Tuatara Belgian Dubbel

Time for another Tuatara Belgian Beer. This one isn't from the Beer Cellar box. Instead I picked it up at New World some time ago and as it says on the label instructions I have been storing it in a cool cupboard in the garage. Aging beer isn't something you usually think about but as I slowly drink may way through my home brew I understand that beer ages quite nicely.

Unlike the Ardennes, the Dubbel is a much closer approximation of a Belgian beer. It is malty and yeasty and has a burnt chocolately aftertaste. Rich flavours which I would expect from a Belgian brew. At 7.5% you aren't being overwhelmed by the booze but its a big bottle so probably not the best if you are driving. Still if I am feeling continental this is definitely worth another try.

Tuatara Belgian Ardennes

I went through a period where I was quite into Belgian beers. I WAS in Belgium at the time but it did carry on for a while after I left. I don't mean Stella Artois, Hoegarden and Leffe. There is much more to Belgian beer than that. Zot brewery, de Gaar and a bunch of other random stuff, not to mention Kriek. However, today I am talking about a New Zealand version of a Belgian beer. Tuatara has a range of Belgian beers including the Dubbel and the Tripel! I'll tell you about those later but today it is the Belgian Ardennes.

I was a bit disappointed when I poured it that there wasn't much head because something I associate with Belgian beers is plenty of froth. The colour of the beer was nice and light though. It was nice to have a bit of a break from the hops that permeate most NZ brews. The Belgian maltiness was definitely there and there was a touch of citrus but there wasn't really much of an aftertaste, which leaves you wanting a bit more from each mouthful. 

Overall it was a noble effort but I know that you can get so much more from Belgian beer and this hasn't quite made it yet.

Behemoth Brewing Company Chur

Another brewery so new it doesn't even have a web site today. This one is Auckland based Behemoth Brewery. They are on the Twitter and the Facebook though...Maybe I am just behind the times. Behemoth's signature brew is a New Zealand Pale ale, called Chur! Doesn't get much more Kiwi than that. (Note to International readers. "Chur" is a Kiwiism that doesn't really translate. Can I recommend you find a New Zealander and get them to teach you the appropriate way to use it.)

Chur! sells itself as being full of NZ Hops. It certainly has a hoppy taste to it, but isn't as strong as some of its competitors. The citrus hops also dominate the bitter hops so it is quite a refreshing drink. It didn't blow me away with its taste, but it is certainly nice enough to drink a few.

Panhead The Vandal

My last beer was one that harkens back to more traditional brewing flavours. Today's beer is all about what is current in NZ brewing. This one's from a brewery that is so new they haven't even got their website up and running yet. Panhead Custom Ales is all about up and running with their hot rod themed brews. Just what you would expect from another Upper Hutt brewery. These guys are totally inspired by the American market and that means HOPS! The Vandal (named after a famous NZ hot rod) pushes that as far as it can go. It's hops or bust on this one. The taste is strong. It is so bitter it is almost like drinking smoke. I have heard other people say that it has a fruity taste due to the fresh hops. It does have three types of hops in there. I didn't really get the fruit flavour, but if you are into strong hop flavours in your beers then take the Vandal for a drive. It's only limited release so you may have already missed it as it sped past...

Harrington's Brewer's Selection IPA

Harrington's brewery is another one of those breweries which has actually been around for a while (since 1991) but is now able to ride the craft brewing wave. If you check out their photos on their website you can see that these aren't young upstarts, they have been at it for a while. My latest bottle out of my Beer Cellar box is a bottle of Harrington's Brewer's Selection IPA. Harrington's is in Christchurch, the most English of New Zealand Cities. Despite its name, the Indian Pale Ale is a very English beer. However, many New Zealand and American brewers see it as an opportunity to fill an IPA full of hops and call it an APA (Aotearoa/American respectively). Don't get me wrong, those beers have their place and there are many that I very much enjoy. Nonetheless it is great to drink some of the  more subtle flavours that you get in British Real Ale. Harrington's seem to have followed this older line of thinking when they created their IPA. They even say on their label that their aim is to go beyond the hop and create balanced brews. That is exactly what they have delivered. It has a nice golden colour to it. There is definitely the taste of hops there but they work with the other flavours in the beer to give you a nice balanced taste, that doesn't leave you feeling like the hops have beaten up the other flavours. Overall it is as close as I have found to an English beer from an NZ brewery. Well done. Very drinkable.

Deep Creek Brewing Co's Undercurrent

Some people swear by a good pilsner. They sure are an interesting mix of light coloured beer with a hoppy taste and there is no doubt that they go down well while you are sitting in a bar in Prague. However I find that sometimes it just isn't the beer I feel like drinking.

Having said that on a hot day I decided to give the Deep Creek Brewing Co's Uncercurrent Pilsner a try. One word to describe this beer. Perfect. It had a nice golden colour with a good head on it (Beer like this should have head people!) It was a fantastic balance with a sweet wheatey start followed by a bitter hoppy aftertaste. Unfortunately a look at their website makes it look like they aren't actually brewing it at the moment. I guess that is what you get with craft brewing in small batches. Hopefully they bring it back because I would definitely have it again.

Kereru Auro

Time to crack into that Beer Cellar box. As the box was a gift from my wife I asked her to choose the first beer that I should try out of it and she chose the Auro from the Kereru Brewing Company. Kereru are a great example of homebrewers who after many years of brewing for themselves decided to make the jump to commercial brewing and it went so well that they moved out of their house and into commercial premises. All in little old Upper Hutt.

The Auro is interesting in that it is a gluten free golden ale. I think that is a brave move as people who can't tolerate gluten probably don't even think about wanting to have a beer but I assume there must be a market for it. It had a nice clear golden colour. I found the taste to be very wheatey and quite sweet. Apparently it compliments pork, which I could see because you need something savoury, or perhaps hoppy, to balance out the sweetness. Probably not one I will have too much again, but nice if you like your beers sweet.