Category Archives: New Zealand

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Stout - Milk / Sweet

8 Wired Flat White Coffee Milk Stout

Friday, 22 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Milk / Sweet Stout
Other Notes: Brewed with coffee, vanilla beans and lactose.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A rather traditional milk stout, taken up a notch by the addition of Cuban and Brazilian coffee, freshly roasted by our friends at C4 coffee. Honourably named after New Zealand’s national style of barista coffee. A title that has been wrestled away from freeze dried instant coffee and made our country one of the best coffee nations in the world. In our own humble opinion….

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.51
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 500ml bottle from batch #19 with a best before date of 3rd June 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau stout glass.
Appearance: It poured a deep dark brown colour with a less than one finger dark tan head that dissipated quickly but left some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Espresso, roasty coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla sweetness.
Taste: Roast espresso coffee, milky, milk chocolate and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with medium prickly carbonation.
Overall: This was ok. Body was on the light side and carbonation perhaps a bit too high for my liking. But I think that I prefer an actual flat white.

1 - Poor (never again), American Pale Wheat Ale, Beer Reviews, New Zealand, Yeastie Boys

Yeastie Boys White Noise

Tuesday, 19 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Yeastie Boys
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 4.4%
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Other Notes: Brewed for Yeastie Boys at Invercargill Brewery.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A delicate session-strength beer with hints of orange blossom, coconut, vanilla and a refreshingly clean finish.

My rating: 1
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.7
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.5

Intro: A 330ml bottle from batch 6 with a best before date of June 2016 and poured into a pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden straw colour with minimal white head with some stringy lacing.
Aroma: Light aromas of orange and peach with maybe a hint of vanilla.
Taste: Orange and floral tea with coconut in the background followed by some vanilla towards the end. However, the coconut mixed with the vanilla for some reason gave me a plastic-ey taste that wasn’t too pleasant.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall: It was kind of fine until the vanilla came out. That mixed with the coconut really didn’t work here for me unfortunately.

4 - Good (buy), 8 Wired Brewing Co., Beer Reviews, German Berliner Weisse, New Zealand

8 Wired Hippy Berliner

Monday, 18 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 8 Wired Brewing Co.
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 4.5%
Style: German Berliner Weisse

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A refreshing, light, hoppy, sour and very fruity tasting ale inspired by traditional Berliner Weisse ales. Naturally soured by live cultures and dry hopped with American and New Zealand hops. Probably the closest thing I have tasted to fruit juice, that didn’t contain any fruit at all! – It’s a trip! Peace out.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.17
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml bottle from batch #23 with a best before date of 22nd June 2016 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy straw yellow colour with less than one finger white head which disappeared almost immediately but left some light lace rings.
Aroma: Strong sour fruitiness with mainly guava, passionfruit, mango and lychee. There was some light grainy malts in the background.
Taste: Quite similar to the aroma, taste starts lightly sour and tropical with passionfruit, mango and pineapple. There was also a hint of grainy malt here and there.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: A nice and crisp Berliner Weisse. Very easy to drink. It had good flavours but could have been even better if the tropical fruits were even stronger. Having said that, I would get this one again.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, Herbed / Spiced Beer, New Zealand

Garage Project La Calavera Catrina

Thursday, 14 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 6.9%
Style: Herbed / Spiced Beer
Other Notes: Brewed with maize, habanero chili, watermelon and rose water.

Brewer Description: (from can) The elegant skull, may be a blonde lager, but don’t be fooled, she’s no lightweight. Brewed with maize, an ingredient you’d normally associate with much blander lager offerings, La Catrina is fired up with an assertive chili heat from a generous addition of habaneros, and spiked with rose water and yes – watermelon. The result is cheeky, complex and fiery – what more could you want in the lady of death?

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 2.65
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.5

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 21st July 2016 and poured into a d’Achouffe tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden blonde colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but leaves some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Pale malts and corn along with some orange and lemon citrus plus a hint of rose water.
Taste: Spicy! Chili heat at the beginning and chili heat on the finish. In the middle of it all there’s some sweet honey and apple maybe. But really, it seems all about the chili which is a bit overpowering.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light carbonation and tingly chili spice.
Overall: I enjoy chili and eat a lot of spicy food, but I’m not sure this really worked. In this case, I thought that the chili really overpowered everything else, such that the other flavours you get in the middle, were pretty much negated. I feel that if putting chili in beer, then perhaps it would go better with the normally bolder flavours of an imperial stout or imperial porter, which would provide more balance.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand, Stout

Garage Project Aro Noir

Thursday, 14 April 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7%
Style: American Stout
Other Notes: Brewed with roasted barley. Hops – Columbus and Summit.

Brewer Description: (from can) Aro Noir is a pitch blak and full flavoured stout. At its heart is a blend of four malts, with Columbus and Summit hops, creating a citric bitterness and aroma that marries nicely with the roast malt character. Yes, it is inspired by the darkness of a Wellington winter in Aro Valley, but truly it is a stout for all seasons. Join us on the dark side.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.07
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 10th August 2016 and poured into a Moonzen teku glass.
Appearance: It poured a pitch black colour with a big almost three finger dark tan head that stuck around for a while and left nice streaky lacing.
Aroma: Roasted malts, coffee, light char and bittersweet chocolate.
Taste: Starts with a light roast, coffee and light char followed by a bitter espresso and citric finish.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with medium to high carbonation.
Overall: This was good with nice coffee flavours mixed in with some smoky char and a bitter fruit finish. Light enough to be a stout for all seasons.

words of another dreamy traveller