Matutu Quest

Time for JaMbrew to get international. Sure I have drunk plenty of beer in other countries but not since I started writing this. A trip to the Cook Islands was the perfect opportunity to try some of the local craft brew, Matutu, brewed in batches on Rarotonga. Always drink the local beer. It is made to be drunk there.

On our first night the resort had three local beers on the menu and a ton of NZ and Australian standard beers. Not that excited about standard beer I tried for the local beer only to be told that they were sold out and they weren't sure when they were going to be getting any more. More than a little disappointed I decided that was a sign to drink wine. (Totally not a sin on a beer blog. Wine is awesome in its own way.)

The next day we were visiting the weekly market and although I managed to pick up some Matutu t-shirts there was no sign of the beer. A wander through the main town of Avarua and we came across the local supermarket. It was well stocked and full of tourists loading up on supplies. A check through the shelves and I managed to find some Matutu Mai (Lager). I decided a half dozen should keep me going for a while. No sign of the Matutu Kiva (Pale Ale) though.

The expectation was high with all the work to get it. The weather was warm (which helps) and the taste was certainly better than the other standard beer on offer. It wasn't too dissimilar to homebrew lager, which in a way I guess is what it is. Batch brewed in small batches.

Our time in the Cook Islands passed by with no sign of the elusive Matutu Kiva until some time towards the end of the week we decided to check out the Saltwater Cafe and although they had no Matutu Mai they had the Matutu Kiva and it went down well with my Octopus Curry. Much hoppier than its counterpart and as the weather wasn't all that hot on our trip it was the better choice.

Matutu certainly has some more interesting offerings than some local beers I have tried. If you are ever in the Cooks give it a try (otherwise you will have to drink Tui.....)

Carbonerific?

I've never been all that happy about the lack of fizz in my ginger beer. Having said that I don't fancy investing in a Soda Stream or some other sort of carbonation equipment (not at this stage anyway.) A search on the internet suggests that there are a few options available to me to get the bubbles so I pick this one and get underway.  I have everything I need except for the plastic tubing but a quick trip to Bunnings fixes that. I drill some holes, stuff the tube in, get my vinegar and baking soda measured out. It is a careful pour to get the ginger beer from the brewing bottle into the carbonating bottle, because I don't want the sediment all getting mixed in by the bubbles. It is then a case of putting the tube into the ginger beer, screwing on the lid, tipping the baking soda into the vinegar bottle and getting my shake on. Unfortunately without seals around where the tube goes through the bottle lids a fair amount of the vinegar seemed to be coming out too. It also looked like it might have been traveling down the tube and into the ginger beer....Not sure that that would improve the taste. The tube bubbled away nicely for a while and then eventually I pulled it out and let the foam on top of the ginger beer settle. It poured nicely into the glass and there were certainly bubbles in the ginger beer. It probably did improve the taste to have the bubbles in the drink, but if I have to go to that much more effort every time I want the ginger beer to be bubbly it might be easier just to buy some...oh well, back to the drawing board.