Light beers that punch above their weight
What are the best tasting beers under 2.5 per cent? The Pursuit of Hoppiness team put light beers to the taste test.
Diary of a Hop Farmer
In the first of a new series, hop farmer Josh Lewis takes us through the life cycle on a hop farm, starting with the aftermath of the harvest.
Low Carb Lowdown
It’s one of the fastest growing segments in the beer market so we review the best low carb craft beers on the market.
Beer Haikus Vol 3
Clown Shoes Pineapple Space Cake It’s bitter and bold I dreamt of flying through space With some clown shoes on… Garage Project Omne Trium Perfectum: Rose, Saffron and Lemon Zest Colour of sunset Lip-smacking lemon with rose Bye, my friend summer ...
No Can Do: How’s the quality of your beer?
Karl Hayes asks if the quality of craft beer dropped since the proliferation of canned beer on our supermarket and off-license shelves.
How to save hospitality, a brewer’s perspective
Hospitality is an asset to our society, says Ralph Bungard of Three Boys, and we should rank it up there with parks and gardens, libraries galleries and museums and alike.
When you’ve had all the beers, Pale Ale will rescue you.
I found myself looking at shelves full of all the beers wondering “what is the point — what could it offer me”.
Book review: Drunk (how beer made us human)
Drunk — How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization, by Edward Slingerland argues for the benefits of alcohol from an evolutionary point of view.
Haiku Reviews Vol 2
Beer is like poetry — Stephen Gallagher applies the haiku form to beer reviews.
What would minimum pricing look like in NZ?
Minimum pricing on alcohol applied here using the recently introduced Irish model would see a huge jump in budget beer prices.
State of the Hazy Nation Revisited
Luke Nicholas talks about what makes a great hazy IPA and why he believes so many people are falling in love with them.
Editor’s choice: 10 best beer moments of 2021
It's been a long time since I tried to do a list of "best" beers of a year. It's just too damn hard to sort great beers into some kind of ranking order. I'm more fond of the memorable beers. Occasions. Moments when whatever I was drinking made me stop and really...
Capital Diary December — Festive Bevvies
December beer drinking kicked off with the Summerstock festival where 31 Wellington venues each showcased a summer beer brewed by a NZ craft brewer. The festival lasted a week and I managed to get a taste of 13 before they sold out. The standouts for me were: Brew...
The best of 2021 in beer: Tim Newman’s top-10
Some of my top 10 for 2021 is going to be reflective of the Brewers Guild Awards, since reviewing the trophy winners for Pursuit of Hoppiness gave me access and insight into those beers, as well as leaving them fresh in my mind. But as ever there’s the overlooked,...
State of the Hazy Nation
The sheer volume of hazy beers spread like, well, some kind of virus in 2021. Martin Bridges checks out the state of this hazy nation.
A glass half-full view on glasses
Philip Walter puts a series of glasses to the test
Instagram unfiltered
His handle is Hazzy_Hunter and he’s always chasing the newest hazy. Here he explains how to become a beer influencer.
Witches and magic: women reclaiming their rightful place in beer
“So, you do drink beer then…?” As a woman in the beer industry, it’s a question I’ve been asked more times than I can remember. Bars, beer festivals, that friend’s party where there’s that guy that’s a mate of your mate’s boyfriend that bullsh*t social conventions...
Belgian beauties: a dozen classics
Belgian beers are often called gourmet beers due to their complexity, diversity of flavours and affinity with food. So when I came across a special on 12 Belgian beers online, I snapped it up as a Father’s Day present for myself. First up was Lindemans Cassis Lambic,...
Capital dairy – Lockdown yo-yo beer
September started as August finished, locked-down and drinking internet beer. The Baylands mixed six pack of cans the beer pixies delivered emphasised drinkability with the light and malty Britannia Bitter and lemony Petone Pale Ale standing out. I also had a six-pack...
Haiku beer reviews
Stephen Gallagher applies the haiku format to beer reviews Volstead Mr Ombibulous IPA Ombibulous is A hard beer name to haiku Prohibition sucks! Canyon Cardrona Hazy 80s IPA Skiing on my tongue Juicy, hazy, dank and fresh A good beer for spring ...
Beer, interrupted: Capital Diary August 2021
August was going to be big with the Visa Wellington on a Plate food and drink festival running the whole month. I picked out some beer-related events and while I hadn’t got up to speed when the Covid-19 boom came down, I did get a few in. Friday, August 6 was...
Stout and About
Philip Walter is captivated by the sheer diversity of stouts on offer in New Zealand. As a result his fridge is very dark inside.
Double Dose of Local
If you could invigorate your local economy by drinking beer, would you? I assume most of us realise that spending our dollars at locally-owned small businesses is good for our neighbours and communities, but assuming has often got me into trouble. So why should you...
Climbing The Beer Ladder
Philip Walter climbs the ladder of flavour with a beer tasting flight featuring an imperial saison, barrel-aged IPA and a truffle Quad.
