Beer – #61 – Dead Good Beer – Golden Ale

Dead Good Beer - Golden Ale is brewed for Dead Good Beers in the style of an Golden Ale / Blonde Ale, and they're based in Nelson, New Zealand.



A 330Ml Bottle of 5.0% ABV beer this one.

Alarmingly the label says that added organic elder flowers into the brew. I don't know if this is clever inspired or desperate to differentiate their outsourced beer into something niche.

Golden Ale seems to be a catchall though, this could either be something that's struggling to be a "blonde" or a safe haven that precludes criticism.

This is a pale yellow beer, and similar to the IPA seems under-carbonated and despite my bestest efforts failed to deliver any head at all. I tried, really I tried. Either my nose is broken or there is no aroma, how's that happen?

Immediately then this drinks like it's flat. It's not something that I was expecting and not something I'm thinking that I'd enjoy.  The elder flower might be the taste that I'm reaching for when I'm drinking this. And unlike the IPA I'm actually not loving this, at all.

The pdubyah-o-meter flickers to a 4 from 10 arbitrary numbers for this. An Avoidable mistake.

Dead Good Beer is one of a new wave of craft brewing companies commonly called a “virtual brewery”. A “virtual brewery is one that contracts an actual brewery to make their beer for them. The level of involvement of the virtual brewery, in the brewing process varies greatly from “Make me a beer” to full hands on brewing.

As a Postscript – This beer has a mention / dedication for Ninoy Aquino on the label, He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport upon returning home from exile in the United States in 1983

Tales from the Beer Fridge

I'm on a journey through an explosion of craft / speciality / Micro-Brewery beers. It's a challenge that I'm enjoying, but the immediate problem I have is that I've got a backlog of things that I'd like to drink.

I have imposed a couple of rules on myself. They, like the beers, are fluid. I'd prefer not to have to drink from more than one brewery at a time. So I would have both the Heen and Weer, followed by the Bed and Breakfast, for instance, but I doubt I'd have the Le Freak followed by the OREgasmic. Unless I was thirsty and the first one was a complete travesty and the pdubyah-o-meter failed to register a satisfaction.

So the list is looking long and inviting and just having a list means that I'm compulsively buying beers. Shame on me. The list, which contains a bit of everything,  currently is;

• Brouwerij de Molen - De Molen Heen & Weer (Back & Forth)


• Brouwerij de Molen - De Molen Bed & Breakfast 

• Golden Eagle Brewery - SIPA 

• Invercargill Brewery - Invercargill Sa!son


• Invercargill Pitch Black Boysenberry Stout

• Dead Good Beer - Golden Ale


• Dead Good Beer - IPA

• Green Flash  -  Le Freak

• Chatoe Rogue  - OREgasmic Ale

• Shepherd Neame Spitfire

Related articles

• The Lessons of Craft Beer (blogs.gartner.com)

Beer - #53 - Golden Ticket Brewing - Champion Malky

On my visit to Liquorland in Forest Hill today I picked up one of these -  A Golden Ticket Brewing company - Champion Malky.

Brewed in Invercargill , which might be just about as far South as you can get before you have to wrestle Penguins.

Champion Malky - which  carries the claim of  being a  Golden Ale

This Golden Ale combines the best of New Zealand hops, English Malt and American Yeast with tropical fruit notes perfectly integrated with a delicious biscuit malt. Balanced for everyday drinking this beer channels Olympian spirit with Scottish enthusiasm. This beer is produced in limited quantities so this might be the only bottle you get to try. Enjoy

it's a 330Ml bottle of 4.7% ABV beer.  more to the point this has Malts that are the  Bairds Pearl. and Hops that are  Nelson Sauvin, Rakau,  with the Wyeast 1450 yeast.

Most of which means nothing. 

Washed glass, poured, no head, might have to take lessons on washing :p

This has a faintly unpleasing sour odour, lots of grass, an abundance of hops. I poured this and then stepped away from the table.

This of course might be "a learn" that I can't expect to have a two in a row that set me on fire. But in the spirit of all things I'm pushing ahead.

I'm genuinely holding back on drinking this, the change of pace on the palate is often difficult and challenging in itself, and I'm trying to be honest with each bottle. After all it is my money invested.

It's very clear, very golden, well carbonated........ touch, pause..... engage.... and than.....  a taste, to me, of grass, which is of course as of the hops.

This hop under-taste is all there is. In the mouth, on the palate, and it's a long taste in mouth.  Not pleasant. With the absence of anything competing for attention then all you have is a a pleasing colour beer with a sour hop taste.

It's also a  bit 'thin' a bit of not a lot. I'm wilting under the disappointment of expectation.

sad face because this could be one of the most disappointing beers I've had for ages, and notwithstanding that I just had a beer that set my dial to smile. If I'd had this first I think I'd still be confused, let down, and a pleased that it came in a 330ml bottle and not something I had to be daunted by.

2 out of 5 arbitrary things on the pdubyah-o-meter for this, and that's because I'm a nice person. If you can't say something nice don't say it, which I have to set aside. I was intrigued by the label for this that looked like it could be a "golden snitch" of Harry Potter things. Benefit of the doubt being given that it's angel wings on a golden globe - It's definitely not an angel, nor is it a devil masquerading as something, it's just not pleasant.

This Golden Ticket is not one to the implied delights of the Wonka factory. All I have it a Scottish enthusiasm for parsimony and none of the other flowery claims on the label, it's almost enough to put a man off beer.

Related articles

• Best Craft Beers (foxnews.com)


• Drake's Brewing Co. - Aroma Coma (lawonders.net)


• Independent breweries in London: five of the best (telegraph.co.uk)