Beer - #335 - Renaissance - Odyssey Wit Beer

Ok, I have to call it a night sometime, and I want to go out on a high  - Renaissance Odyssey Wit Beer it might be.

Small 250ml bottle of a 5.2% ABV beer, 1.2 standard drinking in NZ (330 ml being a standard drink volume)... 156  calories. They all mount up the calories, I've seen the chore list tomorrow, I consider it pre-loading...

Brewed by Renaissance Brewing this is in the style of a Belgian White (Witbier), and they are in Blenheim, New Zealand last I looked

 Odyssey Wit beer is brewed the traditional Belgian style. Delightfully refreshing, almost everything about Wit beer is a bit different, from the beginning of the brewing process when a high proportion of wheat, both malted and raw, provides crispness. Coriander and orange peel are added during the boil to harmonise the flavours. The addition of spices harks back to the days before hops, when spices or ’gruit’ were used instead. Lastly, special yeast is used to give a unique hazy white look and a spicy refreshing flavour. Serve with summer BBQ or antipasto.

I got so sqiffy I changed my eyes to the external distanc assisted versions. If only I could afford lasik or hadn't thought so many bad things as a teenager.

 The opening

Well, It is getting late, the table is crowded and so I went with what was to hand for a glass.

Lots of orange, and that's all I have to say about that.  Poured flat, and I tried to high pour to make a head, but alas it looks like lucozade in the glass a bit unappealing.

Unappealing to look at and to hold to the light.

The Taste.

Well....

Lets move straight to the pdubyah-o-meter then, which rounds on 5 this to be a  on the scale of things.

The Conclusion

I Didn't like it, it was flat, insipid looking and disappointing, It didn't have an aroma  and that carried to the palate where it delivered no length, carry, finish middle or low or high notes..

Shocker. What then the 5 - average. Oath it's average. It isn't poor, it isn't undrinkable, well it nearly is, but it isn't tart, difficult, over yeasty or over anything. It's just not much,

Smaller bottle = better beer - yeah - na.

The Three Point Turn

Am I enjoying it?  Nooooo.
Would I have another?  Noooo

Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Noooo

 

 

It was that kind of evening where you thought you might be 18 again. For me this was a bit of Yazoo, but to could have also been Bronski Beat..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yod7jc8U94&w=420&h=315]

Bronski Beat....  bonus point if you get the link between the two.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuz94ZIPfJk&w=420&h=315]

 

BELGIAN WHITE & WITBIER

Belgian style wheat beers are very pale, opaque, with the crisp character of wheat, plus the citric refreshment of orange peel and coriander. Ingredients sometimes also include oats for smoothness, and other spices such as grains of paradise. Serve with light cheeses or mussels.

 

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Beer - #312 - Renaissance - Voyager India Pale Ale

So the last of the christmas beers. A Renaissance Voyager India Pale Ale.

Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of an India Pale Ale (IPA) and they are still in Blenheim, New Zealand

Familiar 500ml bottle of a 6% ABV beer, making it 2.4 standard rinks units, 180 calories a serving too.

Designed first and foremost to be served on beer engines and in the future as a cask or bottle conditioned ale, this beer is inspired by the boldly hoppy Ales of old that were exported from Britain to the furthest corners of her vast and glorious empire, Voyager I.P.A. is a rich satisfying Ale with an emphatic hop bite. 

It is brewed with pale ale malt from Canterbury, and small additions of European specialty malts to yield a malt base on which to build its hop edifice. 

We generously hop it with two Kiwi hop varieties for bitterness then finish it with Fuggles (as a nod to I.P.A.’s British origin) and New Zealand bred Riwaka hops for a spicy floral finish.

Righty.

Burst of hop grassiness on opening

Pours, well, like a volcano. It's really really really over carbonated and hasn't settled or looks like settling. What's with that?

Colour of the beer you can see it orange golden, the head is 2/3 of the glass and fully aerated and bubbles. It's just bubbles. Who wants to drink bubbles, and not the champagne ones either, I like those.

So I get sourness, and oliness as taste sensations. The Sourness I can put to a hop characteristic though. The beer  is cloudy and doesn't settle, it's like there is a party going on in the glass for bubbles only.

I don't like the sourness, but that's not it's not a character of the beer, I'm sure it is, it's not one that floats my boat in this instance, because you can also pick grassiness in the tastes.

The pdubyah-o-meter unconvinced says 5 - making this arbitrarily average on the scale of arbitrary things.

I wanted to like this more, which seems a common thing, but it fails to deliver, for me.  I'm going to have to check but now I think Renaissance are a bit up and down, hit and miss, or more precisely unreliable as a choice of beer in a panic, and that's not a good thing.

Spotify chose for me "Interpol"  the band, and that's ok with me.

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

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.

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Beer - #263 - 8 Wired - Bumaye

Another beer making it to the front of the fridge after hiding in the back for a while is  a 8 Wired Bumaye - Brewed by 8 Wired Brewing styled as a Imperial Stout and they do this magic in Blenheim, New Zealand

16% ABV beer in a 330ml bottle,  480!!! calories, and it comes in at 50IBU's. Pacific Jade and Chinook hops. This would be an incredible 4.2 standard drink units in NZ.



Sometimes - OK, rather often, actually - I find myself asking, "How far can we take it?" Now, obviously a number of overseas breweries have shown us that 16% abv is by no means the limit, but Keeping in mind that flavour should be the main objective at all time, the conception of 

Bumaye was one of those moments. To make it we started out with the baddest imperial stout we have ever brewed, and then added loads of tasty sugars to the fermenter foe extra flavour. To smooth out the roughness, we allowed the beer to mellow in Pinot Noir barrels for more than a year, actually  16 months in Pinot Noir barrels from Marlborough's Mud House Winery

The name? I have been surprised how few people understand the meaning straight away. It's not "Bum Eye" as many people seem to think, It's BumaYE! As in "Ali, Bumaye!" Lifted from what was perhaps the most famous boxing match of all times, The Rumble in the Jungle, between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The match was fought in Zaire and quite famously (I thought) the locals were all cheering for Ali, chanting "Ali, Bumaye!" which in English means "Ali, Kill Him". A fitting name for the most agressive beer we have made to date.

I have been looking forward to this, and Friday I'm in love. Hoping for a continuance of the rather good run of beers. I have this and a Stone Ruination to help me cope. That and loads of ham left over from the 25th. Loads.

Music playing in the background is from the artist "Birdy" - Fire Within. MrsPdubyah said so.

Totally intense rich fruit and chocolate on opening as an aroma.  Pours like it's syrup but without a head so it appears flat, although I can see bubbles dancing so all is not lost.

Rich almost throat catchingly intense aroma, chocolate, raisins, and something else, citrus like, or maybe pepper, I'm not that reliable.

Wow that's a lot like dark wines when you taste it, the tannin really gives this a fruity kick in the pants, the pinot clearly standing it's own ground.

What over things are there, I get a bunch of slightly bitter things, and notes of citrus fruits. There is more than a skerrick of sourness and it does have a dry finish, a long long dry finish, this has length like you'd not believe.

I'm having are al internal dialogue about if I'm getting the taste I'm getting because I'm trying to be a wine snob, or if I over-reached myself, or the things I'm tasting are for real and not a remnant imagination of a beer-snob.

Is this a beer, yes. Is this a beer left to do its thang in barrels that had Pinot grapes making wine in them. yes. It is a wine infused beer. In the same way that there are whiskey infused beers, and some darned good ones, like the Ola Dubh, this then is an exercise in fiscal prudence, What else can you do with old wine barrels? You can recycle them to the craft brewer :-)

The beer is warming in the glass, I know it's not been long,  a couple of runs and a wicket at the cricket and a song or two. There is still a great fruit aroma, that's the Pinot. But in my experience this is a sweeter smell than sniffing a wine, and I'm not about to open a wine to check, although I should, and would if this was a paid gig.

It still sits in the glass looking sullen dull and flat, a brown brown colour of little excitement and invite. The carbonation is about right though and this is actually pretty nice. It's also a bit dangerous as because as you poke around on your tongue for the flavours you managed to imbibe slightly more than you thought.

The pdubyah-o-meter says that this is a clever beer, and it's very good and a bit so that would be 8.25, I'm not going to rush out and high 5 anyone because I had one, and I'm actually not sure I'm going to get one as a present for anyone anytime soon. I think this this a beer of a type, where the type is "infuse with".

The great run comes to an end, it's not a disaster I just didn't get fireworks. All that's left is ham......

oh and the Stone Ruination....

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Beer - #228 - Renaissance Enlightenment Series - Fresh Hop Benelux Ale

So to the fridge he dashes, and grabs for the Renaissance Enlightenment Series Fresh Hop Benelux Ale.  Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of a : Belgian Ale, and they do that in Blenheim, New Zealand.

Fresh Hop Benelux Ale. You see, it is not quite a Belgian style, but kind of in that region. We based this on a Blonde and brewed it with a mixture of yeasts and a large portion of freshly harvested Wakatu hops. The result, a bright straw coloured ale with a fruity nose and creamy palate. Notes of spice, earth, tropical fruit, and hop resin.

500ml bottle, of a 7% ABV beer, making it 2.8 standard drinks.

After a long drive home from the beach house I was looking forward to sitting down and relaxing with this. However it didn't happen.

Instead i waited, and Wednesday was big night in, and after a more then acceptable curry from my new favourite restaurant I got to hankering.

Intriguing fruit laden aroma, Rich brown poor, but not much of a head,  and that really interesting almost chocolate (this time) aroma, and then it settles to a familiar Belgium beer aroma. It's a thing.

An interesting mouthful that, sort of thin and lacking in depth, but also with a reasonable back of sweetness.  It's a thing.

This isn't so much muddled as confused. I like it. It doesn't have that sharp alcohol burn that you get with some Belgium beers, but it has the aroma and the colour.

It has a sourness, but it's fairly soft, and I may have mentioned seems a bit thin. The Pdubyah-o-meter thinks this is about an 8 - very good - on the arbitrary scale of things, and I probably would buy this again. Yes I would, despite it not making it higher on the scale of things.

Recapping then, Smells like Belgium, looks like Belgium, has a nice caramel things going on, lacks the alcohol note, is a bit thin, doesn't carry. Other than than, it's a bit good :-)

 

 

Beer - #224 - Moa - Breakfast

Indeed, a beer called "Breakfast" which raised the hackles when it was first launched a while back. But continuing with the lighter frivolousness of a Sunday then I have in front of me  -  Moa Breakfast - Brewed by Moa Brewing Company as a  Fruit Beer from the warm and sunny Blenheim, New Zealand

Moa Breakfast is a blend of premium wheat malt, floral Nelson hops and cherries. A very refreshing and fruity lager specifically designed as a European-style breakfast beer but more commonly enjoyed as a mid-afternoon beverage in New Zealand.

Although not always. 

1.62 drinks of a 5.5%ABV beer in a fancy cork and cage 375ml custom made bottle .

Always something special to open a cork contained beer, the Moa people take some effort in marketing and packaging, although I've found their beers to be a bit hit and miss, still you can't win them all.

reconstituted cork gives a decent little pop on opening, and a really nice light fruit/flower aroma to follow. Pours straw yellow with a giant sized head, I've still got the touch. The aroma is still very appealing.  No sign of the giant white fluff abating either.

The taste however is somewhat disappointing and insipid. It almost chemical in it's delivery of whatever taste it's trying to deliver. The sherbet aroma does not mirror the delivery from the glass. I didn't get strong fruits, although you could argue for cherry perhaps, probably wouldn't

So up front a bit sour, and bubble gum, very short palate, and no length of carry. Thin as straw too. So there you have it not a complete success. The pdubyah-o-meter  at 5 thinks this is average.

The idea of a breakfast beer doesn't mean that you can forego taste or palate in a beer, and this appears to be missing both those. It looks great, upfront aroma is nice, pours great, and then, well the wheels fall off.

I leave you with the tasting notes:
Moa Breakfast is a wheat beer based lager with a subtle, sweet cherry aroma and taste. Hints of almond, banana and vanilla characters can also be detected. Low bitterness levels and an absence of strong malt characters emphasise these fruit flavours. Moa Breakfast can either be poured carefully off the lees or alternatively with the lees mixed in if a stronger yeast character is desired. Moa Breakfast is best served at approximately 4°C in a pilsner glass.

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Beer - #198 - 8 Wired - HopWired IPA

8 Wired HopWired IPA. Brewed by  8 Wired Brewing , although brewed at Renaissance Brewing in the sttyle: India Pale Ale (IPA) and that's all the thing in Blenheim, New Zealand.

7.3% ABV making 500ml about 2.9 standard drinks. And at 70 IBU is at the higher end of IPA.

We believe HopWired is the first bottled version of a true new world India Pale Ale made with NZ grown base malt and 100% truly unique NZ hops. We bet you’ll find nothing else like it on the shelves. Although the malty sweetness is there, this beer is all about the hops. Unlike an American I.P.A. which will mainly hit you with a grapefruity-citrus flavour and aroma, the unique NZ hops used in HopWired are more like a tropical punchbowl: Passion fruit, lime, oranges and Sauvignon Blanc to name but a few. A local Marlborough winemaker said it smelled like gooseberries... Gooseberries? Who has ever smelled a gooseberry?? Decide for yourself or just enjoy it without further complications. Cheers!

This has a muted hoppy/grass aroma, which is really nice on the nose. Pours a lovely rimu brown with an understated head.  Aroma is stronger of the grass/hops that you'd be expecting.

This is interesting. I was expecting sharper more acidic taste, and I get a much softer bite than I would have expected or be expecting. It's not nearly as bitter as it could be.

There are some intriguing under-notes to this,  not grapefruit but something similar. It's an all-on mouthful.  Leaves a lovely lacing on the glass too.

So where is this at? It's not abundantly bitter, it's not overly layered with flavours. It's not tart and it's not sweet. It carries ok, but is short of a good length, but that does not make it thin.

Like many others I like this a good deal. The pdubyah-o-meter says easily a 9, which may be over-generous, but this for sure a very quaffable and amiable beer to be drinking. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my evening with this, and I'm listening to Buddy Guy - the  "Skin Deep" Album,  it's a Chicago Blues thing, and just now, just today it's right on the money :-)

Thanks to the nice people at Liquorland In Newmarket for having this "on tap" and available for take-home in a handy 2l container. Hey this one... it's only about 12 standard drink units.... stand by

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Beer - #174 - Renaissance - Enlightenment Series - Scotch on Rye 70/- Ale

For a Friday then, the Renaissance Enlightenment Series Scotch on Rye 70/- Ale.

..it means ’70 shilling’ (sigh, OK, I will tell the whole story). We were asked to make a big malty beer that is lower in alcohol than a Scotch Ale so we went to the source and brewed another Scottish style, the 70/- Ale. Malty and satisfying without too much kick. Oh and we brewed this one with Rye... because Rye not! We also used oats and wheat in the mash for flavour and mouth-feel and then left the brew to age on Oak until it was smooth and mellow.

Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of a  Scotch Ale in the most unlikely of places - Blenheim, New Zealand. A  500ml, 4.8%ABV bottle of beer. (2 standard drinks worth).  and an IBU of 17 - which is in the range for Scottish Beers. Best drunk at between 8-10 degrees C. Well it's pretty cold out so lets try it.

Light bready yeast on opening, surprisingly dark brown colour, plenty of carbonation fizz, and a meagre head.  the aroma settles to a sweet fruit.

There is a lovely maltiness and balanced bitterness, with a pretty long note. You know you've had a mouthful of beer. Surprisingly multi layered and very entertaining!

I like it but there is a 'tang' in there somewhere, perhaps the Rye? it's sort of in the middle, might be mistaken for "rubber".  I'm not saying it'll put you off, but it's something you might need to be aware of that is a character of the beer.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this 7.5 of things - making it a better then good beer.  It's a quirky beer, and it might be a one shot deal. It is different, it isn't "strong" in terms of alcohol content, and therefore relies on a taste profile. Not sure that it hits any of the marks well, but close enough is good enough.

Beer - #173 - Renaissance - Enlightenment Series - The Age of Raisin

AND it's back home to NZ and ironically a Belgium style beer - Renaissance Enlightenment Series The Age of Raisin. of course Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of a  Belgian Ale and that's in a place I haven't been - Blenheim, New Zealand

A Belgium Ale being lower in alcohol than other Belgium beer styles (Typically under 7% ABV).

This one a 500ml bottle of 6.5% ABV beer - which is 2.8 standard drinks- IBU might be 17.5

Age of Raisin is aromatic, spicy, light brown Belgian style ale brewed with raisins and passion (27% passion by volume). Raisins were added to the boil and fermenter to yield a subtle background flavour to this rich and flavoursome brew. The passion was added using our own secret method....

So for a start "Secret Method" I hope they don't mean succussion or 'added syrup', and bejeebus 27% passion? What happened did someone forget or not know what "passion" was?

And who are Enlightenment Brewing ? And why do they have the same beer in the same packaging ?

In brewing this ale we added jumbo raisins from California [to our mind the best kind] to the brewing process, both before and after fermentation. We also used Aromatic malt from Gladfield in Canterbury and Abbey Malt, Belgian Special B, as well as CaraBelge malt from Europe.

The beer was fermented with a special Belgian yeast to impart spicy notes and then filtered and infused with even more raisins.

Which is less scary than "Secret Method"

and....... back in the room .......  On opening there is a fruit aroma (go on I'll say raisin) This is a dark beer, with not so much of a head as an effort, and the aroma settles to a big raisin base. It doesn't seem overly carbonated, and looks a bit flat and wine like in the glass.

There is a huge amount of raisin note, a lot of fruit and caramel at the front, but a back note of something burnt that settles on a fairly tart and bitter end. The aroma meanders away from raisin and I'm going to be unkind and suggest wavers towards rubber glue.

This is trying to be fruity and clever, it isn't and it isn't. It's an odd mix of something and another that doesn't quite hit a spot that it might be aiming for. It's clever in the way that it's clever, but it's not clever in a way that makes you wonder why no one thought of it first. And then you get why.

It's not actually very pleasant.

The aroma wanders around from raisin and that of rubber glue. There is a tart under note that lingers around being a nuisance, it pours like it's flat with little carbonation.  As to 'passion' that might have been the 'angst' that the brewer had and not a reference to a fruit. But then I might not be enlightened enough.

The pdubyah-o-meter hates this a 27% passion at 5. And that's all I have to say. except :- Average, not a lot of redeeming features. Nothing to write home about.  Too fruity, too tart, bit tacky. Not good.

I'm disappointed Renaissance are a real swing and a hope and the variance in the delivery and quality of beer makes it hard to remain a fan. Their Barley Wine is awesome,the Stout and the Punkin are very good,  their White IPA is a tragedy, as is the Raisin.

As someone that likes a good Belgium style beer I've had the unfortunate experience of having nothing a good Belgium beer. I might have a love-hate thing going on, and it's true you can't please everyone all of the time.

 

Beer - #165 - 8 Wired - Grand Cru 2011

All Poshed up with this then : 8 Wired Grand Cru 2011  - Brewed by 8 Wired Brewing in the style of a : Abt/Quadrupel and as always that's all happening in Blenheim, New Zealand

A Quadrupel!, actually  a Barrel Aged, Sour Quadruple - and I chose it by the label without reading it, a sucker for packaging. I probably would have brought it anyway had I thought it through. On the packaging all the labels are crinkly - they say because of deformed bottles - beauty is in the eye....

So it's an 11%ABV beer  in a 375ml bottle, thats 3 standard drinks worth.

Aged for 16 months in Pinot Noir Barrels with Brettanomyces and Pediococcus.

Grand Cru started out as The Sultan. When we made this beer last year I filled 8 old Pinot Noir barrels and more or less forgot about it. The native bugs in the barrels kept fermenting the beer, making it slightly sour. To further enhance the funky character, I blended it with 2 barrels of a Flanders Red kinda thing, that has also been fermenting funky for about 18 months.

Which screams of  - to minimise a loss we've thrown something together - given it a fancy name, and an impressive looking label, and sell it for a goodly margin. At least they're up-front. I'm not sure that this isn't the whole ethos of 8 wired though - a bit of hit and hope. Unless I'm just being cruel for the sake of it.

Anyway.  Opening aroma is cider apple. It's a murky cloudy pour, with an effort at a head but not a good one, the sour aroma remains. I guess it could be tannin wine? It settles to a red-wine nose though.

So it's fizzy red-wine then. Or is it. It's got a lot of what seems like cherry flavour. And it does have a wine background and nose, but does not carry the roughness of the tannin that get with some red wines.

This is at both times then a bit cranky and weird, but odd and comforting. It's not a hard drink, and you'd forget that this is a strong beer, and being as how it's a large serve you'll soon be squiffy if you take it lightly.

The off-putting thing is the muddy cloudy colour, and to be honest I would have enjoyed more head, well to be honest any head.  The up-side is that this has an understated sourness, none of the tannin rough, no after burn from alcohol and is pretty tasty.

I can see how this might not please either a wine drinker or a beer drinker. It says Quadrupel, and it probably could say anything. I have to bow to their description.

The pdubyah-o-meter is confused as all heck, but seems that an 8.5 is a good score. I like it but I don't love it, It would a fantastic beer to crack out in a bar and impress your less well travelled companions, and as a gift to a wine drinker this might be something to consider.

Would I rush out an get another? Possibly not. Would it get better with age? It's not a wine, it's doubtful. Am I ashamed at dissing them with insinuations of hit and hope? A little, yes.

An update to this : I have brought more, and I really like it, it's clever and a tidy small drink to finish you off for the evening. I should revise my score and be more generous. This really is good.

 

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Beer - #152 - 8 Wired - Tall Poppy India Red Ale

Back to something from a more established NZ brewery - the 8 Wired Tall Poppy India Red Ale - 8 Wired Brewing which is brewed at Renaissance Brewing, this one in the style of a  Amber Ale
and they're in Blenheim, New Zealand.

500ml bottle, 7% ABV, thats 2.8 Standard drink units, and 60 IBU's so at the lower end for IPA .... stand by for incoming......

Tall Poppy - India Red Ale This is an ale that is not afraid of standing tall among other great beers. The intense, sharp and fruity hoppiness is backed by its complex, caramel-like malty structure. Big, yet refreshing. Bold but balanced. This beer has been designed to have it all, to be the greatest common denominator.

Love the play on words they manage.

This sounds like the business but this is s brewer who takes risks and has delivered a mixed bag, in my opinion.

The immediate hop aroma is really nice, not ones I'm familiar with (Warrior, Columbus, Simcoe, Amarillo) Fantastic dark red colour, reasonable head,  and that fantastic aroma, almost spicy.

There's a mouthful of flavour too, caramel malts, backed with a fair hit of bitterness.

If anything this ends a little "dry" in the mouth, but there isn't a lot to tell you you're drinking a reasonably strong beer by way of alcohol astringent.

In the glass, given a few minutes, this really begins to bloom and blossom. this might be that I'm a bit over average beers in my enthusiasm, but this light up a lot of buttons on the pdubyah-o-meter. It could be that I'm comfortable with the bitterness that this delivers, or the way that the caramel and malt combine with the whole to make a nice.

The pdubyah-o-meter says 8.5, which makes this a fair decent beer. I'm happily necking this like there is no tomorrow, and I'll suddenly realise that there is only the one, and this is it.

For all it's good points I didn't get a head, I get no lacing, and if anything it's under hopped. It's easily drinkable, and if I was where this was on tap I'd be more than happy to pull up a barstool order me some fries and have a another, or two.

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Beer - #143 - Renaissance - Enlightenment - White As Wheat IPA

Renaissance - Enlightenment - White As Wheat IPA. A most unlikely beer Brewed by Renaissance Brewing In the style of a  Wheat Ale in Blenheim, New Zealand.



Unfiltered beers are prized by artisan brewer worldwide who relish a pint that’s cloudy and hazy with nothing striped away. We do too, so at Renaissance, our White IPA is packed with unmalted wheat and doses on NZ grown American hops. Aromas of dried tangerine and fresh citrus. A luscious body with a lingering evergreen finish. Think of it as a beer made, and served the way way nature intended, "cloudy as."

500ml 74% ABV (2.8 Standard drink units), of which I'm expecting something nice.

Cloudy, golden yellow, fruity citrus not to astringent. All of that.

It's cloudy, smells musty, seems to pour flat, and I got nothing by way of head. It's also darker brown than I'd expected.

It tastes ok though :-), syrupy, malty sweet, and just a touch of alcohol on the back. It's not half bad. There is however a bunch of grassy notes in this too. Bit of a melange of things. And that's not half good.

A confusing set to deliver, not as quiet and settled as a traditional wheat beer, and not an IPA either. Soft of a half/half and in doing so not quite making a whole one.

So, the pdubyah-o-meter says 5. and that's just because I want to enjoy this more. As a beer for the evening this has left me a bit empty and I might struggle to finish it, but I will, and mumble under my breath about each moutfull. It might be that  I just don't get the Wheat/IPA thing, but there is possibly a good reason that  this isn't a thing. Perhaps I should have thought it through some more.

Not for the faint of heart, and this might just ring your bell, but this is not for me

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Beer - #125 - Moa - Five Hops

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company in the style of a  Premium Bitter/ESB  brewed in the Marlborough region , Blenheim, New Zealand

Premium! none of the riff-raff. All cage and Cork too , you get a premium delivery for such a small bottle 330ml of what is described on the label as a winter Ale of 6.2% ABV beer.

Moa Five Hop winter ale shows the unique signatures of traditional North European bottle conditioning. Displaying a Nelson-dominant hoppy nose with a subtle oak character leaving extra smooth and creamy, honeyed characters on the palate. A well-balanced companion to eastern style spiced foods. Traditionally served just below room temperature.

Nelson Dominant?  Moa Five Hop Winter Ale utilises pilsner, Vienna, Munich and crystal malts to produce a distinctive mouth feel and flavour. New Zealand grown B Saaz and Hallertau aroma hops are used.

To me this says "We have a few bags of a few things left over let's just chuck them in"

I have no idea why Moa beers carry a cachet of quality, taste, and remarkable, but I fall for it every time.

And back to earth this has nose-full of hops, which is somewhat re-assuring, it's well carbonated, carried a decent head, which tinges orange coloured. and is decent beer orange colour (they're not related I hope.)

The aroma portends a sour taste... here goes.... and ..... that's interesting. It's quite lovely, the hoppy combination is a bit of a joy, nothing that it going to shock you, and as a taste it's not at the extreme end of the scale.

I like beer, and although I enjoy the sweeter beers, getting back to a hoppy taste is something that makes me smile, and somehow resolve to have more of it. I'm entranced by this small bottle of apparent magic. It's quite mellow offers up a slight bittery finish and does not crease the brow with a difficult combination of things. It's alright by me.

After the sweeter Belgium beers this is a welcome and remarkable beer,  lots of tastes despite the apparent initial  lack of aroma, which arrives as it warms, and in that weird way matches the taste that you get.

This is good enough for an 8 on the pdubyah-o-meter, I could get carried away and say that it's as good as your money back, but it isn't. It's nice, very nice, nicely delivered, sense of occasion and does what it says. Impress your friends and get some, it'll  be expensive and you should have a stand-by or alternative to go to.

For me it leads me back to the hoppy beers... and when you start to think about the types of beer and how they fit on sliding scale should bring joy to the heart.

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Beer- #100 - 8 Wired - Superconductor

Well, we're 100 not out, literally, since so far my the beers have all been from the bottle shop and enjoyed in the pleasure of the home. Makes me a bit of a no-mates. So to get me over that loneliness I'm going to to have some of the 8 Wired Superconductor, and I'm going to Spotify The XX - Coexist, because the TV has been hijacked by the ladies who are watching X-Factor or whatever that's called.

8 Wired Brewing  who get theirs brewed at Renaissance Brewing, Blenheim, New Zealand, this one in the style of an  Imperial/Double IPA.

The label says "if you don't like hops don't buy this beer". It's feisty this one.

500ml bottle of an 8.8% ABV beer (that's equivalent to 3.5 standard drinks)

Holy heck that's a hophead amount of aroma, but it also has a sweetness of caramel malts. The Hops have a pine note to them. Naturally I can't pour with a head, you'd think by now that i'd have got the knack.

And that's very much a significant amount of bitter hops on the palate. Not so much that you suck air in through tangy lips, but that's a noise that's making itself heard. (it does say on the label.....)  That pine aroma seems to carry through to the taste, this is very long as a taste.

This is, though, a pleasant and drinkable golden coloured beer, and again a bit of a winner from 8 Wired.  The pdubyah-o-meter makes this a solid 8 things. This isn't going to be a beer that satisfies or impresses everyone. It's more at the bitter end of the scale than the softer sweeter end, and it probably should be enjoyed with something that stands up to it by way of a food match. In the end though this does push my boundary for hops and bitter, and I'm going to bid a bit of a retreat from the edge.

100 beers (that I've written about, I wish that was all my intake, but you know I'd be telling you a fib), and this one seems a reasonable way to get there.

Beer- #71 - Moa Imperial Stout

Woo Hoo - Moa Imperial Stout, custom bottle, cork, cage, all happening in a 375Ml of 10.2% ABV bottle of beer.

Brewed by Moa Brewing Company - Blenheim, New Zealand And this is the style of an Imperial Stout.

"Moa Imperial Stout Barrel Reserve is a very strong, upfront and rich offering of this famous Moa style. Aged in oak Pinot Noir barrels, this beer not only displays coffee and mocha characters but also some sweet and savory notes unique to Moa Imperial. This award winning Stout is seasonally produced and available for short periods each year. " They said

So at 10.2% ABV this isn't a quaffing beer, unless quaffing means something else that I'm not aware of.

I'd hate for there to be a unsightly accident if the cork flew out of this, and despite my trepidation it came out with barely a whimper.

Pours dark and rich, lots of fizz from the carbonation, and I get an Aniseed aroma. There's a bit of a mish mash of taste in it, nothing overt or leading, and teasing mouthfeel as you reach for the taste description.

There is a richness of taste in this, but as much as I'd like I can't get the coffee or mocha, but I do understand the tannin like thing going on. There's even some spice or fruit, it's not getting worse the longer it's in the glass.

The pdubyah-o-meter needs a little tap on the dial to make it move, and it arbitrarily and reluctantly gets to a 5 arbitrary things from 10.

The Stout market is well served with some very very good offerings, and I'd love to say that this was one of them. The presentation is magnificent, and you could get the impression that they're hoping that appearance counts for a bit. Sadly the contents don't appear to be able to reach the same wonderment that the packaging promises. Shame that.

If you're wanting to show off  to mates then this is for you, if you actually want a good Stout then perhaps give this a bit of a miss.

I'm sipping this (I told you it wasn't quaffing beer) watching some sport, and having a bit of Kaimai Creamy Blue, from Waharoa. It says it's a Buttery velvet mild peppery cheese. It's not. I think this is a tad long in the package and is almost bland and unpleasant.  The crackers are nice though.

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Beer – #49 – Renaissance - Craftsman Chocolate Stout

Renaissance - Craftsman Chocolate Stout, Brewed by Renaissance Brewing in the style of a Stout, in Blenheim, New Zealand

Expecting dark, Expecting Chocolate, and hoping that it pours with head.

500Ml of a 4.9% ABV  beer in a bottle that says pint, and there I was thinking I was making it up, and that 568ml is a pint. Brewers privilege.

It pours like a thick liquid, definitely dark pitch black, and I was kidding myself if I expected a head. I really have to figure this out.

There is no aroma that I can resolve, but the taste is all there. A complete range of chocolate, coffee, a little burnt stuff, lots of bubbles.  Quite subtle, and full of intrigue. There isn't a long taste to this though, it's all on the palate and then it's all gone. Mind you each mouthful is it's own reward and I've got no problem with that.

Arbitrarily though this is about 8 from 10 arbitrary things from an equally arbitrary number. It's ok, it's very ok, but it's sort of muddled in the taste but I'm not going to turn this away it you're buying. Of it's kind it's a winner, if only I could pour it with a head I could have arbitrarily given it higher marks.

Beer - #47 - The Moa Methode

The time has come the walrus said.... to get into this 1.5Litre bottle of Moa Methode. It's 5.5%ABV and that makes the whole mission about 6 standard drinks and a stagger.

This then is as brewed by the Moa Brewing Company, in the style of a Pilsener, and hails from Blenheim, New Zealand

A German Pilsner - expecting Citrus and Hops. Might have bitten off more than I can chew, but who can resist a bottle that is bigger than you arm!

And frankly this has been in the fridge for far too long and I could make a million reasons I haven't drunk it year and all that but today is the day

And I poured myself an ice-cream! a Half and half. So I found a beer that I can pour with a head. At least it settles down with a fine lacing.

I'm sure If I could hold the bottle and glass I could pour a beer with a more acceptable head, as the bottle gets lighter I might get better, however the trade off might be that I get less steady of the hand.

So did I get the citrus hops? Yes I did. I also got a hazy golden pour of beer, with is pleasing to my little eye.

The taste is somewhat coloured by the hops, it has that rasp that you'd expect at a low end of the scale, some people might be put off by it, and I do get an earthy aroma, mostly from the fluffy white head which is still there despite my efforts to drink through it.

I had this with some of  the "Over the Moon - Triple Cream Brie" (which I just notices has a per Kg price of $76.00, I'm in the wrong industry), and I'm pretty much enjoying myself. I should write about the cheese, which is about as close to perfect. I'd sway towards a Camembert normally but challenged myself to a Brie. And you know what, pay a little more for the cheese and enjoy it a lot more.

The pdubyah-o-meter is needed to provide the usual arbitrariness of things, and on the scale this is about 8.5 from 10 arbitrary things. This isn't an offensive beer, it's not a front runner beer, it's a very fine pilsner beer. It carries itself well and it's consistent in it's taste. Of all their fine beers If you can find it I recommend the Moa St Josephs, which surprise to no-one is a Belgium style Tripel

I've not a lot to compare this too, from my very unreliable memory there are more pale ale and wheat beer types of beer than pilsner beers in the list so far, which is not to say that I've never had reason to talk about them, just not here.

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Beer – #42 – 8 Wired - iStout

On a day where I'm doing a double, the second one up is an "8 Wired iStout"

iStout is a 500ml bottle of 10% ABV beer.  Gosh! This one could make me forget many things.

iStout is brewed at Renaissance Brewing in the style of an Imperial Stout, and of course they're in Blenheim, New Zealand. Wait a minute Renaissance and 8 Wired from the same place. Well yes, yes they are, and I learn something new.

I've had some of the 8 Wired beers before, notably the Saison Sauvin, and I have a Renaissance beer in the fridge with my name on waiting for me to tall it's number.

But iStout. mostly brought for it's amusing name, don't tell the iApple people, and because it's a Stout, and I'm chasing down one that's as good as the Fig & Coffee Oatmeal Stout. He says. This was this weekends most expensive beer, and for that reason I expect a bit of bang for the buck.

Also I learnt  of  "the most decadent dessert of all; half a bottle in a glass with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on top (beer geeks like us know it as the Imperial Stout Float)" I frowned.

It pours like it could  be liquid chocolate, it looks so thick!, and has a dark dark chocolate almost cappuccino coloured head, which after you marvel at it for a few moments sneaks off on you. Another head free beer.

And lordy that packs a wallop of flavour, smokey, chocolate, coffee, and all very smoothly delivered. Wasn't expecting that amount of taste to be honest, but I'm chuffed it's there. That is a pretty spectacular beer. On further drinking each time it's the same set of  surprise and enjoyment, and it's hiding it's 10% of alcohol well. This isn't a early evening beer, unless you're up for an early evening.

The pdubyah-o-meter in play compares this to the Epic Fig and Coffee Stout, and yes I know they're different styles but this isn't what I was looking for and therefore not a competition. For that reason it stands on it's own as a 9 from 10 for stouts though, this isn't to be taken lightly.

Might go sit down and smile indulgently at the children, and contemplate some cheese and crackers.

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