What are you drinking now?

[warra48]

A Dunkelweizenbock I brewed in November 2010.

Still has great carbonation, complex malt, chocolate, coffee flavours, but probably a little too much alcohol evident on the finish. After all, it did finish with 8.6% ABV !

Whoo Hoo, I think it's hitting the spot.

[warra48]

Theakston's Old Peculier.







Malty. English. Casts a big shadow.

The words legend(ary) and famous appear no fewer than four times on the labelling. Alot to live up to me thinks.

Two words from me: "Great Ale"!

[Bum]

...it is slim pickings here in Healsville.

Turns out I was pretty wrong - and not just in terms of my spelling...

Just got back from the Healesville Hotel. Mikkeller Green Gold IPA and Kooinda Black IPA on tap. The Green Gold was absolutely gorgeous and dangerously easy drinking. The Kooi was not so great but I'm not a huge fan of the style - very interesting flavour in it though, like rye sourdough crusts. Not a beer I'll chase down again but glad to have tried it. The Mikkeller on the other hand is something I'd love to brew myself.

[emnpaul]

Two words from me: "Great Ale"!

I agree. So much so I went back the week after and got another one.

Comes damn close to living up to the label even if they do have their hand on it, so to speak.

[drsmurto]

White Rabbit Dark Ale and The Little Rabbit at the brewery earlier today. The dark is much nicer on tap than in bottle (from Dan's). Little Rabbit is a fairly boring belgian thingo.
.

Agree. Off tap it's smooth, malty goodness. Bottled version seems thin, almost watery.

Drinking an 8 yo shiraz, washing down a slow cooked chicken and chorizo gumbo. Fire is roaring, footy on the idiot box.

[Sonny]

A stubbie of matured Smoty Ale I did 18mths ago, in Jan 2011.

Poured a ripper head and a beaut dark golden colour. You can drink it, but "I make better beer now'.

....and I'm about to start learning all over again.

[Bum]

Slowbeer has taps now. TAPS!

Anyway...had SN Hoptimum and Bright Resistance Red. Both were really terrific beers - made the HBs I was forced to drink at home look fairly shabby. Also had a Nogne O Brown as well - made me feel a lot better about the quality of my HBs. Real shame though, Nogne O is my favourite brewery and to see their beers presented at less than peak condition is a bit upsetting (not blaming the retailer at all - their only crime is serving a little too cold). Seems like there was something in between sourness and funk sneaking to it. Had the beer before and it is definitely not supposed to be there. Can't see how any sort of handling issue may cause that. Pretty disappointing from such an impressive brewery.

[Oliver]

You want us to feel sorry for you?!!?
Cheers BB

Well, I'm back in NZ this week. I arrived yesterday (being Sunday). Here's a rundown of things so far.

On the way over on the plane I had a James Squire 'Golden Ale'. I waited until after the "early lunch" (which was served at 10am, an hour after we took off) for my first drink, although the hour didn't stop many of my fellow passengers partaking in the free grog. You've gotta love Qantas for having JSGA as one of its in-flight beers (along with, of course, brewed-in-Holland Heineken. Sadly, VB is another offering, which many choose).

On arrival in Wellington there wasn't much to do except go on a mini pub crawl by myself.

Venue: The General Practitioner
Beer: Yeastie Boys 'Digital IPA'. 7%, 330ml bottle, $11
Tropical fruit - maybe pineapple Icy Pole rather than real pineapple - and a strong, lingering bitterness that doesn't hit you straight away. Made with NZ hops. Nice, but not loving it. Sorry Yeasty Boys.

The bloke behind the bar outed himself as a fellow South Australian after I commented on how much the kiwis like their Coopers. This place had Sparkling and Stout in bottles.

Venue: Hashigo Zake Cult Beer Bar
Beer: Mike's 'APA'. 300ml off tap, $8.50
Smells like musk drops, tastes like a proper APA. A pretty nice beer.

Venue: The Malthouse
Beer: Tuatara 'Aotearoa/American Pale Ale'. 300ml
Very similar to the Mike's APA but almost a little smokiness from the hops. This place has 19 pages of bottled and tap beer on its menu. And they declare those brewed under licence. For example:
"Heineken (Auckland, New Zealand) 5%. Brewed under license here in NZ (by DB) ..."
"Peroni 'Nastro Azzuro' (Sydney, Australia) ..."
"Sapporo 'Premium' (Adelaide, Australia) ..."

The beer list even has Little Creatures Rogers (for $9.50/330ml!) and explains why an apostrophe is missing from the name.

One time when work is paying I'll have to come back for an O'Hanlon's (formerly Eldridge Pope's) Thomas Hardy's Ale, which range from $22 for a 250ml bottle of the 2009 vintage to $50 for the 2004.

Venue: Great India restaurant
Beer: Speight's 'Old Dark Malt Ale'. 330ml, 4%
This is a lot more biscuity and less chocolatey than I remember it from my visit to Christchurch about 15 years ago, when I first tasted it. A fine beer nonetheless.

Venue: My hotel room
Beer: 8 Wired Double Coffee Brown Ale. 500ml, 8%
No wonder I was a bit dusty this morning! I bought this little number on the way home from dinner and didn't really pay much attention to the fact that it is 8%.

As I recall, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there was a reasonable amount of body to it, which is unusual for coffee-infused beers in my experience.

Venue: My hotel room
Beer: 'Bristol Best Bitter'. 500ml, 4.5%, $7.55 from the supermarket
It's a lovely beer in the English style with a deep, deep copper colour; fine, long-lasting head; and good bitterness. Getting even better as it's warming up.

Stoke Bomber KPA (Kiwi Pale Ale) and Three Boys IPA are in the fridge.

Oliver

[Bum]

Last night: Baird Ganko Oyaji (from memory, spl?) Barleywine - very nice.

Tonight: Mikkeller 1000IBU - not very nice.

[hyjak]

Before, Renaissance Brewing Company Elemental Porter Ale.
Ok but nothing exceptional unlike some of their other offerings, dry, roasty with good malt body and finishes nicely making another sip tempting. Altogether very enjoyable but so are a lot of other porters.

Now, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot barleywine style Ale.
I have nothing to compare against as first time I have picked up a barley wine, first impressions though. A BIG beer in terms of alcohol content 9.6% to be exact, I get a fair bit of alcohol warmth out of it similar to another American offering I sampled a while back. Can't remember whose it was but it had an old school style Blonde Pin Up on the bottle with a red label.

Think I will look for a more local offering of a barelywine as this isn't really doing much for me.

[Bum]

Bigfoot is probably the most approachable US barleywine you could possibly find - here or there. Perhaps seek out a more English-style example or maybe even an Old Ale?

[bullfrog]

Bigfoot is probably the most approachable US barleywine you could possibly find - here or there. Perhaps seek out a more English-style example or maybe even an Old Ale?

Anybody else see the irony in Bigfoot being approachable?

[hyjak]

Oh I dont doubt that it could be nice but the one I had last night, I feel was not a good example unless I totally assumed wrong as to what a barleywine is supposed to be.
Maybe it travelled poorly or was stored poorly, I don't know, until I have some more barley wine XP I'll just put it down to novice tasting.

[bobby]

HI, If anyone likes black beer try WAL,S BLACK from country home brew I cant put finger on the tast but it is very nice.

[Bum]

Had a Heretic Evil Cousin tonight. A few areas where it doesn't quite sit in my preferences for style but still a really, really nice beer.

[Bum]

My first batch of 80/-. Won't be my last. BCS recipe with some varitions. Will go a tiny bit harder on the hops next time.

Probably my best beer in about a year (not that I've been able to brew as much as I'd like but it still counts).

[rotten]

I just had a Hobgoblin and are now sipping away at a Timothy Taylor Landlord. All for research purposes of course

[emnpaul]

Dortmunder with a hand full too much Halertau that "accidentally fell" into the pot at flameout.

[rotten]

I spent the afternoon cleaning the shed and sipping away on my sweet stout on a cold miserable day. It's definately black and full of stouty goodness

[Oliver]

Before: A Kingfisher and a Tiger with a couple of curries on a break from work.

Now: Back at work and drinking one of a four-pack of Epic Pale Ale I picked up for $NZ14.99 at a bottleshop on K Road in Auckland.

Oliver