“I tell you, Mr. Okada, a cold beer at the end of the day is the best thing life has to offer."
Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Terry Pratchett, The Last Continent
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1. Lakeman Black Jack
This porter is really good. I came across Lakeman beers on holiday at Taupo in 2015. Black Jack is described on the Lakeman website as, "A full bodied stout with roasted barley and chocolate malts aged on American oak chips. Additions of raisins add a mild sweetness and rum imparts spice and warmth, Different flavour layers give a smooth complexity."
2. Lakeman Lahar
Really good, too.
3. Badger - Blandford Flyer
A Dorset beer with a 'ginger hook'. Golden amber with ginger, spice and toffee flavours. It was good on a winter's night.
4. Black Duck Porter - Hawkes Bay Independent Brewery
This is one of my favorites, the one I often have at the Londoner in Hamilton through the winter months. A balance of roast chocolate and caramel flavours. I haven't yet tasted the raisins that others speak of.
5. Kereru - Moonless Stout
Really nice dark beer from Upper Hutt. It was good while watching the 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) Olympics on a winter's night in New Zealand. Advertised as '.. dark, intense and luscious as a moonless night!' I can get the malt and chocolate flavours but haven't quite got the coffee flavour yet.
6. Panhead Pale Ale Quickchange XPA
Some fruity notes. The brewery is in Upper Hutt. Panhead says, "XPA means Extra Pale, a product of Quickchange's lighter malt base. That delicate colour though is undercut by a glorious hit of alpha oils from Mosaic, Galaxy and Citra hops. Sometimes you don't want your mouth flayed raw and your liver worked to a standstill. Sometimes a few luscious notes of mango, guava, lychee and pineapple can be just the thing."
7. Long Line Lager
This would be good in summer. I drank it last night (20.8.2016) in cold weather while watching Olympics Track & Field. It's made by Mike's in Urenui, Taranaki. 'Subtle citrus'.
8. Lakeman Pilsner
Lakeman make good beers. This is a really good one for warm days and nights. A 'soft bitter' finish.
9. Prospector
This is a 'farmhouse ale' from Sparks Brewing. It tastes slightly sweet and floral.
10. Rurik - Russian Imperial Stout
Made by Galbraiths in Auckland, this stout is a bit cloying for me. A deep, black 'espresso-like stout'.
11. The Wobbly Boot Porter
Really nice. Full of goodness and health-giving properties. Or so I felt as I drank it while watching the All Blacks against Australia. 'Gorgeous body'. Made by Harrington's Breweries in Christchurch.
12. London Porter
Emerson's of Dunedin make this 'malty dark ale'. It was comforting after a run tonight.
13. BB Baird Beer - Four Sisters Spring Bock
This is zesty and fresh. Baird Beer was founded in 2000 in Numazu, Japan, by Bryan and Sayuri Baird. This is one of a number of seasonal beers they make. The beer is imported through Beers without Borders in Wellington.
14. St Bernadus Abt 12
I've never really taken to Belgian beers. St. Bernardus is a brewery in Watou, west Flanders, Belgium. A fizzy, fruity-tasting beer, it was pleasant but not great. But it was interesting to read about the Trappist monastery connections with the brewery.
15. Black Sheep Ale
From Masham in North Yorkshire, UK, this beer lived up to its description - 'crisp, dry and bittersweet'. I really liked it, especially as I drank in on a chilly night in a warm lounge room while watching the All Blacks play South Africa (17 September 2016).
16. Halfway to Whangarei Grissette
A grissette is a Belgian-inspired beer, I read. This collaboration between 8 Wired of Aotearoa and Modern Times of California was easy to drink, especially with spring in the air. cf 14, I may be taking to Belgian beers.
17. Moa Imperial Stout
(10.25% Alc). This was the right sort of beer for a wet day but it was too fizzy for me. Apparently an 'imperial stout' is a stout of the sort that was brewed in the 18th century by Thrale's brewery in London for export to the court of Catherine II of Russia. This stout is aged with French oak. It has coffee (I got that), mocha and smoked cedar flavours. It's advertised as a great beer to cellar and age.
18 Cool Breeze Pils
The label says it tastes like "...a fresh ocean breeze .. on the perspiring body of a mid-afternoon sunbather.’ From Baird Brewery in Japan. Very nice.
19. Orange Avenue Wit
Belgian-style beers are growing on me. This is a 'witbier' from Coronado in California, USA. Citrusy, zesty.
20. AVGAS Pilsner
Spring is truly here, a season for a pilsner. I liked drinking this and cooking at the same time tonight (October 5th - International Teachers' Day.) It's from Pilot brewery in Te Kowhai. It's described on their website as 'a crisp, clean bohemian styled pilsner that has been aged at low temperatures to bring out the perfect balance of flavours.' I chatted with some of the Pilot Brewery people at the Hamilton Home and Garden Show and had some samples of their beers: I like all the Pilot Brewery beers.
We visited the Tsingtao beer factory in Qīngdǎo 青島啤酒廠, in Shandong Province, China, when I was teaching at Shandong University of Technology in Zibo. The brewery was founded by The Anglo-German Brewery Co. Ltd.on August 15, 1903. The original machinery still exists - solid and shiny. At the end of a tour we were handed a glass of the beer. It's like a pilsner, with an alcohol volume of 4.5%. I got used to it in China and especially enjoyed it with Chinese food. It's made in a number of breweries around the world and can be bought at New World supermarket near our place.
22. The Jester
This is a pilsner from the Shakespeare 'Brewpub' in Albert St, Auckland. 'The Jester's dry hop finish is the perfect punchline.' It is, too.
23. The Rogue Hop - NZ Pilsner
A great pilsner on Labour Day, 2016. Harrington's Breweries, Christchurch. Despite my poor sense of smell, I could indeed appreciate the 'gooseberry' aromas, along with the 'peachy/apricot' flavours. When I was a boy our family often went for picnics and swims at the Waimakariri River in Canterbury. I liked the description on the bottle - 'Fresh like a dip at the Waimak Gorge'.
24. Flight of the Falcon
This USA-style Pale Ale is good - with citrus and pine flavours. It's made by Mike's Brewery in Urenui, Taranaki. As it says on the can, 'It's not the Apocalypse. It's beer!! Enjoy.'
25. Hoppy Brown Ale
From the Hamilton Beer & Wine Co., this beer comes from the Sawmill Brewery (2004) in Matakana, on the site of the former Leigh Sawmill, which had operated since 1860. A very good American-style beer - 'warming, toasty and resiny', according to one review. I liked it a lot.
26. Poppels DIPA (Double Indi Pale Ale)
I got this from the from the Hamilton Beer & Wine Co in the last week of November, 2016. It was voted Sweden's best beer in 2013. I really liked it, especially when collapsed in a chair on a Friday night after a long week at work. Though I liked it a lot I doubt I discerned just a few of the flavours outlined by one reviewer: "...pours orange with a white head. Aroma and taste comprises sweet tropical fruits, prominent grapefruit, tangerine, citrus peel, with good malty backbone, caramel, toffee, resinous hoppy, pine needles, bitter finish."
27. Devil's Elbow
From North End Brewery on the Kapiti Coast, this is a double IPA - stronger than many - 8%. From their website: 'Named for an iconic swimming hole on the Waikanae River, Devil’s Elbow
takes the Double India Pale style and makes it our own using a cocktail
of extravagantly fruity hop varieties from across the strait and a pale
malt backbone from the Rangitikei. Fruity , Zesty , and strong..'
Really good I thought.
28. Founders 2009
From Founders in Nelson (1860), this is an Amerian style IPA. Citrus, pine and malty sweetness. Really good after mowing lawns on a hot day.
29. Good George - Saison
Good George brewing started in Hamilton in in the former St George's church in 2012. They've grown and now have the little George in town and the Good Neighbour, not from us, in Rototuna. This beer, Saison, is a limited release. A pale beer, peppery and zesty. Tastes of cloves and citrus. "Brewed in the cooler spring months, the original Saison was served by
farmers to their workers, who were each entitled to five litres a day
of the stuff. Way to boost productivity." (Good George website). Not my favourite Good George Beer - that's the Amber Ale - but good enough on New Year's Eve.
30. Fat Monk Pilsner
My brother-in-law gave me a bottle of this on New Year's Day, 2017. It went well with the BBQ'd chicken kebabs. The Fat Monk Brewing Company is in Hastings, on a road I used to ride my Triumph Tiger Cub (200cc) along many years ago when I was working in Hawke's Bay - Maraekakaho Rd. "Tastes of citrus & orange. Nice dry hop aroma. Refreshingly crisp & dry."
31. Boonies New Zealand India Pale Ale
This was brilliant after mowing the lawn, with lunch, before a rest on a hot, holiday afternoon in January, 2017. Made by Renaissance Brewing of Blenheim (from 2004). Flavour of citrus, pine and fresh gooseberry, with Nelson hops.
32. Festive IPA, Moa Brewing Co. Pine Edition 2016
Drinking this was a poignant time - the last night of my January, 2017, holiday. I cooked chicken breast stuffed with Feta cheese, with lots of garlic and basil. Our Christmas tree has gone but the beer kept the pine aroma alive. Moa says:
A
big, bold, hoppy American style IPA. Seasonally hopped with Columbus,
Simcoe, Citra, Amarillo and Sorachi Ace for a pungent upfront pine
aroma. Packed with Nelson Sauvin to keep it Kiwi and finished with an
Amarillo, Citra and Sorachi Ace dry hop. The 3rd generation of Moa
Festive Pine sees an increase in IBU and ABV. This beer is all about
making those hops shine, just like Christmas Pine!
33. Mot Eureka New Zealand PilsnerThis beer is a serious award winner. I loved it, because New Zealand beat Australian in a one-day cricket match at Eden Park by seven runs - Kane Williamson you ripper - while I drank and watched the game on TV (30 January 2017).
"Mot Eureka was originally named Tuatara Bohemian Pilsner.
Taste: Crisp, firm bodied with notes of citrus and grass. Good hop bitterness and refreshingly dry finish.
Aroma: Light aroma of citrus and malt
Look: Golden straw colour
Hops: Pacific Jade, Motueka, Riwaka, Nelson Sauvin
Malt: NZ Lager"
From the Tuatara website.
PS DB Breweries has bought out Tuatara. It was good while it lasted.
34. Yorkshire Square Ale
Another one from the Blacksheep Brewery (see no. 15). I liked it. I made sure it was really cold. A 'long-lasting, crisp bitter finish.'
35. Brave New World
IPA from the Tempest Brewing Co. on the Scottish borders, in Tweedbank, the result of a partnership between a Scottish man and a New Zealand woman. Citrus and pine flavours. They have a beer called 'Long White Cloud'.
36. Mango Berlinner
All mango and grapefruit flavours. Also from the Tempest Brewing Co in Scotland. A novelty. For me a one-off.
37. Kereru Resonator IPA
I'd tried the Kereru Moonless Stout (5). This one has a passionfruit note. It was good to drink outside at the end of the week on a very humid evening in Hamilton. The Kereru brewery is in Upper Hutt.
38. Pipeline Pilsner
This was really good. Grapefruit tastes. From the Sunshine Brewery in Gisborne.
39. Beautiful Trouble IPA
A BBC and Ninkasi collaboration. BBC = Birkenhead Brewing Company. Beautiful
Trouble IPA is a big American IPA. Citrusy and rich. I'd get it again. I got 1.5L from the Hamilton Beer & Wine Co.
40. Pale Pat Supreme
'Crafted under the mountain'. Made in honour of Pat Ryan, NZ boxer. From Brew Mountain in New Plymouth. Really good after a run on hot Sunday afternoon.
41. Marmalade on Rye
How do they do that? From the Tempest Brewing Co. on the Scottish borders, in Tweedbank. (See 35 above). This beer was drunk while I was watching SA beat NZ in the fifth and final cricket one-dayer, March, 2017. A sweet result but a slightly bitter taste!
42. Hapi Daze
I bought this from the Hamilton Wine & Beer Co, into my 1 litre Three Boys container. Hapi is the Maori word for hop. From the Garage Project in Wellington. "Brewed with New Zealand barley and the best of the Kiwi hop harvest,
Motueka, Wai-iti, Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin. Bright golden in colour and loaded with generous
quantities of aromatic New Zealand hops. Very friendly indeed." I drank it while watching the Crusaders grab the game away from the Highlanders in the last minutes, 4 March 2017. Gee, it's nice.
43. Emerson's Pilsner
I like Emerson's. From Dunedin. Full-bodied and slightly sweet.
44. Te Aro Dragon APA
American Pale Ale. I could taste the 'tropical fruits ...counterbalanced by the hop bitterness' Really good. The Te Aro Brewery is in Wellington.
45. Tom Thumb - Session IPA
From the Sunrise Project in Gisborne, the same brewery as the Sunshine Pilsner (38), this is a mixture of English ale taste and American hops. Really good.
46. BRB India Pale Ale
From the Boundary Road Brewery in the 'foothills of the Hunua Ranges' in Auckland. "This is our interpretation of an authentically brewed India Pale Ale, We increased the non-carbonate water hardness, lowered our mash PH and produced a highly attenuated copper coloured beer that is loaded with hops. The 90 minute boil and Pacifica hops contribute a credible level of bitterness and the late hop addition imparts flavours aligned with the English hop varietals used at the time." I go back to Boundary Road beers all the time. Good value in the supermarket. I like the Bouncing Czech pilsner as well.
47. Birkenhead Pacific Pale Ale
Lovely. Absolutely. "BBC Pacific Pale Ale pours light copper with a bright white head, this distinctly New Zealand Pale Ale delivers a nose of sweet tropical fruit and resinous pine. Citrus zest, fresh grapefruit and woody herbaceous hop flavours are well presented on a backbone of Gladfield malt with enough depth and balance to support the hop flavour without compromising session-ability. A mid-palate with hints of orange marmalade followed by a subtle, biscuity malt sweetness, finally give way to a crisp, cleansing bitterness on the finish." Beer from the North Shore, Auckland.
I drank it while watching on TV India beat Australia in the fourth cricket test in India, March, 2017. Gorgeous.
48. Hopwired NZ IPA
'Dangerously drinkable 7% IPA.' one reviewer said on the 8 Wired website. The tastes and aroma are grapefruit, lime, honey, resin and a cherry. Made with 100% NZ hops. A true NZ IPA. A favourite at the end of the working week.
49. Outlander - Extra Stout
From Spark's Brewery in Drury, Auckland. A roasty stout with aromas of chocolate and coffee. I loved it at the end of the day of the Tauranga Half Marathon, 9 April 2017.
50 Galbraith's Pilsner - Czech style
Galbraith's are in Auckland, NZ. There's nothing better than a crisp pilsner after a shower after a long run. "Finest floor malted Moravian malt along with a smidge of Vienna malt, whole European hop flowers and yeast from a famous Czech brewer complete the recipe." (Galbraith's)
51. Sawmill Pilsner
My absolute favourite pilsner. The brewery is in Matakana.
52. Sawmill The Doctor
"Rich and warming on a roasted malt base, the Doctor is a very dark
German style bock beer with notes of cocoa. The characteristic lager
yeast gives a light mouth feel, backed with malt sweetness making it
highly drinkable at any time of the year.
A suave beer best enjoyed with Louis Armstrong." (Sawmill website)
I bought it when I wasn't feeling too good. I had a cold and the Doctor helped a lot.
53. Sunshine Black Magic
"Named after New Zealand's famed Black Magic Americas Cup boat and boy does this beer sail over your taste buds. With rich aromas of espresso coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of coconut and vanilla. The palate is equally rich with the 9 specialty roasted malts working together to give a very rich, dark chocolate and rich black coffee flavour." https://www.finewinedelivery.co.nz
Really nice on a Friday cold night, the end of the week, watching TV. It's quite fizzy but all of the above. 8 May 2017
I had this one again in February, 2018. A good drink when there's a touch of Autumn in the air.
54. Fellowship Aotearoa Pale Ale
I bought this when we had two clergy friends staying and the old term 'fellowship' seemed apt. It's good. From Renaissance Brewing in Blenheim, Marlborough. Their website says: 'This beer is a take on the New World Pale Ale. Four malts produce the beer’s rich amber hue and biscuity, malt flavours, while our London ale yeast contributes its own tart, berry-like signature.' I drank it while making a chicken curry and chatting. 'Celebrating Kiwi flavours', it says.
55. Moa, St Joseph's Belgian Tripel
It's very good, no doubt, but it seems I'm not a 'Belgian beer' person. 'Strong spice, caramel and banana ester characters create complex flavours and aromas' (from the bottle). It's very 'approachable' apparently but I won't be approaching it again for a while.
56. Good George Blackberry, Sage and Honey Cream Stout / Duck Island Icecream
I had this the night Wang Yi and Xiaoyu joined us for a meal at our place, 26th August, 2017. I wouldn't have it too often but all the flavours are there distinctly. It's a colloboration between Good George and Duck Island Icecream. Creamy and delicious.
57. North End Old Island
I filled my growler at the Hamilton Wine & Beer company with this beer. A variation on Burton Strong Ale - "Once one of the major styles of English beer Burton Ale was almost lost to the world. Strong, malty and hoppy this is English beer turned up to 11! Our interpretation combines NZ hops, a blend of British and New Zealand malt and our fruity English yeast strain to create a rich complex winter warmer." From the website of the brewery, North End Brewing Company on the Kapiti Coast. I really liked it, though I drank it a little more slowly than normal. 11% alcohol.
58. Harrington's Breweries The Belgian Tempest
Spiced Belgian Strong Ale. Belgian is my least favourite type of beer but this was good, spiced, with orange and mandarin. I got it on my birthday, September 3, from my son and daughter-in-law. Harringtons are in Wigram, Christchurch.
59. Garagista IPA, Garage Project
Tropical, resin and pine flavours. Came out in 2014. I was following up a Facebook recommendation from my manager. The drink outside would have been better if three insects hadn't flown into it. What I had was pretty good. The Garage Project are in Te Aron St, Wellington.
60. North End Pilsner
This was good in a wet weekend in March, the day before the Huntly Half Marathon.
"Our generously hopped Pilsner takes the Bohemian style of aromatic lager and reforms it with a generous dose of Nelson grown hops. Citrus, spice and tropical fruit float over a sweet malt base before a firm bitter finale. A revelation of Kiwi ingenuity.." North End website
61. Cassels & Sons Brewing Co. Milk Stout
An ideal drink while preparing the evening meal in Autumn, with a chill in the air. The brewery is in Woolston, Christchurch.
62. Bach Brewing, Breakabay Sparkling Cream Ale
Creamy, dreamy.
63. Sprig & Fern - Red IPA
The brewery is in Stoke, Nelson. I first tried Sprig & Fern beer while on holiday in Taupo. Lovely - this beer and the holiday.
"Deep red in colour, this limited seasonal release is
packed with copious amounts of NZ hops giving bold citrus and tropical
notes typical of an IPA. The biscuit, toasted and caramel malt flavours finish
this beer off wonderfully. ABV 6%.
The inspiration for this product came from our Master
Brewer Tracy Banner who noted we’ve had limited releases of a both White I.P.A and a Black I.P.A in the
recent past." Sprig & Fern website.
I really liked this, in Autumn 2018. The colour makes the beer attractive before you even start to drink it.
64. Urbanaut Pilsner
"Highly effervescent, giving a beautiful head and tight bubbles. A refreshing bitterness, clean hops on the nose and a light colour from pilsner malt gives a bright crystal glow." Really good. The brewery is in Auckland. They have a good website.
65. Ace Smokey Porter
I like porters, especially in winter. "Unfiltered and naturally conditioned, Wigram Smokey Porter encapsulates all the intense malt flavours of an Imperial Porter and adds to them with the addition of Manuka-smoked malt. Intense chocolate, expresso aromasabound. On the palate this brew is velvet smooth, with a lush creamy mouthfeel. Residual sweetness is balanced by punchy coffee flavours which preside over wood fire smoke." This porter is from the Wigram Brewing Company in Christchurch.
66. Hop Federation Double IPA
The Hop Federation brewery is in Riwaka, Tasman District. This is a good IPA, a bit more than some at 8.5%. I drank it while watching World Cup football highlights. I took our church's worship service this morning and this was a late afternoon reward - Pentecost 7, 8 July 2018.
67. Fork Brew Company - Golden Handshake Pilsner
This is really nice, with an appealing name for someone contemplating retirement. "A remarkably crisp German malt base is layered with hints of fresh dough, ripe lemon and subtle herbal freshness. A tickle of coconut, dill and spicy orange peel. Simple and complex, all at once." The Beer Library.
68. Menadhu Stout - St Austell Brewery
A good stout for drinking while cooking dinner in Autumn. I always associate St Austell with the author, Colin Wilson, who lived there from the late 1950's, fleeing literary notoriety after the publication of his The Outsider.
69. Rooster's Dark
We had a meal at the red Rooster's restaurant in Omahu Rd, near Hastings in Hawke's Bay, earlier this year, in January. It's a great place. This beer was one of a sampler pack of four I bought yesterday at a local bottle store, in Flagstaff. It's a Sunday evening Autumn beer, making me think of my mum (it's Mother's Day) and of the smell of leaves burning on a winter afternoon in Christchurch many years ago.
At the end of the day after the Huntly Half Marathon. The beer is named after W. B. Yeats' poem, The Second Coming (1919).
Great on a Sunday evening before a promised 2 degree frost (cf. 54). All Sawmill beers are good.
This is a summer drink - citrusy - for after mowing the lawn, but I drank this in the middle of winter. It was good. I enjoyed the description on the bottle - 'The Orange Roughy's scientic name is Hoplostethus atlanticus. Which roughly translates as, hazy, happy pale ale with a tropical fruit aroma, citrus flavour and malty backbone. In the past, the roughy has been subject to unsustainable practices - completely selling out. Thanks for the hard work our brewers, numbers are now on the rise. Careful you don't exceed your quota, though.'
A big American hopped Double IPA. The Big George is hopped with Citra and Ekuanot, giving it a mighty pineapple and citrus tropical hit.
Duncan's brewery is at 4B Sheffield Street, Paraparaumu, New Zealand.
A classic style with a modern twist, the latest seasonal from Yeastie Boys features delicate estery notes - courtesy of centuries-old Norwegian Kveik yeast - perfectly balanced by layers (and layers) of orange and mandarin flavours. Delightfully odd, deliciously drinkable and pouring a rich autumnal orange that goes perfectly with any decor. From the website.
77. Dirty Boots - Garage Project
From the Garage Project, a brewery in Aro Valley, Wellington. Actually smells like smelly boots, in a good way. Bitter pine and citrus. This was ok but every time I took a sip Eoin Morgan hit a six against the Black Caps (4th ODI vs. NZ), 8 November, 2019. (England won convincingly.) This beer was from my sister-in-law for my birthday.
78. Hoppy Trails Pale Ale
From 8 Wired - a microbrewing company based in Warkworth. Really nice, this beer. They say it's for after a trail bike ride but it's pretty good after a trail run, too. They encourage the writing of haiku about their beers.
79. Campire Toasted Marshmellow Stout - Good George
'Dark and Rich, Tan Top, Sweet Toasty Marshmellow and Chocolate. Velvety smooth.'
A one-off purchase, it was the ideal stout for a chilly evening in front of a movie (Their Finest) during Level 4, Covid-19, May, 2020.
80. Abrabica Dabra Coffee Oatmeal Stout - Boundary Road Brewery
Just the thing on a chilly Saturday night, Level 3, during a Zoom social meeting with friends.
from Queenstown. Very good indeed.
Deep Creek Brewing Company. Crisp, good.
Queenstown. Really good.
Good Me time in early retirement!
Faversham Brewery, Kent, UK, 'Britain's oldest brewery', since 1698
"Hailing from the tradition of 18th Century IPAs, which relied on generous hopping to protect exports during arduous journeys, this modern incarnation retains the strength, body and strong hop character which is synonymous with this beer's provenance.
A glorious showcase of the distinct, heavily hopped beers for which Shepherd Neame is famed, India Pale Ale delivers potent bitterness, offset with generous amounts of pale ale malt to deliver a balanced, yet uncompromising brew." on the lable
Tasted good. Another hazy IPA - from Lakeman in Taupo. The labels take a bit of getting used to.
'The taste of Vietnam to New Zealand' in partnership - Behemoth Brewing, 1a Charles St, Mt Eden, Auckland
Good IPA, great name! May, 2021
99. Fogged In Hazy IPA
Lumberjack Brewing
90 Pukehina Beach Road, RD9, Bay of Plenty
Hazy IPAs are popular now. This was great, even on a cold night.
100. Panhead Lucky 17
Panhead - Upper Hutt, NZ
A dry hazy ale, ideal for Autumn, even winter. 'A bare bones beauty. Old school purity.' July, 2021
101 Sprig & Fern, Future's Gold IPA 888mm
"This English Classic is brewed with Fuggle hops – giving soft, woody, earthy flavours and a distinctive floral aroma. Well-balanced, with a medium hop bitterness that perfectly complements the malt base." Sprig 7 Fern site.
Good to drink when watching Joe Root and Dawid Malan give England an outside chance in the second innings of the first Ashes test at the Gabba, 10 December, 2021 - England 220/2 overnight on the 3rd day, Root 86* and Malan 80*.
+ 1 = 102
I bought this having just read in the NZ Herald (August, 2023) that, sadly, Epic are going out of business. It's been tough for craft beer breweries over the last two or three years.
