Beer thread
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@crucial said in Beer thread:
@mn5 said in Beer thread:
@crucial said in Beer thread:
Back to beer and another picked up today was a Saison from Sunshine Brewing in Gisborne.
Nice surprise. First because I have never been a fan of the brewery (just a bit average IMO) but also because there are few kiwi attempts at a Saison that I would really feel fit the bill.
This one really does. Funky, farmhouse flavours with the right level of “sourness “. Just a touch in other words.
Would be a nice food match. Pipi fritters, Salt and pepper squid etc“A bit average” sums it up well, they settled for some solid beers and stayed there. Pretty refreshing when I was up there for work on a stinking hot day though I must say, it’s a shame the brewery isn’t overlooking the water, they missed a trick there.
They were one of the early independent breweries IIRC and have been around a long time. The old Gizzy Gold was quite sought after when the options were Lion, DB then Macs, Monteiths and GG
there was always Mikes,and Macs. And monteiths (which you mentioned, before they got bought)
Edit: and Croucher, and Emersons...
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@nzzp said in Beer thread:
@crucial said in Beer thread:
@mn5 said in Beer thread:
@crucial said in Beer thread:
Back to beer and another picked up today was a Saison from Sunshine Brewing in Gisborne.
Nice surprise. First because I have never been a fan of the brewery (just a bit average IMO) but also because there are few kiwi attempts at a Saison that I would really feel fit the bill.
This one really does. Funky, farmhouse flavours with the right level of “sourness “. Just a touch in other words.
Would be a nice food match. Pipi fritters, Salt and pepper squid etc“A bit average” sums it up well, they settled for some solid beers and stayed there. Pretty refreshing when I was up there for work on a stinking hot day though I must say, it’s a shame the brewery isn’t overlooking the water, they missed a trick there.
They were one of the early independent breweries IIRC and have been around a long time. The old Gizzy Gold was quite sought after when the options were Lion, DB then Macs, Monteiths and GG
there was always Mikes,and Macs. And monteiths (which you mentioned, before they got bought)
Edit: and Croucher, and Emersons...
I’m going back a little before that I think.
Have a feeling that Gisborne Gold was around before Emerson’s, Croucher and maybe Mikes.Edit: Mike’s and Sunshine both started 1989
Emerson’s 1992 -
I'm guessing that Sunshine has a new brewer as I have also just ordered (from Regional Wines and Spirits) a Grand Cru Flanders Red Ale and a Black Biere de Garde. No mention of these on their website although after having a closer look I see that the Saison I mentioned is in the shop part of the site and they mention that it won"Best European Ale" and the NZ Brewers Guild Awards. It is the East Coast Saison if anyone is interested in buying.
Awesome to see more brewers getting on to ales and experimenting with yeasts and malts instead of just throwing a sack of hops in the mix.
Maybe it's the next phase in NZ brewing?
At the moment it is copies mainly but that's OK it helps with the skills. Craftwork in Oamaru are the only ones really pushing boundaries in this market with fantastic trappist, geueze and (proper) saisons that sit for years in NZ wine barrels with wild yeasts before being blended and adjusted for flavour. -
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Tapping into the Fern wisdom... Anyone drunk the brews from Bach Brewing?
Bach Brewing - escape from the everyday
Bach Brewing is an independent craft beer brewer in Auckland, New Zealand - your escape from the everyday for good times and great beer
A couple of friends are good friends with the owner of Bach, Craig Cooper, and have been raving about how good the beers are. In fact, they are close enough to the team that they get wholesale kegs from Bach and drink them at home. This is a great idea and one which I wish was more readily available here in Sydney.
Anyway, TBH, I hadn't heard of them and their beers certainly aren't available here in Sydney so I'm looking for the views of any who may have tasted their beers.
Looking into it, I can see that Bach actually don't brew their own but rather brew under-license with Steam Brewing Company.
Quite a common business model here in Sydney, the (above, hopefully) average home brewer wants to take his passions to the next level and develops their own recipes and then gets one of the big boys to brew in mass for them "under license". Often, but not always, once they get large enough in terms of sustainable revenue, they will then invest in their own brewery and open a cellar door.
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@roninwc said in Beer thread:
Tapping into the Fern wisdom... Anyone drunk the brews from Bach Brewing?
...
Looking into it, I can see that Bach actually don't brew their own but rather brew under-license with Steam Brewing Company.Yep, absolutely. They are good brewers (well, good recipe designers :D). Steam brewing brew a lot of contract beers for folk - and I have no issue with that.
But yes, for me they have gradually grown in quality for a while. King Tide is a seriously nice beer and the first that springs to mind.
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@roninwc said in Beer thread:
Tapping into the Fern wisdom... Anyone drunk the brews from Bach Brewing?
Bach Brewing is an independent craft beer brewer in Auckland, New Zealand - your escape from the everyday for good times and great beer
A couple of friends are good friends with the owner of Bach, Craig Cooper, and have been raving about how good the beers are. In fact, they are close enough to the team that they get wholesale kegs from Bach and drink them at home. This is a great idea and one which I wish was more readily available here in Sydney.
Anyway, TBH, I hadn't heard of them and their beers certainly aren't available here in Sydney so I'm looking for the views of any who may have tasted their beers.
Looking into it, I can see that Bach actually don't brew their own but rather brew under-license with Steam Brewing Company.
Quite a common business model here in Sydney, the (above, hopefully) average home brewer wants to take his passions to the next level and develops their own recipes and then gets one of the big boys to brew in mass for them "under license". Often, but not always, once they get large enough in terms of sustainable revenue, they will then invest in their own brewery and open a cellar door.
Sadly it seems to operate more and more in the opposite direction.
Don't get me wrong, anyone bringing good product to the market is doing drinkers a service but to me the concept of 'craft beer' is that you have more skin in the game than providing a recipe (which is pretty much this malt mix, this hop mix, this abv) and doing some marketing.
IMO those that take the risk of brewing themselves will spend more effort on making more than just another can for the supermarket shelves. The very thing that led to small brewery emergence is now being embraced by them. Just as we were sick of 'just another lager' now it's 'just another IPA/APA/Hazy' that sell on image as quality is generically ensured by contract brewing.
There are less and less 'brewers' that are expanding our taste buds and giving us new experiences.
I now tend to support those that do and baulk at paying 'craft' prices for factory beer.Rant over.
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@roninwc said in Beer thread:
Tapping into the Fern wisdom... Anyone drunk the brews from Bach Brewing?
Bach Brewing is an independent craft beer brewer in Auckland, New Zealand - your escape from the everyday for good times and great beer
A couple of friends are good friends with the owner of Bach, Craig Cooper, and have been raving about how good the beers are. In fact, they are close enough to the team that they get wholesale kegs from Bach and drink them at home. This is a great idea and one which I wish was more readily available here in Sydney.
Anyway, TBH, I hadn't heard of them and their beers certainly aren't available here in Sydney so I'm looking for the views of any who may have tasted their beers.
Looking into it, I can see that Bach actually don't brew their own but rather brew under-license with Steam Brewing Company.
Quite a common business model here in Sydney, the (above, hopefully) average home brewer wants to take his passions to the next level and develops their own recipes and then gets one of the big boys to brew in mass for them "under license". Often, but not always, once they get large enough in terms of sustainable revenue, they will then invest in their own brewery and open a cellar door.
Yes, the beer matches the artwork, the few I’ve had have been terrific.
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@crucial said in Beer thread:
There are less and less 'brewers' that are expanding our taste buds and giving us new experiences.
I now tend to support those that do and baulk at paying 'craft' prices for factory beer.Good for you!
Who do you see doing this? Garage Project spring to mind ... although they have massively scaled up their operation.
I want to make a pilgrimage out to Liberty taproom in Helensville to support Joe Wood. He's a damn good brewer, and an original on the brewing scene here.
Was at Galbraiths the other night, and had forgotten how nice that place is. Great english beers too.
Also, Epic are getting way more of my money than they should after they opened a taproom with fresh beer and decent pizza. Bastards.
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@nzzp said in Beer thread:
@crucial said in Beer thread:
There are less and less 'brewers' that are expanding our taste buds and giving us new experiences.
I now tend to support those that do and baulk at paying 'craft' prices for factory beer.Good for you!
Who do you see doing this?
GP, Kereru, Craftwork, Sunshine, Zeelandt, McLeod's, all do a fair bit of interesting stuff.
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Garage Project are using at least one contract-brewer I'm aware of... but it's out-sourcing the mass production of their "core range", leaving the brewery to do the experimental shit - which I guess you'd forgive, @Crucial ?
It's kinda the best of both worlds.
But yeah - I get your main point. "Craft" has certainly become "Marketing" for a lot of places. -
@kruse said in Beer thread:
Garage Project are using at least one contract-brewer I'm aware of... but it's out-sourcing the mass production of their "core range", leaving the brewery to do the experimental shit - which I guess you'd forgive, @Crucial ?
It's kinda the best of both worlds.
But yeah - I get your main point. "Craft" has certainly become "Marketing" for a lot of places.Yeah I understand that. Like you say “best of both”. Need the core business to fund the craft side.
Others do the same. They still need to make the bucks of course and the market for people like me is quite small.
Still I would rather buy the standards to support those that give me the opportunity to try something different. -
@kruse said in Beer thread:
Garage Project are using at least one contract-brewer I'm aware of... but it's out-sourcing the mass production of their "core range", leaving the brewery to do the experimental shit - which I guess you'd forgive, @Crucial ?
in fairness, as I understand it they specced a brewery they'd like to use - and the owners built it and then contract brew for GP. -- and others. Great model.
Anything that gets good craft beer around teh place is a win for me. FFS, I can get an Emerson's pilsner on the plane ... that's a massively good outcome
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@nzzp said in Beer thread:
@kruse said in Beer thread:
Garage Project are using at least one contract-brewer I'm aware of... but it's out-sourcing the mass production of their "core range", leaving the brewery to do the experimental shit - which I guess you'd forgive, @Crucial ?
in fairness, as I understand it they specced a brewery they'd like to use - and the owners built it and then contract brew for GP. -- and others. Great model.
Anything that gets good craft beer around teh place is a win for me. FFS, I can get an Emerson's pilsner on the plane ... that's a massively good outcome
I'd have to talk to my guys on the inside there to confirm that background - I hadn't heard that before. I do know that the one I'm talking about, if we're both talking about the same thing - was pretty recently built, from ground-up - with all the latest/greatest tech/toys.
But yeah - I'm certainly not complaining with the model... as I said, it really is the best of both worlds... they get to mass-produce the core-range, and get plenty of delicious beers out to market for me to drink; and they then get to play around in the home-brewery. -
@kruse yep, this was what I saw a few years ago
They [bStudio] are essentially building the brewery we would have built ourselves, and it enables us to keep up with the demand and increasing popularity for our beers," Garage Project co-founder Jos Ruffell said.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/88954436/garage-project-to-open-new-brew-site-in-the-hawkes-ba
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@nzzp said in Beer thread:
@kruse yep, this was what I saw a few years ago
They [bStudio] are essentially building the brewery we would have built ourselves, and it enables us to keep up with the demand and increasing popularity for our beers," Garage Project co-founder Jos Ruffell said.
Yeah - I know a few of the guys there, some better than others. It's a rather handy situation for stopping in to join Friday evening beers when I ride into town, if I time it right.
