Beer Friday!...Sunday Edition

Welcome to what will hopefully be a weekly series examining the wide range of brews on offer here in New Zealand. Each week I will endeavor to try something new and update you on how delicious (or not) it is. Ratings will be given in a completely arbitrary manner, because really, is there such thing as a truly bad beer? Didn't think so. This week, a look at a newer beer from an old favourite: Ein Stein from the Boundary Road Brewery.

Hello again dear friends, and welcome to yet another (albeit belated) edition of Beer Friday!! I'm writing this on a Sunday evening, and must apologize for the lateness of this typically Friday-timed feature. As I mentioned previously, I am rather busy with school work, and thus couldn't find the time to get this review to the metaphorical presses on time (also, I had no beer). Nevertheless, I am here now with, as the introductory paragraph alludes to, another selection from one of my favourite NZ brewing establishments: Boundary Road Brewery. Last time we met these folks, I took a look at their Chocolate Moose porter and Bouncing Czech pilsener. This time, we'll take a look at BRB's Munich-style lager, the ingeniously named Ein Stein. Read on after the break!

As with the last time I looked at a BRB effort, I'll let the folks employed to do such things describe the beer, and then I'll attempt to add in my own, slightly less intelligent, comments. Ein Stein Munich lager, from the writers at BRB:

"When you think of Bavaria, you probably picture two things. Beer and theoretical physics. Einstein, who invented science in Munich, was not only a brilliant physicist, he was also a brilliant coincidence. His name happens to be German for 'one beer'. This Munich lager is just the sort of 'Ein Stein' you would enjoy at Oktoberfest. Smooth, crisp and pouring the same large head as its namesake. It'll satisfy any man in leather shorts."

Witty comment, HAHAHA

Once again, the writers have certainly nailed it. A combination of interesting anecdotes, humour and beer reviewy-ness that this blogger can only hope to emulate. The Einstein factoid is particularly interesting, and certainly something to think about every time you have a tipple. If you're capable of thinking when having a tipple of course (depends on how many you've had I guess). Also, a lederhosen reference? Always a winner.

The beer itself, as BRB's description correctly points out, is a deliciously smooth beer. It does have that bit of a bite in the carbonation that fulfills the "crisp" aspect of the description, and that adds wonderfully to the slightly bitter taste. A wonderful gold in colour, Ein Stein certainly calls to mind classic German beers such as Lowenbrau, which I suppose is the point. Overall, a very enjoyable drinking experience, made all the better by its delivery in a 500mL bottle.

On the Arbitrary Beer Rating Scale, I give it...9 moustaches out of 13, with the rating expanding at a constant rate over time, thus paying tribute to Albert's classic 'tache, but also one of his theories (I think? Not too sure on scientists and their major works) on our HUMANGOUS BIG universe.

For maximum rating effectiveness: 1. Picture this thirteen times.
2. Take away four. 3. Our universe is always expanding. Presto!

So there you have it, better late than never I suppose. I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but bear with me through this moderately fallow period in my time here in NZ. I'll be pretty boring for a while, so don't expect posts on a regular basis. I'll write when something happens, don't you worry your pretty little heads about that.

Dave