Beer - #578 - Harrington's - Prince Harry Ginger Beer

Harringtons Prince Harry Ginger Beer.

".. a hint of cheeky stiff upper lip"

This is in the 500ml bottle,  4.8% ABV, about 144 calories a serve, and 1.8 standard drink units.

Brewed by Harringtons Breweries (Christchurch) In the Style that is a catch-all Spice/Herb/Vegetable and they are in Christchurch, New Zealand

[caption id="attachment_10819" align="alignright" width="300"] More gray then ginger[/caption]

A naturally fermented, truly full flavoured wholesome alcoholic real ginger beer.

Our brewery recipe uses genuine ingredients to create a well-mannered ginger beer with a hint of cheeky stiff upper lip attitude.

What could possibly go wrong?, except again not on the brewers website, and a change of ABV depending on where you look online, perhaps I should stick to reading labels?

I was reminded that they have been undergoing some rebuild and re-sizing after the 2011 Earthquake. But onwards we must.

I like the idea of alcoholic Ginger beer, that lovely bite, thirst quenching and sweet, ideal for a sunny afternoon.

Ginger burst, which isn't as intense or sharp, but is as peppery spicy as is good.

Clear like water. Well fizzy lemonade, perhaps a slight tint of gingery orange, it looks great in the glass, no head though, not sure if I should have got one or not.

Aroma is nice in the glass. My initial though on the taste was that this was a little 'soapy' in some way, not sure how to decide that, or describe it.  Perhaps I might go with 'over perfumed'.

Bitterness is nice and the spicy notes are warming and tap away at the taste buds.

Violets is what I think that taste is. Whilst it has the ginger twang I think that it could possibly do with a tad more to bring a controlled roughness and bite into the body.

Not perfect then, but very rewarding as a summer drink in the sun,

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. As an alternate to a hop based beer this has it's place, and I could imagine having this, at a lunch time, for instance, mostly because it has a high sweetness level that, for me, deadens the palate, and so a single drink option. Wow that made me sound like I'm a two drink minimum guy.  Or I could have said, nice as a single drink option, and lunchtime would be its stomping ground.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? It is quite nice, sweet, slightly tangy and spicy.


2. Would I have another? It is though a very sweet drink and I'm done at one.


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I don't know that this is a

Note: I was provided this beer by the brewer to try and review, without catches,  this is 1 of 12 should you wonder about the sudden love of a brewer out of the blue.

Musics? The Darkness are an English rock band from Lowestoft, Suffolk, and album called "One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back," you can listen here. If you must.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaaCOHmAbR0

SPICE/HERB/VEGETABLE

Any ale or lager made with herbs, spices or vegetables. The additive should be distinctive in the aroma. See beer description for flavor. Body, color, hop character and strength vary depending on the type of spice, herb or vegetable used

Related articles

• Thirsty Thursday: Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer

Beer - #493 - Tuatara - Act of God

Closing in on 500!  Here we have Act of God, Class acts, Actual numbers and Acting the fool

What’s particularly notable is that this microbial intercession was totally unplanned. An Act of God if you will. 

Act of God is a Sour Abby Ale - Brewed by Tuatara Brewing Company in the style that is: Spice/Herb/Vegetable, and they do that  in Paraparaumu, New Zealand.

This is a 650 ml bottle, notable since it isn't the normal Tuatara bottle with all the lumps and bumps but it has the familiar cap top holding back  a beer of 7.6% Alcohol by volume and 3.84 standard drink units. The bottle would be 420 calories give or take.

Tuatara Act of God - Brewing is an organic and uncertain process in which brewers are not the only primitive life forms involved.

[caption id="attachment_9842" align="alignleft" width="300"] Hand of Phil...[/caption]

As well as the usual yeast in this rich, apricot-tinged biere de garde, a delicious creamy sour note has been struck by a bit of wild fermentation in the bottle.

What’s particularly notable is that this microbial intercession was totally unplanned. An Act of God if you will.

Like most things organised by the Almighty, this one is for keeps, so feel free to cellar it for as long as you can stand the suspense.

So, not being able to hold back I'm all in.

Sour aroma of course, cider-like, of course. Darker than I expected, decent head that is brownish white. It fades. It is terribly sour. Who is surprised?

But underneath there is and are signs of what this might have supposed to have been. Seems there is a decent maltiness, and that gives it some sweetness that wasn't unwelcome.

It clearly is a mixed bag. I get that candied sugary sense on the after-taste, toffee like.

I can guess that as a biere de garde it would have been quite interesting, and I can see how they suggest might cellaring could help it fill out and blossom.

As it is though It's a fairly sharp and not unpleasant drinking beer. I think that this should be best enjoyed in the mid afternoon, perhaps with some snack or accompanying food because this seems to be a beer for sitting around and chatting by, certainly not a quaffing beer in this format.

So a bit home-brew gone wrong if I was to have made this myself, and fair cop Tuatara called themselves on it and instead of trashing this they've rescued it and given us a chance at a once off.  Nothing hidden.

I've had beers in the past that have clearly been 'wrong' and have been given a new label, or name, not in keeping with the brewer tradition. You know "Brewers fancy" or even worse.

I didn't find anything undrinkable about this, and there might be some merit in setting this aside to develop more, as if I have the patience.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 8 a of its things from the thing.

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? Yes I'm impressed that this was as good as it was.


2. Would I have another? I would on a sunny day, or if someone has patience and wants to crack one out in a year? Any takers? 


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would so. This is a pleasant supping beer, pass the chips. 

Musically I was torn but ended up with something half decent. This is a band "Glass Owls" and a song called "Tired of the Internet" and as a bonus it features Wayne Anderson - the Singer of Songs!  So a New Zealand band with a New Zealand thing going on, Glass Owls, an alternative-pop foursome from Auckland.  Find them on Bandcamp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMg2Pu7uAsQ

As a Bonus here is Wayne Anderson, the 4th best singer in NZ. Knock yourself out and enjoy it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3JALgr3Yas

SPICE/HERB/VEGETABLE

Any ale or lager made with herbs, spices or vegetables. The additive should be distinctive in the aroma. See beer description for flavor. Body, color, hop character and strength vary depending on the type of spice, herb or vegetable used.

Beer - #450 - Garage Project - Venusian Pale Ale

I like the play on words and amuse value that some brewers put into their products. Garage Project Venusian Pale Ale fits that. After a slight dip into the more mainstream commercial beers hopefully this is a bounce back.

This is brewed by the prolific Wellington (NZ) based  Garage Project, in the style that comes under the label of Spice/Herb/Vegetable or might be as an outsider  Imperial/Double IPA.

HAs brilliant art work on the label that my poor attempt at pictures for not do justice, well they might if I got a proper camera out- anyhow check out this link  Dr.Grordbort - it's on the label art....

I have then to entertain me, besides the label, a 650 ml bottle of beer that is 7.3% ABV, so 219 calories a serve, and 3.74 standard drinks in NZ,

Venusian Pale Ale, a precocious little number using some of the more unusual local flora and fauna you find hanging around here in the less civilized parts of the solar system.

Lemon grass, kaffir lime leaf and grapefruit peel that we pinched from rations, meld seamlessly with Venusian Spear Fungus and that funny green stuff the local chappies seem to like licking off the rocks.

Zesty is the word that springs to mind and at 7.5% abv it’s bloody good for morale. Incidentally, it works just like napalm on the natives, which is handy.

Entertaining start to an evening.

Beer - #415 - Garage Project - Umami Monster

This has been in the fridge a while, and whilst I'm not avoiding it, I've been waiting for the right moment. Which is now. Bring on the Garage Project - Umami Monster

Brewed by Garage Project in the style that is called : Spice/Herb/Vegetable and they are in the windy city of Wellington, New Zealand

9% ABV Beer in a 650ml bottle, about 270 calories a serve, and of  which I make to be 4.62 standard drinks in NZ.

[caption id="attachment_8905" align="aligncenter" width="357"] Umami Monster & MECHA-HOP! Copyright Garage Project 2014[/caption]

"Brewed with Kombu (seaweed), Katsuobushi (fermented fish) and sea water. A rich hit of umami, the most enigmatic of flavours, does battle with bold bitter, sweet and savory characteristics to create a unique beer of monstrous complexity and depth."

It came from the deep. Brewed for the Great Australian Beer Spectapular, using New Zealand grown Kombu (kelp), Japanese Katsobushi (dried, fermented bonito flakes), smoked malt and sea water in an attempt to capture that most elusive and enigmatic of flavours - umami. 

Far beyond the boundaries of the accepted and expected, these ingredients combine to create a monster of dark savoury smoke and rich umami complexity. 

Dear God - what have we created? Definitely not suitable for vegans – sorry.

I have the trepidations.  Umami /uːˈmɑːmi/, a savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweet, Sour, Bitter and Salty). what might I have done?

Beer - #361 - Moon Dog - Artisan Pouseuré

More by name than reputation I picked up this, a Moon Dog Artisan Pouseuré.

An annual celebration of northern hemisphere Halloween stuff. So, like, we added pumpkin to the mash. And some pumpkin pie spices. Pretty damn tasty too!

Brewed by Moon Dog Craft Brewery in the style that is a Spice/Herb/Vegetable and they are in Abbotsford, Australia, or as we say 'strayer.

This is listed as having 32 IBU things, so like an English bitter perhaps, or low end stout bitterness, has only 225 calories and has an ABV of 7.5%, and is all in a 330ml bottle

The words “Moon Dog” and “pumpkin”, when used in tandem, send a shudder down the Crafty spine. Before the brewery launched, we were given a sample bottle of a trial Pumpkin Ale as a taster of what was to come. It miraculously disappeared one AFL

[caption id="attachment_8005" align="alignleft" width="300"] Selfie[/caption]

Grand Final Day with nobody in attendance able to recall what could have happened to it. The mystery remains unsolved; our guilt unassuaged. Still, there have been subsequent chances to sample other Moon Dog pumpkin beers, including a previous Artisan Poseur that was a Pumpkin Porter. This new version (complete with different spelling – in fact, three different spellings that we’ve seen so far) ditches the porter and ramps up the spices. But not to an overt degree. Indeed for a 7.5 per cent spiced fruit beer from this mob, it’s all rather tastefully done, with plenty of roast pumpkin and crystal malts on the nose that are decorated rather than overwhelmed by the cinnamon and cloves. The taste is similarly fulsome without losing control. It pours a hazy burnt orange (like pumpkin pie) and, like the brewers’ near neighbours at the Duchess, might not be the best of lookers, but goes down a treat and leaves you with a smile on your face.

They do go on a bit.

And  the bottle runneth over, well carbonated, I can confirm the head is a really nicely spiced affair.  Aroma was nice too, sour sort of.

Had a comedy moment where you are trying to suck in the foam gushing from the bottle only to realise that your mouth is full, you can't swallow, it's mostly air,  and there is more foam appearing....

Pour is dark orange with, of course a head for africa.

On the tongue than fizzy, really!,  Then there is a front of spices, which could be cloves, and a lot of really nice caramel sweetness.

There's a touch of heat in this too, from the spices, I have to admit that I am pleasantly surprised.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7.5 a of its things from the thing. So despite the over excited opening, and the over carbonated beer, this has a lot going for it, nicely spiced, bit of heat, and lovely sweets to carry it. Could do with more depth but well chuffed.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? Yes
Would I have another? Yes
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? This would be a great beer for a chilly evening and a fire, ideal.
I was listening to Neil Young - A letter Home.  - This "Needle of Death"

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H47jI6xanA&w=420&h=315]

 

SPICE/HERB/VEGETABLE

Any ale or lager made with herbs, spices or vegetables. The additive should be distinctive in the aroma. See beer description for flavor. Body, color, hop character and strength vary depending on the type of spice, herb or vegetable used.

Related articles

• More pumpkins ales than ever before


• Which Is The Best Pumpkin Beer?


• Beer: Pumpkin beer for autumn

Beer - #359 - Wigram - Captain Cook Spruce Beer

Riiight - Wigram Captain Cook Spruce Beer, Honestly this was picked a beer to serve Royals - http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/drinks/9943919/What-beer-we-d-serve-Will-Kate -

It says

2) Wigram Spruce Beer - While The Mussel Inn's Captain Cooker is arguably our most famous manuka beer, Wigram's is said to be a closer match to the first beer brewed in New Zealand. Captain James Cook brewed an ale using molasses, manuka and rimu when he hit the shores of Aotearoa, and the Christchurch brewery does the same today. The unconventional ingredients create an aroma which screams of tramping through native bush, while the ginger flavour gives a spicy finish

Now the Captain Cooker is a shocker, really it is. So

[caption id="attachment_7954" align="alignleft" width="300"] Eyes left..... Selfie[/caption]

Wigram Captain Cook Spruce Beer -  Brewed by Wigram Brewing Company this then is in the style of a  Spice/Herb/Vegetable and Wigram is in Shakey Christchurch, New Zealand

500 ml bottle with  150 calories and it’s a  5% ABV beer making it 1.97 standard drink units in NZ 

Based on Captain Cook’s original recipe as first made in Dusky Sound, New Zealand, 1773. Flavoured with ’spruce’(rimu) and tea tree (manuka). Brewed for Heritage foods.

I don't know what kind of people get to decide on this, those that should get out more often I suspect.

The aroma..like, er, pine, but really sweet, almost mint.

Pours a lot darker than you would thing, with a great fluffy head, and honestly a pretty nice aroma of sweet, spruce, and lemons. Looks great.

Oh goodness that's not pleasant.  Could be on our way to being a republic. Glass of pine needle in water sir?

You can smell, and taste the spruce / pine in this, I've gained another wrinkle though it's a challenge.

It's not sweet, sour, bitter or full. It's an upfront full on punch in the face that leaves quickly, wherein you wonder what happened.

It's a spiced beer for sure, and taken as that it's a good beer. I was expecting something else, got something else, and then it was something else altogether.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 a of its things from the thing. If I'd sailed half way around the world and they said drink your fill I'd give it a crack. However  this is an interpretation and I imagine much less angry. Would I drink my fill of this, nope. Could I? Perhaps with a leg of Moa or something. 

The double dip review

1. Am I enjoying it? I'm still smiling and frowning on this one


2. Would I have another? I doubt it, it's more a 'show off' beer than a session


3. Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights?.. if it was some kind of banquet and there was other things in the wings then possibly, or we were dressed as pirates, could happen.

Musically - Get In! I then went to the Cure - and this - again I know some of the words - Just like heaven.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS_ux2H473I&w=560&h=315]

SPICE/HERB/VEGETABLE

Any ale or lager made with herbs, spices or vegetables. The additive should be distinctive in the aroma. See beer description for flavor. Body, color, hop character and strength vary depending on the type of spice, herb or vegetable used.

Beer - #321 - Lakefront - 25th Anniversary Series #03 Imperial Pumpkin

BeerFest continues with this the Lakefront Brewery 25th Anniversary Series #03 - Imperial Pumpkin

Brewed by Lakefront Brewery in the style of a  Spice/Herb/Vegetable and they are in Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA

[caption id="attachment_7114" align="alignleft" width="300"] Selfie[/caption]

This is a  Lager brewed with pumpkin and spices with vanilla added and aged in brandy barrels.

It pours a copper-orange with a fine, off-white head. The aroma is caramel-forward, followed by cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, oak, and subtle brandy notes. The full, moderately bright mouthfeel starts  with cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel malt, then yields Madagascar vanilla bean, oak, and brandy flavors. A lingering oak and malty sweetness are left on the palate; a reminder of how we’ve honed our craft over the past 25 years.
Like our Pumpkin Lager, this goes great with fall meals, but the intense flavors demand richer foods. Roasted or glazed foul will pair excellently: we suggest honey glazed turkey or roasted duck. Try sweet potato and butternut squash hash as a side, or a spiced butternut squash purée. Also a great a dessert beer serve it with French vanilla ice cream topped with maple glazed walnuts or a simple bread pudding with dried cranberry and pecans.

MALTS:

TWO-ROW PALE, BELGIAN ARO- MATIC, 20 L CARAMEL, PUMPKIN PUREÉ

2 row pale malt - AKA Klages. A grain that has 2 rows along the seed head. 2 row malt has more starch per unit of weight than 6 row. 2L

HOPS: MT. HOOD

Mt. Hood is a triploid aroma-type cultivar, the 1983 result of a cross between the colchicine - induced tetraploid female Hallertau mf (USDA 21397) and the USDA 19058M, male plant. It is a half-sister to Ultra, Liberty and Crystal.

An aromatic variety derived from Hallertau with a refined, spicy aroma and clean bittering. A good choice for lagers. (alpha acid: 4.0-6.0% / beta acid: 5.0-7.5%)

So - a 355ml Bottle, of an 8% ABV beer, which is about 240 calories in a 2.2 standard drink package.

Candy sweet aroma on opening, bit peppery.  This turns into a really fully sweet aroma on pouring. No head of course.

Full mouthfeel of really 'thick' tasting beer, that coats the mouth, nicely carbonated, and a bit lovely.

But is is very sweet on the palate, heavy sweet.  The aroma is quite intense and your nose gets full warning about what is about be supped.

I get a lot of impression of a spice base in this, and due of course thinking about it, it's from a brandy barrel, and so therefore I'm going to make my head think properly about the taste it's getting.

‪#‎PhilsBeeerFest14‬  has started off well then.

The Pdubyah-o-meter likes this a bit, very good at 8. There is a real burst of taste when you sup this, and the alcohol is making itself known in this too.

Easy drinking though, and as it warms more of the warm caramel shows through and the alcohol get more tart, and this tangs up the tongue. Quite enjoyable and I'm a bit happy

For no reason I'm listening to Bill Callahan, and I have the sportsball on mute on the teevee. Lots of layers and lyrical things going on.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96xpXS3hbec?list=PLDQCHcd-7i8NpcDfJRpX_gMvqXp61LUr0&w=560&h=315]

SPICE/HERB/VEGETABLE

Any ale or lager made with herbs, spices or vegetables. The additive should be distinctive in the aroma. See beer description for flavor. Body, color, hop character and strength vary depending on the type of spice, herb or vegetable used.

Related articles

• the pumpkin empire and the imperial debate


• The Parade of Pumpkins


• 5 on Friday: 5 Pumpkin Beers


• Craft Beer Explorer's Ultimate Thanksgiving Pairing Guide


• Pumpkin Time!


• Getting Smashed With The 6 Best Pumpkin Ales


• Pumpkin Beers Don't Have to Be the Worst Thing to Drink This Fall


• Lakefront 25th Anniversary Imperial Stout


• The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA

Beer - #243 - Garage Project - La Calavera Catrina

The 2nd of the day of the dead beers, this one the Garage Project La Calavera Catrina. Brewed by Garage Project This one also in the Style of a  Spice/Herb/Vegetable and of course from windy Wellington, New Zealand.

The brewer says "Blonde Lager". but they could be making that style up and mean plain old Lager of course.  650ml bottle of a 6.9% ABV beer, in NZ being 3.54 standard drink units.

La Catrina is as blonde as Day of the Dead is dark, but she’s no lightweight. The base beer is a blonde lager with a cheeky, even ironic addition of maize. Maize is an ingredient you’d normally associate with much blander lager offerings, but here it is fired up with a generous addition of organic Habanero chillis, giving Calevera a far more assertive chilli heat than the smoky chipotle of her brother. To this blonde chilli base went an addition of rose water and watermelon. The result is a complex and surprising beer we think can stand proudly beside the Day of the Dead. Cheeky, ironic, complex and firey – what more could you want in the Lady of Death? We hope you’ll give her a warm welcome.

Aroma perhaps of sour fruit on opening. Pours orange golden with a fair fluffy head, which is two in a row, on a roll here!!!

Firstly there is something nice, like watermelon, but it's a ruse because there is a rabbit punch of chilli that fair assaults you.  Made my eyes pucker.

Yes this is as pale as the other is dark. This has a front taste that the other didn't, but this is far and away more chilli bite than you'd expect, or perhaps is warranted.

It's more a pepper than than a chilli though, and it's that harsh and blunt that it has to be a bit of a 'have'. I don't doubt that making a chill beer is a challenge, but this sort of isn't that, it seems like a beer that they tipped some chilli as an addition after the fact rather than as a balanced part of a project or end goal.

Garage Project seem to be aggressively brewing different beers in an almost endless procession,  you would hope that they'd stop and think, or get some feedback from a focus group. Not that they're failing but you can wander down a pathway that might take a while to get back from. Sure they've had a few hits and misses but they tend to be close or near to the mark.

I can't see though how this beer fits with anything. It's not a beer to accompany anything, it's a bit overwhelming on the palate tanging everything up, it's not a session beer,  frankly it's a bit of a challenge (I was told it was easier drinking, it isn't),  and it's not something that I would let a friend drink, except perhaps as a prank. Which means for the pdubyah-o-meter that this is struggling to find a home. I want to say 6 - average, it has great colour, great aroma but it's just not pleasing.  Six it is making just above average, but that might be taking into account the nice things about it. of which the chilli smash isn't one of them.

So if the random score isn't about the chilli what is it about? I'm going to cower and say it looks great, pours great, has a head, and the aroma was pleasant. The chilli is "as advertised" and so therefore this is what it is. You might like it.

Probably won't.

Related articles

• Beer - #242 - Garage Project - Day Of The Dead (pdubyah.com)

Beer - #242 - Garage Project - Day Of The Dead

Keeping in theme with heavy metal then, or not, I have the pleasure of a Garage Project beer, this one  "Day Of The Dead" Brewed by Garage Project in the rather mixed style of a  Spice/Herb/Vegetable beer, and they are of course in the windy city of Wellington, New Zealand.

The brewer says "Black Lager" though , for this, a 650ml bottle of a 6.7% ABV beer, making it in NZ 3.44 standard drink units.   This would then be similar in taste then to the Rogue Farms – Dirtoir Black Lager that I had and rated a high 9, he said hopefully.

Lager, but not as we know it. Garage Project’s Day of the Dead - astrong black lager inspired by the Aztec beverage xocolatl, “a bitter, frothy, spicy drink” combining cocoa and chili. Brewed with smoked chipotle chili, refermented with organic blue agave syrup (the basis of Tequila) and conditioned over raw cocoa nibs - rich and dark, Day of the Dead is smooth and drinkable with a complex mix of smoke, chocolate and restrained chili heat. A true celebration of the dark side. First available November 1, in celebration of  El Día de los Muertos - Mexico’s Day of the Dead.

Opening you get a cocoa aroma,  Pours with a decent head, dark dark black (it does say black lager), but the aroma is hard to pick now.

To the taste though. This is sort of lager like, but it isn't. They've faffed with it of course, and then this loses the 'aaah' in lager.  What you get is a brief familiar lager introduction taste and 'bang' a sucker punch of spice zing. Not a punch in the mouth, more a playful punch on the arm.

So I'm a little confused, this is 'hot' in the way that that hard to describe, there is more a pinch at the back of the throat, and you play with trying to identify what exactly is causing it. I have no idea, so I refer to the label,  and some chipotle in tequila has been added. Makes Sense.

Not sense ending in -ible because this isn't at all sensible.  It is a good thing though. Because (a) you have no idea what you're drinking, a lager or a spiced beer (2) if you drink it all you forget that it's 3 1/2 drinks you just had, because (c) you can't easily pick that you have a beer of stronger than normal. But this brings me to (4) Could you go another ?

I don't think I could, and I have a La Calevera Catrina, in the fridge, the companion to this, and that by all counts has Chilli that might kick your teeth in - (I'm kidding) (I hope).

As this  gets warmer it begins to gather more body about it, and turns it hands to a more porter like profile. But with a kicker that is more muted but there, like a mosquito in your ear at night, just out of reach, and it appears to tail off the more you have, or the warmer it gets, and it's only a matter of degrees.

This would be a fantastic "to share" beer with friends as a discussion, and the pdubyah-o-meter says at 8 this would be a very good idea. It's not at all like the Rogue Farms Dirtoir Black Lager, but that's a good thing, because they're really not the same thing.

Beer- #184 - Yeastie Boys - Golden Age of Bloodshed

Yeastie Boys - Golden Age of Bloodshed,  Which comes from Yeastie Boys and is brewed at Invercargill Brewery in the style of a  Spice/Herb/Vegetable beer. I've also seen this described as a Belgium Pale Ale.

It's a 6.5% ABV beer, and this time I got this in a "Growler" of 2 litres from the nice people at Liquorland in Newmarket, Auckland. 500mls of a 6.5% ABV beer should be about 2.8 Standard drinks, so a growler would be about 12-ish standard drink equivalents

This is a "heavily beeted Belgian blond"  beer, So what's in store is a beer that's likely to be very pink in colour and confused in taste.

There's nothing special on the aroma, a little spicy maybe.

It's a crazy pink colour, with a lively pink fluffy head that dies away to a film.

I wasn't expecting that colour to be honest. The Aroma doesn't change much either, remains vaguely spicy in a vague way.

So to the taste.

Which ends up being of not a lot of much. You'd expect something tart from the beetroot. And the Spicy aroma you'd think would be the base of a wheat type beer.

But there isn't anything definable.

This is a beer that isn't bitter, isn't sweet, does not have a sharp finish, or a tart beginning. It's a bit, well, boring.

As it warms a bit you get a bit of 'rough' in the middle but it's not heavy, harsh, or a note on it's own. And you might begin to pick up some background banana flavour (of all things)

It's also, being fair, thin. But it's not dull or insipid. It's sweet enough to be unobtrusive, but there isn't a personality.

Overall the pdubyah-o-meter says ----- 6 making it a bit average, but at the better end of average than the "meh" end. Yeastie Boys are a bit edgy at times and have a couple of spectacular hits, the His Majesty 2012 for instance, which is awesomsauce. This however is it's shadow, an absolute swing and a miss in terms of flavour profile, but again, it isn't unpleasant or undrinkable, and I'm easily going to finish this without wondering how I'll drink the last mouthful, and that's why it's a 6 not a 5 or less.

I've drunk much much worse beer than this in terms of a profile, or point taste. This doesn't have anything standout, and if you take out "where's the single taste point", or even "what's the point"  this isn't all that bad.

Beer - #115 - Brew Moon - Olé Molé

Brew Moon (NZ) Olé Molé beer - Brewed by Brew Moon Brewing Company
in the styleof a Spice/Herb/Vegetable and that trickery happens in Amberley, North Canterbury, New Zealand.

500mls (pint) of a 5% ABV concoction, and when I say concoction : Olé Molé - A culinary beer inspired by the famous Mexican dish Mole. This beer has lots of different spices including 3 different chillis and cocoa on a bock base to produce one balanced but very sexy Mexican!

The label  says "Live Ale - keep cool and dark" They probably mean the Ale, as I'm neither cool or dark.

A new brewery to me, Brew Moon, I may have been put off by their labels before, but here goes. What do you expect from a Chilli beer? They promise a beer to be Chemical and preservative free, and this one has a bottle date in August 2013.

Right away it's very carbonated, but headless, it's a muddy cloudy beer, and there are things floating in it. Um should they have made a point about letting this settle and pouring gently, are the things a thing?

The Aroma is vegetable and cocoa. The taste is like nothing I've ever had before, There are two distinct things, the first I've forgotten but the the second is a chilli explosion on the back of the tongue, wow! wow!

The first is a wonderful temptation of flavours, I'm not quick enough to grab them. I'll keep trying.

The Chilli burst is still there, reminding your throat that it just enjoyed something. The under flavour, the first explosion flavour appears to be citrus like, but the heat, yes the heat, make it very difficult. It's like a sucker punch.

MrsPdubyah had a sip, a tiny sip, she's not talking to me for a few hours I can tell, Hot Chilli beer isn't her thing.

The pdubyah-o-meter has no idea how to rate this, but it's a 8 of it's things, making this a beer that shouldn't be discarded, but treated with a wary eye. I defy anyone to have more than one of these it's just too unusual and challenging in it's difference. As to the sediments they might warn you, then again they're integral to the thing. Delightfully  quirky and actually tasty enough to pull of a madness that shouldn't work.

Beer- #105 - Wanaka Beerworks - Oompa Loompa

Yes, Wanaka Beerworks Oompa Loompa av7.5% ABV beer in a 330ml bottle ( 2 standard drinks )  and it's brewed by Wanaka Beerworks in the sttyle of a : Spice/Herb/Vegetable beer
and they do that in a place I've visited and has a lake - Wanaka, New Zealand.

Herb infused golden/orange ale with a wicked character. Wort filtered to 16 plato, 30 IBU bitter hopping, bottle conditioned. It appears to be bottled in Feb 2012, going by the "bottle conditioned, 2 years prior" notice and a drink before Feb 2014

It says.

And its a lovely golden coloured, well carbonated beer that delivers with a head of some capacity. An earthy, sweet aroma too.

It is a bit earthy on the tongue too, but with a bit of sour. There are undefined spices or other undertones playing in there, but nothing that is bold enough to make its presence felt in a meaningful way.

I don't really know. This isn't a beer that is challenging or edgy, it's not unpleasant or difficult. Its' also not one thing or another and I don't think you could put this in a  compartment of other beers similar. I'm sure I had beers that are similarly different.

The thing is you like to be challenged in a way that either surprises or just makes you smile, not in the way that leaves you wondering what it is that you have.  For a beer with a big-ish alcohol this isn't a beer that hides that well, then again it appears to be good at hiding many things.

the pdubyah-o-meter says 7 out of 10 things from a thing. Accomplished and I'm not not loving it, I could happily drink another or two, I'd worry about the earthy lingering aroma, I'd dwell on the lovely malt taste, and think that the bitter zing that is has is a bit cheeky, but I wouldn't arm wrestle you for the last one on the shelf.

Beer - #99 -Renaissance Enlightenment Series - Great Punkin

How could I resist a beer called Great Punkin ?

Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of a  Spice/Herb/Vegetable her and they're of course in  Blenheim, Malborough, New Zealand

Great Punkin" Brewed with roasted pumpkin and a blend of spices to yield ’pumpkin pie’ notes and a deep red/orange colour. Lightly hopped with NZ Fuggle and fermented with ale yeast; medium body and moderate bitterness allow the flavour of pumpkin, spice and caramelized malts to shine through. Special thanks to Andy, Jim, Holly and JDawg.

Wow then, 500ml of a 7.2% ABV beer, bit late for Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, or what ever you'd like to call it.

There is a collision of aromas in this well carbonated beer. A lot going on. Spices, nutmeg? and I get banana, which is nothing like a pumpkin. Don't judge me. It's a magnificent burnt dark colour, deep caramel.

I'd comment on the head, but there was and now there isn't.

The taste, the taste matches the collision of the aromas, magnificent!!  There is a real rich body in this, it's quite a feat.  My experience could be improved if there was a head, and if there was some lacing. But that's a niggle. I'm not sure I can nail down any particular taste as an individual taste, this is going quietly about being a good beer.

The pdubyah-o-meter is loving this, a lot, and I'm giving myself a high-five for choosing this today. It's a 8.90 from 10 things on the scale of things. To add any more is just to gilld the lilly, and so I'm just going to sup and smile.

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Beer - #81 - Yeastie Boys - Gunnamatta IPA

There they go again, the Yeastie Boys -This time with the Yeastie Boys Gunnamatta IPA, Brewed at the Invercargill Brewery, and this one is a Spice/Herb/Vegetable beer.

"A new world India Pale Ale with subtle grapefruit and lemon hop flavours intermingling amongst the explosive bergamot orange and leafy aromatics of the ‘Earl Grey Blue Flower’ English tea.

Inspired by the instrumental surf rock opening track of Paul Kelly’s 2004 album ‘Ways and Means’. as Paul Kelly says himself: "Deeper water, leading me on..."

cripes... 330ml of a 6/5% People’s Choice Winner at Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular 2012 beer, that's talking it up a bit don't you think?

After the day I had this could be a panacea and good for what ails me. And opening was a surprise and the contents so keen to see the light of day came forth.... all over the table. Pale and golden, nice frothy head (given the excitable nature I'd expect nothing less), but leaves no lacing in the glass.

This is a very aromatic on the palate beer, floral, almost violet, and there is some lemon, and on top of a nice mellow malt, and a background of  the astringent.  A mixed bag really. It does a good job at providing a distraction for my day just past. This is unusual as a beer, it has a nice mouthfeel, and the right carbonation, and presents itself as a respectable thing. I like it.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as an easy 8.5 arbitrary things, and I'm smiling because you actually never know what it is you're getting until you get it. I don't get why it's an IPA though, there is some more research that I need to make before making bold claims like that, but I guess it has to sit somewhere on the scale of things.

A nice little beer, in a nicely presented bottle, from those nice people at Yeastie boys, and thank you to the nice man at Liquorland who never ceases to amaze me with his ability to stock such a great range of beer.  Surf's up!

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Beer - #76 - Mussel Inn - Captain Cooker Manuka Beer

Mussel Inn Captain Cooker Manuka Beer, then. MrsPdubyah is watching the teevee and this seems like a distraction. Its a pretty pink label and it holds within a 330ml  portion of a 5% ABV beer, but wait...

This is brewed by the world Famous Mussel Inn in the syle of a Spice/ Herb/ Vegetable beer and they're world famous in Onekaka, New Zealand

I'm going to expect all this "A red brown beer flavoured with the freshly picked tips of the Manuka tree. A very distinctive beer with proven medicinal qualities. The only one out of 240 New Zealand beers to rate 10 out of 10 in Keith Stewarts book 'The complete guide to New Zealand Beer'. Also featured in 'Best - a New Zealand compendium'. Compiled by Ella Griffiths, published by Awa Press. Also available on tap at Hopgood's in Trafalgar St. Nelson, The Abbey at Appleby and Jester House in Tasman"

Medicinal beer. Proven. (puts Skeptical hat to one side), perhaps this is the beer that is a cure for a hangover....

On the aroma I get a bit of honey....  I'd struggle to say this was a "red" on the pour. There is a bunch of other things going on in the aroma, none of which I get but I'm reaching for.

There is honey and I get Turkish Delight on the palate. Turkish Delight! I'm making things up, but no that's what I have - you might think roses or rose water, I have a sweet tooth.  It's not over hopped, and the sweetness undernotes are not that bad.

The carbonation is good, there's an sense that this is a solid predictable beer , and that the next one would be the same, a confidence, for something a bit edgy that's a big thing.

I still  get a candy floss, turkish delight or rose water thing, and I think that's by design. The carbonation is a bit annoying too, that's something I could do without to be honest. I might be looking for more a honey sweetness if I was going to have a bash at this for an evening, As a once-er or a round-table for a consensus this isn't such bad thing.

Lets get to the gritty, Keith Stewart is a plank to suggest this is a 10/10, Ella Griffiths also needs to get out more. This isn't a 10/10 or a best of anything ever, not even ow!. I'd hate to have to make a top 10 though, but I do know this isn't close by a mile.

It's not bad but at the arbitrary pdubyah-o-meter this isn't more than 6 arbitrary things from 10 other arbitrary things. Look hey if you brought me a 6 pack over I'd admire you and we'd chew the fat, but there are thicker and longer beers than this, not that this is thin, it's just not a stayer, and barely a starter. I think you'd tire of the roses pretty smartish, I've got the end of this and I'm glad it was 330ml and not 500ml.

If you're going to show off something that it somehow a unique New Zealand thing, the Manuka, the honey then fill your boots. If it's something a little more than a beer for a diplomat or your mother in law that you're looking for then this might not be the beer for you.

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Beer - #73 - De Molen - Bed and Breakfast

For the second act I present De Molen Bed & Breakfast,  This is a beer you have to enjoy within 2 years, says the label.  In a panic I realise that this is brewed in the style of a  Spice / Herb / Vegetable beer,  by Brouwerij de Molen in Bodegraven, Netherlands. The one I have was bottled on the 23rd August this year, it's still in the cot! I'm not waiting 2 years to enjoy this, sorry.

And for real - a vegetable beer!. I feel like I'm plumbing new depths. The label indicates a coffee expectation. A 330ml bottle of a 4.4% ABV beer, which is about standard. I'm a bit scared about opening this based on the last beer I had, the Heen and Weer.

This one is so excitable in the bottle even before I pour it it's trying to escape, all over the place, and then there is coffee in abundance.

Pale yellow with a frivolous head, I'm still smarting from being caught out by the aroma, which really is all of coffee. This must be by design, the aroma not the catching me out.

Surprise! the taste is of coffee. Fizzy cold coffee, and a bit of chocolate. I'm intrigued by this because it's strangely odd and alluring.  There is an hoppiness underlying the taste, you can tell it's there.

A confusing state of affairs to arbitrarily make this an arbitrary score on the pdubyah-o-meter and I get a 6. But only because coffee aside this is a bit thin, and if you're going to be a leader you need to deliver on more than one thing, I think. If they could get a little more out of this it'd be a something, that might be cranking up the alcohol to make this a finisher beer, but at it's current strength it sits as a curiosity.

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