sour.

Taste, well it's a sour, and almost disappointingly the boysenberry doesn't seem to carry to the flavour so much. It's also not that sour.

When then you get to a middle place, you might like more boysenberry flavour, but this would add a sweetness that you don't want in a sour beer.

It's quite easy drinking though, does not have that pucker up sourness that some beers in the style have. So it falls into a strange half-place of being then just a lightly soured beer with no defining taste, and other than a really colourful hue not a lot to recommend it.

Without a high alcohol content as this warms it just becomes like an almost still/flat lightly nondescript drink, the lightly soured note just there, not really a thing, not the character of this. For me a bit of  muddle.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. I can't get past average, and I'm loath to think that this is less than that. In and of itself it is though quite unremarkable and could possibly or should be something a bit better, I don't know that the brewer would be happy with the overall, even if in points this might have been where they wanted it to be.  I might not be if I was that person.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Not really, it's a bit underwhelming.
Would I have another? Not really, there are better sour beers if you wanted sour as a thing.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I might as it has a great story and reason, but then I'd be thinking perhaps just take the story about it and not the actual beer, that'd be a good talking point after all.

Music for this. ' Walking Shapes ' and album called ' Taka Come On ', of course on the Spotify. Walking Shapes are a five-piece rock band from New York City.

This is ' Winterfell '

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk-t0nkimnE

SOUR/WILD ALE

Sour ale is a broad spectrum of wild ales, from the fruity and acetic Flanders Red Ales and Oud Bruins, to the experimental ales gaining popularity in the United States which use lactobacillus, brettanomyces and pediococcus in new and wild ways.

Beer - #642 - ParrotDog - BloodHound Red Ale

BloodHound Red Ale. Mighty Ale, Mighty Music, Might count to ten, Might go home early.

A big, malty red ale uplifted with generous amounts of hops.

This is a magnificent looking beer of 6.3% ABV, carrying 189 calories a serve size. the FYO station of 1 litre makes this 4.97 standard drink units.

Brewed by ParrotDog in the style: Amber Ale and they are based in Wellington, New Zealand.

[caption id="attachment_11575" align="alignleft" width="300"] Red like Fire Engine![/caption]

A citrusy NZ hopped aroma featuring a hint of roasted malt is supported by full-bodied, red coloured malt base and a pleasant NZ hopped bitterness to round off.

A big, malty red ale uplifted with a generous amount of hops.

So, What could possibly go wrong?

I confess to having this over two years ago, wherein I was a bit of a  fan, rating it the 8. I saw it on tap and couldn't resist, it's been a while, and it's clearly a brewers standard.

That syrupy rich aroma, with a nice under of hops greets me as I pop the top.

Pour is a deep red brown with a lovely full head, more to my pouring technique I feel as it settles into something a lot more manageable and persistent. You get a lot more of a raw grassy aroma in the glass.

That is really nice a toffee sweet bitterness with a lovely mouthfeel and a lovely finish that isn't either sweet or dry.

The bitterness, well that is about right, it's there, reminds you it's there and then lets the rest of the beer do it's thing.

As it warms, and I had to leave it for a few minutes it's picked up a lovely floral thing, which wasn't expected and brought a smile, still maintaining the welcoming bitterness and lovely not ver-sweet backbone.

This is so much better than I remember. Back to their description though ' Big Malt' 'Full Bodies' this is both of those and very good at them too. Top notch.

I still can't pour and the second glass is a half/half of beer and head. Lucky it's a big glass. I've become a bit enamoured of this as a beer and this hits all the taste points where you want it to, it is a beer for the moment perhaps, on another day you'd be wanting something more or else.

The aroma that you catch just before sup, the wash of bitterness, the slight dip of earthiness, the rise of the sweetness and the finish of hoppy grassness. I think I've said too much already.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 of its things from the thing.This is a great beer, a beer to sing songs too, but not about. I enjoyed the first half with some food, and it made it really special, I'm enjoying the second half post-food and I can see that I might run out of palate or steam for it, although It might take a third to get there.

It's here you get the idea that I've been enjoying it and it's all gone and I already miss it. What a time to be alive :-)

The double dip review

• Am I enjoying it? I am, it rally hit the sweet spot of nicely bitter, nicely sweet, and nicely dry, I feel like one of the there bears.


• Would I have another? I wouldn't hesitate if you could arrange a quick delivery.


• Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would, and possibly it'd be a long and eventful night of shooting the breeze and of times when it was all good as wood. A man could get emotional at times like this. 

Music for this. ' Girlpool ' and album called ' Before The World Was Big ' of course on Spotify. Girlpool is a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. Its members are Cleo Tucker and Harmony Tividad. The band does not have a drummer. This is a track ' Chinatown'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h4CTdIhDF0

Got to say this isn't punk, it's pop.

AMBER ALE

A style without definition, amber ales range from bland, vaguely caramel beers to products with a fairly healthy malt and hop balance. Often the differentiation between a quality amber and an American Pale is that the amber might have more dark malt character, or a less assertive hop rate.

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Beer - #639 - Behemoth - Hopped Up On Pils *bottle*

Beer club beer of the week, this time it's Behemoth "Hopped Up On Pils" I've had this from the keg previously, and came away underwhelmed, but I might have been uninformed. Anyway lets go again.

"A Pilsner made with ale hops, apparently. Unique"

A 330ml bottle of a 5% ABV beer, being 30 IBU things,  and in total 150 calories in this serve size, and that all makes about 1.3  standard drink units.

Brewed at Behemoth Brewing Company in the style this is of Pilsener and they are in, mysteriously, New Zealand, no town, just "NZ".

[caption id="attachment_11550" align="alignright" width="300"] Small beer big smile[/caption]

NZ Pilsner with big NZ flavour and aroma without massive bitterness.

Crisp, sessionable.

Dry hopped like an IPA.

What could go wrong with what?

It's very hoppy on opening, just the hop aroma, an understated sweetness, does not have that tang of an IPA for instance.

Pour is a very pale yellow beer with the most magnificent white head, it looks amazing.

The taste is less sweet than I remember, this has a flat unmistakable hop presence that finishes sharply dry. Leaves a lovely lacing in the glass as you sip.

I'm also less enthusiastic on the flavours that this has than the last time I tried it, possibly, again, it's too cold, and that's stifling the notes.

So a late dry hopped Pilsner. I guess it is what it is, and again I find myself betwixt and between on this. I like a Pilsner, and the idea of a hopped up version appeals.

For me though this is carrying just a lot of front end dry heaviness not adding flavour, just presence. Which is disappointing.

When you do get the flavour notes they're really clean, and almost fruity in their way. This isn't a sweet or quaffable beer though, and is best enjoyed at sipping or conversational pace. It really would be an ideal beer to have with a food. Which I didn't think to organise, as usual.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. It's refreshing, it's nice, but it isn't sparking on the palate with flavours and tastes, so overall it's not for me. I get the late dry hopped thing, I see what it did and how it worked, it's interesting and makes this a unique take on the Pilsner style. Sometimes though different isn't better.  However if I was out and this was on then I'd be in.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? As a Pilsner not really, as a  twisted pilsner a lot more.


2. Would I have another? I would, there is nothing that says stay away, it's nice drinking, but I'd have to be in the mood.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would because I think you could begin to talk about cross-over beers between styles. It's quite clever.

Musically, I was listening to ' Chvrches ', an album ' The bones of what you believe ' of course on Spotify. they're a Scottish electronic band, formed in 2011. This is a track 'the mother we share'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mTRvJ9fugM

PILSENER

While the definition of "pilsner" is open to much debate in the beer community, it generally refers to pale, hoppy lagers, ranging from 28IBUs and up.

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Beer - #636 - Mata - Sahti

Improbably beer, impossibly nice music, improbable numbers and imposing on a party.

traditionally brewed in an open wooden trough

This is a 500ml bottle of a beer that is 9 % ABV, making it 270 calories a serve size, the bottle contains 3.5 standard drink units.

Brewed by Aotearoa Breweries in the style that is Style: Sahti/Gotlandsdricke/Koduõlu and that happened in Kawerau, New Zealand

Sahti is a traditional Finnish beer made with juniper berries and rye malt. No hops. Juniper berries add acidity and the beer was traditionally filtered through juniper twigs for an added tannic bitterness.

[caption id="attachment_11504" align="alignright" width="300"] Do I look excited?[/caption]

Sahti is traditionally brewed in an open wooden trough called a kuurna, where juniper branches & berries are mixed with hot water and malt to create the sugary wort.

However Mata have added a kiwi spin.

This Sahti uses manuka tips rye malt and juniper berries resulting in a strong ale with a sweetish spicy character and banana aromas.

So what could possibly go wrong? Well this is the winner of the recent SOBA beer awards, so not much I hope.

Aroma is one of a fruity drink. Sweet syrupy fruity.  The aroma in the glass is even more massive bloom. Which settles to a beer that if you really sit and just smell lets you a hint of the acahol astringent, possibly just an aroma. It's very red in the glass, it's not a good photo, you'll have to trust.

The taste is like nothing else. Well that's a lie it's like it's supposed to be I guess. Thick rich, and then a really woody note, like wood, not pine, wood, like tree. It is a full mouthfeel experience.

Exceedingly interesting as a beer, and enjoyable too, it's lovely and sweet not cloying, also it's bitter without excess, just nicely balanced, and is rather moorish.

As it warms, because invariable I have it too cold, there are more subtle notes of banana and faint rosewater too. Aromatic perfume, and yet it all adds up, make sense.

But. It is a heavy drinking beer, the tastes and sensations are dialled right up, right up high, and each sip is again an explosion, slightly different but still the same, and for me, perhaps only me, this is rather wearing. I want to have the rush, the impact, then I want to settle in an enjoy, with this each sip is the same rush. Which is great, and different and really interesting, but sometimes you need to calm the farm.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 of its things from the thing. An easy pick for the 'greats' of beer, this really does introduce a new style, and using available thing in NZ brings to life a hop free beer that is both extraordinary and at the same time familiar. Brilliant!

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? It is extraordinary and memorable, it's a winner.
Would I have another? I would, later, I couldn't have two, that would be madness. (I could have two and that would be madness)
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Yes, the more the merrier, this is really really something.

Music for this  ' Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe ' and album ' I Declare Nothing ' of course on the Spotify  This is with the The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe, and I like them a lot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSCWrbbUPQc

SAHTI/GOTLANDSDRICKE/KODUÕLU

A traditional ale style unique to three areas; A Finland the Swedish island of Gotland and the Estonian island of Saaremaa. There are subtle differences between them and also between sahti from different regions in Finland. In general however these are strong ales made with a combination of rye and barley malt. They have minimal hop character and instead receive most of their flavor by virtue of being filtered through juniper twigs. Most examples will exhibit a strong yeast character and many homebrewed traditional examples are made with baking yeast. Such yeast often generates a highly phenolic character as well. Some examples will also have a smoky character and this is particularly evident in gotlandsdricke.

Beer - #632 - Shakespeare - The Bastard

Well now, The Shakespeare - The Bastard Red IPA. This is a bit exciting. The Shakespeare Tavern is constantly listed as a go-to venue for beer in Auckland. So I have Exciting beer, Excitable music, exciting maths and party excitement

Unpasteurised, unfiltered, small batch brew 

500ml bottle of a beer that is beer of 5.9% ABV making it 2.4 standard drink units, that around 176 calories a serve size.

Brewed by Shakespeare Tavern & Brewery in the style that is India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are in central Auckland, New Zealand.

[caption id="attachment_11458" align="alignleft" width="300"] Wax Lyrical....[/caption]

Hop lovers want an ale that's unapologetic. 

The Bastard combines imported malts, with five different hops for a shambles full flavoured ale.

So what could possibly go wrong? A brewer that waxed and waned and appears, might have,  got back on track, possibly. This is the first beer I've had from here for since  ages. Lets go!

More a malt aroma than anything when I open this.

Pour is a lot paler than I expected, it's a lighter orange brown, and a lovely head!.

I was initially a bit disappointed,  having had one good IPA tonight, and reminded that the IPA style is fraught with difficulty and interpretation. This one for me has a lot of malt aroma in it, and that might not be a good thing, and the bitterness is more a sourness.

It's supposed to be a red IPA, which confused me, I've had some recently and this didn't remind me of that either.

I'm kind of ok with that high sourness note, that might be the reach for the 'red', but it's a bit of a reach, there isn't a lot of body or carry or a lot of thing going on in this that would assist you to that conclusion.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. I'm far from convinced that this is a red IPA. I'm not a fan of the high malt aroma that this has, and it is a bit muddled in the drinking. Not a complete disaster, but not a brilliant IPA either, red or otherwise.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Honesty box time, and it's a no from me.
Would I have another? They have a range in bottles, I might go again, what's what worst that could happen?
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Not this one no I don't think it has enough or carries enough for me to be brave enough. As the bard might have said 'Swing and no ding' on this one.

Music for this ' Sun Kil Moon ' an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, I'm listening to the album ' Among The Leaves ' on the Spotify this video will give you an idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBNdOTu2Wn0

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

Beer - #631 - House of Nicholas – Sarah

Sarah is an IPA. It's fairly secretive about what it is, so I have Secret beer, a musics secret,  secret numbers and a secret from a party.

A moderately strong British-style ale with a focus on the hoppy aroma and dry finish

500ml bottle, brewed by The House of Nicholas, in the style that is of  English IPA, which I presume just to mean IPA, since they started in England and everywhere else has just taken a spin on it? I'm in a surly mood though.  This is a collaboration beer between Luke Nicholas of Epic and Simon Nicholas of Hop Federation.

An uncommonly media shy and reluctant beer in a 500ml bottle that is beer of  30 IBU and 5.7% ABV, and it comes in at 2.2 standard drink units, and about 168 calories a serve.

[caption id="attachment_11450" align="alignright" width="300"] Royal regal and ready to be drunk, the beer not me[/caption]

First brewed for Craft Beer Capital's Hopstock fresh hop beer festival, this beer celebrates a common ancestor between the two "Sarah" from around the time of the first IPA's (1700's). 

The latest version is a 5.7% IPA brewed using traditional dry processed hop pellets as wet hops or "fresh hops" are only available during harvest in March

So what could possibly go wrong?

The aroma is of a beer that is very brightly hopped, no mistaking what leads here.

IF it was a beauty completion this would be a winner, it is as pretty as a picture and pours lovely more to pale orange with a lovely head that loses its persistence and settled to a thickish film.

Taste is interesting, it's not overly bitter and then there seems to be a gap between the initial taste and the lovely finish. I'm trying that again.

This isn't then a crashing explosion of over hopped beer, it is very measured and paced, delivering a lovely drink of some quality. Respect.

Aroma is a highlight, so is the easy mouthfeel, this is very drinkable, and moorish, has a lovely finish that is just a tough of bitter dry and a lovely lingering taste, but all very subtle.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing, it is very good. Lovely drinking, almost a session drinking beer, or perhaps it is a session beer and I don't get out often enough, I think that if you like IPA in an original and genuine way then this is a brilliant start, it's a marvellous take on a very common beer with uncommonly good results.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Very much so.
Would I have another? I would indeed, this is quality.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would because it has a back story, and is a genuine beer, nothing outrageous, extravagant, special or seasonal, it's a good stock beer, a very good stock beer, from good stock. Huzzah!

Music for this, well local is as local does so Virginia Claire "Gin" Wigmore (born 6 June 1986) is a New Zealand singer, and she has new album ' Blood to the Bone '  I'm listening on Spotify

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDNSQ7ccTGA

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.

Beer - #630 - Rocky Knob - Home Again

I like the beer I've had so far from the lovely people at Rocky Knob, and had a few words with Bron in passing recently at a beer festival. Then I discovered their beer on the FYO again at my local Liquorland in Forrest Hill. So here we go;  Good beer, good music, good times and a good score.

100% Kiwi. All NZ malt and hops.

From the FYO then a 1 litre of beer, that is 5.6 % ABV and 40 IBU, making this 4.42 standard drink units, and around 168 calories a serve size.

Brewed by Rocky Knob Brewing this one in the style that is  American Pale Ale and that's in the small seaside town that is Mt Maunganui, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_11443" align="alignleft" width="300"] It's a cold night, and I'm putting on a brave face.[/caption]

This is a fresh zesty, clean and incredibly sessionable hopped up NZ Pale Ale.

Riwaka, NZ Cascade, and Nelson Sauvin give this a punchy citrus and classic Nelson Savin zestiness.

So what could possibly go wrong?

Not much if the opening aroma of sweet sweet caramel and hint of grass is much to go by.

It's quite lively in the bottle with a spontaneous head forming and popping out of the neck, not something you see often.

Pour is as you see it, although there was less head then the sitting spontaneous head would have made me think, and what head there is is settled to a film.

There is a lot of the Sauvin hops in this, and the aroma, and I like that. It is surprising light and easy to drink with a nice mouthfeel and a decent finish that is slightly dry but not parching.

There are a number of beers using the Sauvin hops, and so the taste is quite distinct, hard to differentiate between them, from memory, but this is as good as I've had.

I'd go so far as to say that this is a really good candidate to be called a great session beer, I'd be happy to sit and mull over all sorts of nonsense drinking some of this.

Lovely aroma, then a lightly but firmly hopped bitterness with a nice sharp clean finish, makes you just want to have some more, it's very rewarding and inviting.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 of its things from the thing. Thoroughly enjoyed this, it's well balanced, sweet where it has to be crisp where is must be, and it is consistent through the whole drink, even as it warms.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? I am, and I would love to enjoy more of it.
Would I have another? It would be a great go-to beer, and a reason to enjoy a holiday at the Mount.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? There is nothing at all wrong with this beer for sharing, it's got flavour, it's got bitterness, it's got dryness, it's got sweet, it's got great aroma. I'd day that was a yes from me.

Music for this, an odd piece of music ' Tom McRae & The Standing Band '  ' Did I sleep and miss the border? ' which is my listening on Spotify and everywhere else I imagine. The Standard says it's quite good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0OUkoWZa8s

AMERICAN PALE ALE

American Pale Ales are light in color, ranging from golden to a light copper color. The style of this beer is defined by the American hops used. American hops typically have high bitterness and aroma.This is a perfect beer for big fare like grilled burgers or combination pizzas, as well as lighter fare like sushi and green salads.

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Beer - #629 - Garage Project - California Über Alles

California Über Alles. A California Common. Which then gives me familiar beers, familiar musics, familiar numbers and familiar faces.

"If you don’t get the name then you probably didn’t spend the eighties trying to push safety pins through soft parts of your anatomy"

From the FYO station this is beer that is 5.5% ABV , 165 calories a serve size, the bottle contains 4.38 standard drink units.

Brewed by Garage Project in the style that is  California Common and that happens in Wellington, New Zealand

Brewed with US Northern Brewer hops, Pale, Vienna, Crystal and Caramel malts and California Lager yeast, California Über Alles is the Garage take on the California Common style made famous by Anchor Steam beer. 

[caption id="attachment_11427" align="alignleft" width="300"] This selfie lark is getting hard[/caption]

We should point out that anyone looking for a replica of Anchor’s classic brew won’t find it here – like all Garage brews Über Alles takes the style as a starting point rather than trying to produce a clone of an existing brew. 

If you don’t get the name then you probably didn’t spend the eighties trying to push safety pins through soft parts of your anatomy. If this is the case don’t feel bad, but remember it’s never too late to start.

So, what could go wrong? Well I have my doubts about a 'standard' beer, which in my opinion is something that Garage Project don't do so well, they're much better at the edgy and off-beat stuff that they generally by-and-large do really well.

The aroma on swimming the top open is more of a malt based beer, and little carbonation. The bottle is very very full though, not a lot of wriggle room. Still nothing to write home about on the initial impressions.

Pour is as it looks in the glass ,a chestnut coloured beer, and it pours with a lovely steady head that looks a bit substantial. The aroma though, a bit peculiar and unknown, well no it isn't it's just plain old malt and hop acrid.

As to the taste,  I thought that it was muddled, then it straightened out and then it went wonky again, that malt/caramel doing it's darnedest to assert itself as a flavour leader. It kind of washed in and out again.

Though it isn't as bad as it could be, this does have a bit of robustness about it, the underlying carry is fairly thick and there is a sharp bite ate the finish that reminds you of what you're drinking.

Difficulty is that this is an uncommon beer, and a style that is confused with others, and because it is unusual there is no way of knowing if this is good, bad or indifferent in that style, so you have to go with what you taste.

Then you get to the question of is it a taste that I like?, and what of my memory do I compare it to, just because that is what you do.  I might have said robust caramels but then this also presents a thinness briefly in drinking all the flavour and linger is exactly that, the linger.  Part of me wants to think that this is like what an English beer used to taste like, and I might be on the right lines. It is a beer taste that invokes memories.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. Mostly because I have no idea. It is like quaffing beer, everyman beer, and then there is a twist in the profile that just hints that it isn't quite a normal beer. But it's hard work to enjoy the profile presented is all a bit harsh note and edges.  That thing about Garage Project being better at the edgy beer and not the mainstream, this might be another example. But then I'm sure there are complete and total fans of this who can't get enough.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? I don't think I am, but that isn't to say that I'm not enjoying it.
Would I have another? No.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Um, I don't know that this is a share and impress beer. It's not party enough.

What else to go with this other than the ' Dead Kennedys '   an American hardcore punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978.  If it's your thing you can listen to a track list here on spotify This though is California Über Alles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIqESwzCGg4

CALIFORNIA COMMON

Style originating in 18th century California, where brewers without access to refrigeration produced beers using lager yeasts and warm temperatures. These still retain some of the rounded character inherent in all lagers, but with a dose of ale fruitiness.

Beer - #627 - Bach Brewing - Duskrider *keg*

Duskrider - a Red IPA.  New old beers, new music, old numbers and a party is a party.

a ruby-red hue and a hop-forward fix

I have from the FYO station a 1 litre bottle of beer that is 6% ABV,  making it 4.73  standard drink units in NZ, and this 180 calories a serve size

For Bach Brewing Ltd this is brewed at Steam Brewing Company in the style that is of  India Pale Ale (IPA) and that happens in Auckland, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_11410" align="alignleft" width="300"] It is very very red[/caption]

DuskRider is brewed with specialty malts for a ruby-red hue, and a hop forward fix of tropical fruits and citrus from US Cascade, Amarillo, Citra and Nelson Sauvin.

What could possibly go wrong? Well I've had this before and thought it was very impressive, it was from a bottle, and it was a while ago, I wonder if fresh from the keg is different.

It is a pomegranate red red beer, it's quite the thing.

Pop the flip top and a burst of hop aroma, grassy pine sweetness, it's a pretty smelling beer.

The picture does not to the red-ness of the pout justice, it is a lovely ruby/brown thing with a lovely white head of some substance.

Taste, well does not quite reach those giddy heights, but it is lightly bitter, and has a pervasive mouthfeel, but nothing by way of intrusive finish. It seems to be a pretty much front of mouth beer. If that makes sense, or another way might be all taste up front and enjoyable and no after-taste.

The tastes are of many things like fruits, and more tropical fruits, apricots, peaches and the like. This is an all action up front in-your-face (mouth) beer. There is no run-up it's all on all-in.

This is a fine drinking beer that delivers immediately and has no other surprises or layers to unravel before you, which is why I think it has such a strong following and fan base.

Where I now admit that I am really enjoying this, but also at the same time a bit annoyed by it as well, because it isn't all goodness and light, nectar and honey, no it isn't, and I'm not just being controversial.

Might as well go with the things I don't like about it, or the bits that annoy me bits, which are, in no order;

That it is what it is, you get it all first up, it does not develop. That might be all.

The aroma in the glass is almost stop the traffic wonderful. Sugar sweetness like toffee and a grassy carry,

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 9 a of its things from the thing. It is a thing of beauty and wonderment, it is balanced even steady predictable and enjoyable, it isn't edgy peaky bitter dry or challenging. It is a very very nice beer nicely done.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I am in wonderment but not rapture.


2. Would I have another? You know I would, stop teasing!


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? You could take this out to your grandmothers and nothing would be said, and the beer drinkers would enjoy it and not have to say they did or comment they didn't, it's just good, very good.

' X Ambassadors ' and ' VHS  '  which I have on the spotify. They're an American alternative rock band from Ithaca, New York. It's that thumpy thumpy music that makes good well lit moody videos perhaps. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzP5KsYSGD0

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.