Australia and good beer are words which are not often used together. While recently some of the craft breweries have started selling their beer in New Zealand, Australia is well behind in the craft beer renaissance we are experiencing here.

One of the obvious reasons for that is the heat. With temperatures rarely reaching below the early- to mid-20s, even in the middle of winter, it’s no wonder cold, fizzy lagers drunk out of a stubby holder are a popular choice.

But standing out from that crowd is Coopers. One of Australia’s oldest breweries, founded in Adelaide in 1862 by Thomas Cooper, it has remained in the family for five generations, and during that time has stayed very close to its roots. While the brewery has also jumped on the lager bandwagon, its main range consists of six bottle-conditioned ales (yeast is still in the bottles when you buy them), all brewed to the brewery’s traditional style.

Recently, I was lucky enough to meet the current brewer Tim Cooper, who joined the brewery in 1990 after first working as a doctor in the UK. Since he joined the company, the brewery has gone from strength to strength, and will make about 60 million litres of beer this year. While not a craft brewery in terms of scale, Coopers’ main range (four of which are available in New Zealand) easily fits into the craft beer category in terms of flavour, thanks to its bottle-conditioned style.

In 1862, Thomas Cooper brewed his first batch of beer as a medicine for his wife Ann, who was sick at the time. He discovered he had quite a talent, and started selling his beer to the neighbours. That beer, with a few minor adjustments, is still sold by the brewery today as Coopers Sparkling Ale 5.8%, and until very recently, was Coopers’ biggest seller.

Sparkling Ale is a cloudy, honey-golden ale, which is best drunk with all of the yeast poured into the glass. It has caramel and biscuit malt flavours, with banana notes and a wonderful dry hop bitterness to finish. What I particularly love about it is that while most beers that we drink showcase either the hop or malt characters, it is the yeast character in this beer which makes it so outstanding.

My personal favourite of the range is the Coopers Best Extra Stout 6.3%. It has strong smokey, roast malt and dark fruit aromas, and its flavour is just as rich. It tastes of roasted malt and coffee, is slightly smokey and has dark chocolate notes with a full, smooth texture. The stout is perfect to drink on those not-so-nice Wellington days when it feels as though winter is still here. You could also try drinking it with some lemonade which, according the brewer’s daughter Sarah, is how some people drink it in Adelaide.

Those two beers, along with their best-selling Original Pale Ale and cellar-friendly Vintage Ale, are now widely available in New Zealand supermarkets, liquor stores and bars. Some of the range is also frequently available on tap at The Malthouse and Bar Edward. And best of all, the beers are incredibly affordable, with the 750ml bottles about $6 each. Bargain.

If you have any questions or comments about this week’s beers, you can email me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com

While most people are aware that the majority of wines can be placed into two basic categories—red or white—many people remain unaware that the same is true of beer.

While beer styles range from various wheat beers to stouts, they can, for the most part, be categorised as either lagers or ales.

Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to distinguish which category a beer should fit into. Unlike wine, the colour of the beer doesn’t mean much. While most lagers on our store shelves tend to be pale and yellow-ish, lagers can also be black, like Monteith’s Black, or shades of brown and amber, like Tui. Similarly, ales can range from golden to pitch black.
New Zealand companies, in particular, aren’t very good at identifying the correct style of a beer on labels either. Tui, for example, claims to be an ‘East India Pale Ale’, but is actually a 4 per cent pale lager with caramel added to colour it. Speights Gold Medal Ale does something similar. And most black lagers, like Mac Black, tend to have terribly ambiguous labels, and are often just called ‘black beer’. My favourite mis-labelling is on the seasonal Monteith’s Dopplebock Winter Ale. A dopplebock is a dark, lager-style beer, which contradicts the ‘winter ale’ branding entirely.

This labelling is no accident. Many of the beers mentioned above have been brewed over several generations. While I have no doubt that Speight’s was once a gold medal ale, times have changed. It is far more efficient and cost-effective for commercial breweries to brew all of their beers to one type, and just keep their original branding. And, according to Wikipedia, pale lager is the most widely-consumed beer in the world.

But what actually separates lagers from ales? It comes down to what type of yeast is used to ferment the beer. Lagers are brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast, tend to ferment at lower temperatures than ales, and for a longer period. Ales are brewed using top-fermenting yeast, ferment better at warmer temperatures, and take less time to do it. There are countless different yeast strains that can be used in ales and lagers, which can affect the brewing efficiency, flavour and the mouth feel of the beer. There is some crossover, in that sometimes yeasts don’t act according to the above guidelines, but there are always exceptions to rules, right?

It is possible to identify beer as a lager or an ale, even if the colour or label is unhelpful. Lagers, even the black ones, tend to be thinner in body and, therefore, flavour. One of the reasons why lagers are so popular is that they are more water-like in texture, so are easier to drink. Lagers also tend to ferment out clearer than ales, which is easy to identify in dark-coloured beers. If you can see through the glass of black beer, it’s likely to be a lager. If it’s difficult or impossible to see through, it’s probably a stout or porter. And if you leave your beer to warm up to close to room temperature, and it tastes terrible, it’s likely to be a lager. Ales tend to have more malt and body, so taste good when they’re a bit warmer.

If you have any questions or comments about this week’s beers, you can email me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com

On Saturday the 4th, I was one of countless New Zealanders who woke up to the news that a 7.1 magnitude earthquake had occurred in Christchurch. Having family in the Garden City, my first concern was to make sure they, the house and—more importantly—my darling cat were all safe and sound. Thankfully, they are one of the lucky families who have been left shaken, but without any damage to themselves or their property.

Following the reassuring phone call, my second thought was: how have the breweries come through this?

Christchurch boasts probably the largest number of breweries in the country, including craft, boutique and commercial outfits. Like any good beer columnist, I hopped on a plane last Monday, just three days after the big shake, and made my way to the southern city.

Matsons, a boutique brewery, which mainly supplies the Canterbury region with kegs and bottles of its refreshing lager-styled beers, has more recently been looking further afield, and its range can now be found on the shelves at Thorndon New World. The brewer, Colin Garland, invited me for a quick chat at the brewery following the quake.
Colin showed me photos of the brewery one day after the big shake—kegs had been strewn across the brewery floor, and bottles that had been prepared for wrapping and delivery had been smashed.

“I was very nervous coming in later on Saturday to see what I’d find, because we had a great deal of packaged product up high on shelves… and I had anticipated that that might well be all over the floor.”

But Colin said all of the shelving had remained intact, there was no damage to any of the kegs, and there was very little stock loss with the bottles.

“It looked more spectacular than it actually was,” he said.

On Monday morning he found a small crack in one of his brewing vessels, which has been repaired, but hadn’t found any more damage.

Colin said Matsons was trying to operate as normal, but there had been a lot to think about in all aspects of their operation, including waste and washing.

“I’ve used the brewing vessels to boil up a whole lot of water, have cooled it, and that’s basically the use water we’ll be using around the place rather than coming directly out of mains.

“At this stage it shouldn’t impact too greatly on our normal business.”

Colin said he usually brewed two or three times a week, and while he planned to brew at least once in the week directly following the quake, he would have to think about brewing extra batches in the coming weeks to make up for any shortfall.

Matsons got off lightly compared to some of the other breweries.

The Twisted Hop brewery bar, which is my usual hang-out while I’m in Christchurch, was right in the centre of the CBD area which was cordoned off during my stay. Thankfully, while a few beer barrels and bottles were shaken to the floor, the building itself has been signed off as structurally sound. They had hoped to re-open by the weekend, or whenever CBD cordon was lifted.

Three Boys Brewery, which came close to taking out this year’s BrewNZ Champion Brewery award, has had a few issues with some of their fermenters, but looks to have come out of the earthquake largely unscathed.

Rumour has it that Lion Nathan’s Canterbury Brewery had to be closed for a week. I did see that part of the brewery had a good chunk of its windows blown out, and it was definitely closed from Saturday through to the end of the week. That means tens of thousands of litres of beer, which would normally be brewed during that space of time, won’t be making it to supermarket shelves.

So while there may be a few weeks in the not-too-distant future where Christchurch beers are not quite so abundant on liquor store shelves, or as free-flowing from the Wellington bar taps, there will be plenty to be enjoyed in the upcoming summer months. It obviously takes more than Mother Earth to put an end to good beer.

Invercargill is one of those places that New Zealanders seem to know very little about. It has that outspoken guy who appeared in The World’s Fastest Indian as the mayor (Tim Shadbolt), the locals speak like pirates, and they are the proud (temporary) holders of the Ranfurly Shield.

But my favourite thing about Invercargill is its brewery.

While Invercargill seems like more of a country-man’s paradise than the home of truly special craft beer, ten years ago Steve Nally and his father Gerry decided to start a brewery there. And beyond all expectations, over the years Invercargill Brewery has become one of the most respected breweries in the country.

The second beer Invercargill Brewery ever made was the Pitch Black Stout (4.5%), initially to compliment the Bluff Oyster. And while it is yet to feature at an oyster festival, the sweet stout is comfortably the brewery’s biggest seller—and holds a very special place in my heart. With its chocolate aroma, coffee and roasted malt flavours, and its lighter body, Pitch Black is an accessible, sessionable and tasty stout, which just happened to trigger my love for dark beers. Perfect for taking the edge off a cold winter’s night, while, at the same time, quenching your thirst.

Invercargill has three other beers in its range which are available all year round—B.Man golden lager, Wasp honey pilsner and Stanley Green pale ale—and while they’re all very good, the more exciting thing about the brewery is its relatively newfound flair for experimental beers.

In 2007, Steve decided to brew a very small batch of a smoked bock-style beer to give his apprentice, Pru Bishop, experience in making a 50-litre brew. Probably the first smoked beer produced by a New Zealand craft brewer, word spread and many litres later, two full commercial batches of the 2009 limited release of Smokin’ Bishop (7%) were pre-sold before its July launch date.

And it’s not hard to see why. I will never forget the first time I lifted the ruby red beer to my mouth and tasted… manuka smoked bacon. No kidding. The sweet smoke, roasted malt, caramel and, well, bacon flavours combine to create a delicious, savoury and incredibly unusual drop. Steve’s even been holding some of the bottles back to release the Smokin’ Bishop from three consecutive years, to give beer lovers the chance to compare the different batches.

Other interesting brews from the Southland brewery include Boysenbeery, Dubbel Happy and Saison, and are all well worth a taste if you’re lucky enough to stumble upon the right bar or liquor store at the right time.

Over the past ten years, Invercargill Brewery has built a reputation on its ability to produce consistent, flavoursome and—at times—unusual beer. So it’s no wonder contract breweries like Yeastie Boys and Pink Elephant have come to Invercargill to use Steve Nally’s facilities and expertise to help produce their beers on a larger scale for us all to enjoy.
A selection of Invercargill Brewery’s best will be available at Beervana on the 27th and 28th of August. I can’t wait.

If you have any questions about this week’s beers or any comments, please contact me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com.

It’s getting colder, wetter, and—somehow—windier here in the capital. Winter’s here. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Winter is the perfect season to enjoy many good things in life. Woollen socks, roast dinners and coffee all look or feel or taste better when it’s cold outside. And while beer is generally a cold beverage, some just taste better when it’s colder.

Two beers which immediately spring to mind come from Dux de Lux. The Dux, as it’s fondly called, is a restaurant, bar and brewery found in Christchurch and Queenstown. For years, people from the mainland have enjoyed the delicious ales and lagers while dining in the Dux, or just chilling at the bar. But a couple of years ago, Dux de Lux released a selection of their beers in bottles—including two of my favourites—and they’re now readily available in Wellington.

Dicky Fife, the head brewer at Dux de Lux, has a background as a chef, and has used that knowledge of food flavours to his advantage. Some of the Dux beers are simple, yet tasty, and others have a complex array of very different flavours, which he’s been able to make work together—and well.

Dux Nor’wester (6.5%) is described as a strong pale ale on the bottle. While the nor’wester is a rare occurrence in Wellington, and usually sweeps through the country during the warmer months, this beer is perfectly suited to drinking during the colder weather. Amber in colour, this beer has light fruit hop aromas, and roast and caramel notes. The flavour is malt-driven, with warming roasted, coffee and caramel flavours. The hops are light and citric, and the beer is very well balanced between sweet and bitter. While refreshing during the summer months too, this goes down best next to the fire, or more likely, the one-bar heater.

During the winter months, many beer drinkers tend to reach for the dark ales like stouts and porters. While some people find them too bitter or too much like a ‘meal’, the Dux Sou’Wester (6.5%) is a very accessible dark beer. One of the newer additions to the Dux range, this sweet stout isn’t too intimidating. Sou’wester pours a lovely black/ruby colour and smells of slightly burnt chocolate fondue (hey, I’m not so good at melting chocolate on the stove). It tastes of chocolate, sultanas and slightly burnt malt with dark fruit notes, and has a delicate hop bitterness throughout. The sweetness builds as it warms, but the best thing is that it’s not too heavy or rich, because the texture is relatively light and refreshing.

Both of these beers are made to be enjoyed slowly or shared, and are available individually in 500ml bottles from Glengarry, Regional Wines and Spirits and most good New World supermarkets. Others in the range can also be found in four packs—look out for the Ginger Tom (world famous in New Zealand) and Dux Lager when the temperature begins to rise.

So while the weather outside will remain relatively uninspiring for the next few months, why not warm up with some Dux de Lux ales next to the sole flat heater and a blanket over your knees? They’ll just taste better.

If you have any questions or comments about this week’s beers, you can email me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com.

Wheat beer is, well, unusual to the say the least. It’s also a beer style which many people tend to overlook, because no one quite seems to know what it is. And let’s face it—wheat is a terrible name for a beer style. The word wheat reminds me of cereal or flour. But while the beers don’t taste anything like those, it’s hard to pin down exactly what characterises the style.

Wheat beer is an over-arching name for a number of more specific styles of beer, which are all brewed with a large amount of wheat. Wheat beer can be light or dark, cloudy or clear, German-style or Belgian-style. But the one thing that tends to remain constant in all of these different wheat beers is that they’re sweet.*

Tuatara Hefe (5%) is brewed in the style of a German Hefeweizen. Hefeweizens are known for their low hop character, and big sweet flavours. Tuatara’s version is spot on. Despite the aroma giving off a big clue as to what it’s going to taste like, some people are still shocked by the flavour. The Tuatara Hefe is pretty intense. It tastes of banana, bubblegum, caramel and clove. It’s also got the characteristic smooth, full-bodied wheat beer texture, but enough fizz to make sure the beer isn’t too sweet and syrupy.

Three Boys Wheat (5%), on the other hand, is a Belgian witbier. The difference? Witbier is less sugary-sweet and more about the citrus character. This one from Three Boys has a real cult following. With its dominant lemon and orange zest flavour and big coriander kick, it’s not hard to see why. It also has subtle caramel undertones and the full, frothy body which makes wheat beer so strange (in a good way).

Both of these have been known to frequent the taps of the Malthouse and Hashigo Zake, and are increasingly available in bottles at Wellington restaurants and bars, as well as most supermarkets and the ever-reliable Regional Wines and Spirits.

But my favourite wheat beer, especially when the weather outside is getting a bit chilly, is Emerson’s Dunkelweiss (6.3%). The dunkelweiss is a dark-coloured, German wheat beer, which tastes better when drunk a wee bit warmer (about 8°C), rather than straight out of the fridge. Dave the Beer Guy describes this beer as “liquid banana split”, and damn, he’s right. Incredibly well-balanced, Emerson’s Dunkelweiss tastes of banana, with rich chocolate and roast malt. It’s full-bodied, smooth, and goes down way too easily. This beer is only available during winter, but lucky for you, Regional Wines and Spirits should be getting in the 2010 edition as you’re reading this column.

So next time you come across a wheat beer, give it a go. For better or for worse, its sweet and smooth characteristics will likely blow your mind. Just remember to use a glass.

* Some wheat beers tend to be sour rather than sweet. Those are generally fruit/lambic wheat beers, but even the ones available in New Zealand tend to have a sweet character—try Invercargill Boysenbeery.

If you have any questions about this week’s beers or any comments, please contact me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com.

I’m not quite sure why, but most people tend to think of dark beer as scary, or an old man’s drink. What’s more is that the vast majority of females who drink beer from time to time tend to go for light-coloured lagers. But what many people do not realise is that some dark beers are perfectly suited to a woman’s palate.

Often considered to be dense, bitter and the drink of a ‘real man’, dark ales actually have far more to offer. While a Guinness is largely smooth but uninspiring, and Speight’s Old Dark has little more than a roasted character, dark craft beers are in a different realm.

To give the beer its colour, dark specialty malts are used. Brewers also tend to use more varieties of malt in darker beers, giving them a greater complexity of flavour. The best thing about using these malts is that they usually give off sweeter aromas and flavours than your average pale beer.

Renaissance Brewing Company, based in Blenheim, has two beers in its range which showcase a sweet malt character—its scotch ale, and its porter. Co-owner and operations manager Brian Thiel has even made the comment—several times in fact—that many females who try the Renaissance range frequently pick one of the two dark beers as their favourite.

Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale (7%) is brewed with nine different malts, which ultimately creates a good-looking, dark red beer. It immediately gives off dark fruit aromas with hints of toffee and even smoke. But what really makes this a popular beer with the ladies is the taste. Raisin, prunes and dark berry flavours give the beer an initial sweetness which sometimes reminds me of the raspberry syrup they put in your coke at bars. But the dark fruit is balanced by caramel and roast malt characters, and finishes on a subtle, smoked note. The scariest thing about this beer is that despite being 7%, there’s no trace of the alcohol in the flavour. Take this one easy.

While the Stonecutter displays the fruity sweetness dark beers can contain, Renaissance Elemental Porter (6%) showcases the chocolate. Black in colour, the Elemental gives off strong coffee and chocolate aromas—pretty much my two favourite things. Each sip also provides a big coffee hit, balanced with the subtle caramel, chocolate and cocoa flavours. The cocoa and coffee characters make sure this beer isn’t too sweet, but rich in flavour just the same.

Renaissance do most of their trade in bottles (very classy ones I might add), and the range is widely available in most supermarkets. But luckily, Wellington is one of the few cities that you can find its beer on tap as well. The Malthouse, Hashigo Zake and Regional Wines and Spirits consistently have a tap or three pouring the Renaissance brews. And, now that it’s almost winter, the Elemental Porter and the Stonecutter Scotch Ale are likely to be flowing regularly.

So rather than shying away from the dark beer this winter, give the craft breweries a chance. After all, what could be better than spending an evening with a velvety glass of dark fruits, or the warming flavours of coffee and chocolate?

If you have any questions about this week’s beers or any comments, please contact me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com.

It may just the first week back at uni, but I bet you are missing the holidays already. For some reason, lecturers love to make the first week back the deadline for major assignments, and many of us spend that final weekend hoping another 1000 words will magically appear on our computer screens, or the markers won’t check the word count too carefully.

And while the hot cross buns and Easter eggs (which have been getting you through those two weeks of stressful procrastination) will have well and truly disappeared from the flat cupboards by now, take comfort that beer can, once again, save the day.

Enter Emerson’s Taieri George (6.8%). Released on March 6 every year, this spiced ale will blow your mind. It is released as a tribute to the founder of Dunedin’s Emerson’s brewery, and great train lover, the late George Emerson.

Quite possibly the only beer referencing both a great brewer and a railway in its name (Google or Wikipedia can explain the full story), it is also a very unique New Zealand craft beer. Emerson’s Taieri George pours a very attractive dark ruby colour and smells like hot cross buns.

George’s son, Richard, is the current head brewer at Emerson’s and uses organic clover honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a third ‘mystery’ spice in the seasonal brew, giving off an aroma and taste that’s remarkably similar to the Easter treat. But an almost cocoa-like flavour, hints of dark fruit, a roasted malt body and dry licorice finish gives this beer an added twist.

Trying to figure out the mystery spice is also part of the fun. My guess? Star anise or fennel, giving it that hint of black licorice at the end of each mouthful.

Emerson’s Taieri George is available at most supermarkets and liquor stores which sell the Emerson’s range, and make sure you stock up—this beer actually gets BETTER with age. Keep some hidden at the back of the pantry for an even more intense ‘liquid hot cross buns’ experience in a few years’ time.

But for those of us who prefer to nibble on the eggs all Easter long, it is just as easy to satisfy that chocolate craving with beer.

I know, chocolate beer sounds, well, quite disgusting actually. But there are actually beers out there which taste remarkably like cocoa-rich treat. Probably the easiest to find is Young’s Chocolate Stout 5.2%. Available at most supermarkets and liquor stores in town, the Chocolate Stout smells of milk chocolate, dark malt and dark fruit. Believe it or not, this brew tastes like chocolate from start to finish, with cocoa and dark malt bitterness on the finish.

A hint for those of you with a larger-than-average sweet tooth—try adding a small amount of raspberry syrup to the glass after pouring the beer. It will take the bitter edge off and satisfy that sugar craving even faster.

The supermarkets may have run out of the usual Easter treats, but the liquid ones remain. So why not celebrate getting that essay into the drop-box on time with the liquid hot cross buns of Emerson’s Taieri George or the drinking chocolate of Young’s Chocolate Stout.

If you have any questions about this week’s beers or any comments, please contact me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com.

Sometimes—actually strike that—frequently, I enjoy drinking beer that showcases BIG flavours. Luckily, here in New Zealand there are numerous craft breweries brewing beers which do just that, and do it well. But there’s one brewery that has embraced this ‘big’ concept more than any other—Epic Brewing Company.

Epic beer is just what it claims to be—the beers have big aromas, big flavours and leave a big impression. There are four (soon to be five) beers in the Epic family, and it all started in 2006 with the Epic Pale Ale 5.4%. Based on the American pale ales that brewer Luke Nicholas fell in love with while he was working in States about ten years ago, the pale ale has 23 hops per 500mL bottle—about 23 times more than your average commercial beer.

The Epic Pale Ale has a big, fruity hop aroma, and tastes fruity too. The beer boasts grapefruit and orange citrus flavours, a strong caramel malt body and the characteristic hop bitterness that makes Epic epic. At $16 for a 2L rigger at Regional Wines and Spirits or about $6 for a 500mL bottle at your local supermarket, there’s no excuse for not at least trying beer with big flavour.

But for those of you willing to risk trying something bigger, and probably more rewarding, the annual Epic Mayhem 6.2% brew has just been released. When I spoke to Luke Nicholas at the 2010 launch last week, he had trouble trying to explain what style of beer it actually is.“It’s all of the Epic beers in one. It doesn’t fit in a box.”

While even the brewer finds it hard to define what exactly Mayhem is, I can. It’s tasty. Obviously American inspired, it has the citrus hop aroma and flavours that are present in all the Epic beers, but this time the lemony taste is accompanied by an earthy character from the New Zealand hops Luke has added. A big roasted and caramel malt flavour backs up and, dare I say it, balances out the beer. Big, bold and un-boxed, Mayhem can be found on tap at the Malthouse or for about $10 at your regular take-away beer store.

Epic has two more family members. Epic Lager 5%, which some describe as a ‘lawn mower’ beer, Luke says he “wanted to have something between the Epic Pale Ale and Steinlager or Heineken”.

Though it’s the lightest Epic beer with 9 hops per 500mLs, flavour-wise it’s definitely a few hundred metres ahead of the other lagers on the market. Epic Armageddon 6.66%, with a massive 42 hops per 500mLs, sits at the other end of the spectrum and is a complete hop explosion. It has strong green, earthy and fruity hop flavours with a big dose of bitterness, a must-try for the hop-heads or those of you wanting to challenge your palate.

So next time you’re feeling hopless, you really can’t go past the company that does big flavour better than almost every other New Zealand brewery. Epic. I mean, even the name is big.

If you have any questions or comments about this week’s beers, you can email me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com.

I like beer. Actually, I love beer. And I’m a girl.

I’m very aware that females tend to be far more partial to a glass of wine or a vodka and coke than a bottle of beer. Why? Well, we girls are renowned for having a sweet tooth and, let’s be honest, the majority of beers on special at the local supermarket come in packs of 12 and taste remarkably similar to dirty water.

But what a lot of people don’t realise is that beer can taste like pretty much anything. And as the last of the summer days grace our skies, why not feed that sugar craving with a refreshing fruit beer?

For those of you who enjoy sweet spirits and fizzy drinks, Timmermans Framboise (4%) is the perfect drop. Brewed in Belgium, the framboise is a traditional raspberry lambic—which basically means instead of tasting like malt or hops, the flavour comes from stacks of raspberries. My Best Friend, who’s quite the fruit beer expert, says it smells “like raspberry syrup, with sugar”. The taste lives up to the aroma with a candy sweetness and fizzy berry flavour, but it also has a sour raspberry kick at the end of each mouthful—making it dangerously more-ish. The best thing is, you can feed your addiction by visiting most good supermarkets, or the fridges of the Malthouse and Regional Wines and Spirits.

But some prefer their thirst quenchers to be less sweet, and Invercargill Boysenbeery (6.5%) is probably the best thing to come out of the deep south all summer. Brewed with boysenberries instead of traditional lambic fruits, this German-style wheat beer tastes fruity rather than sweet. It has a BIG boysenberry hit which is slightly sour, a clove-like spice which adds bitterness, and it’s all balanced by a smooth wheat texture. Sour and fruity, My Best Friend says the Boysenbeery “packs a bit of a punch”. As a limited release beer, it’s not quite as accessible, but New World Thorndon and the Malthouse usually have a healthy stock.

However, if you’re not quite prepared to make the jump to beer just yet, the Sprig & Fern 3 Berry Cider (4.5%) is worthy of a try. There’s no doubt it’s been the summer of cider, with numerous apple concoctions flying off the shelves all through the country. Brewed in Nelson, Sprig & Fern blend their regular cider with boysenberries, strawberries and blackcurrants. With so many fresh, dark fruits in each pint, it tastes just like a glass of fresh juice and goes down just as easily. I don’t know anyone, male or female, who doesn’t like the 3 Berry Cider. It was available at the Malthouse at the time of writing and cult beer bar Hashigo Zake has been known to have a keg from time to time, but get in quick—it never lasts long.

So before writing off beer completely, satisfy that sweet tooth by giving these fruity treats a go. From sour to sweet there’s something for everyone, and besides, fruit is good for you—right?

If you have any questions or comments about this week’s beers, you can email me at denisethebeergirl@gmail.com.