Beer Friday! - Recession Special

Hello again folks, and welcome to a specially themed edition of Beer Friday! I've been in New Zealand for over 8 months now (!), and as I have not been working, my funds are starting to show signs of drying up. I will make it to the end of my time here without having to resort to nefarious means of money-making or dumpster-diving for food, but I am starting to feel the pinch (my trip to Australia did not help matters, but that is not likely to elicit any sympathy, as Australia was AWESOME). As such, I've passed on trips down to Castle MacAdam the past few weeks, and instead will be delving deep into my memory to review three beers that can be kindly described as "cheap" (but realistically described as "fit only for butt-chugging"). Read on for a (hopefully) humourous look at some of the lower-echelon beers this fine nation has to offer.

Beer Friday!

Sorry kids, no Beer Friday! this week, due to circumstances mostly beyond my control. As a substitute, please enjoy this picture of Chewbacca riding a giant squirrel battling some Nazis :)

YEP.

Beer Friday! - Emerson's Southern Clam Stout

Hello all, and welcome back. Before I start with the review today, I'd like to put out a special WELCOME TO NEW ZEALAND to Mal, Carson, Pezz and Zak! It'll be nice to have a little bit of Canadiana close by (relatively speaking), and I'm looking forward to your visit (speeding down the coast from CHCH even as I write), and reciprocating that visit with a trip to Queenstown in October. I know you guys will love it here, and best of luck with the job and house hunt in QTown!

Back on track now, and my brew of the week comes from Emerson's Brewery, a wonderful little spot based right here in Dunedin. Emerson's churns out one top-notch beer after the other, winning "Champion Brewery of NZ" in 2009. The brewery itself was started by Food Science graduate Richard Emerson in the early 90's with the first brew, London Porter, getting its first release in 1993. Emerson was looking to expand on the selection available to NZ beer aficionados, and with a brewery that is capable of putting out 1 million litres per annum (I know I've said this before, but that seems to be a lot) and a range of 7 core beers, plus seasonal releases (5 as of RIGHT NOW), he has done exactly that.

Beer Friday! - Tuatara Aotearoa Pale Ale

Good morning/afternoon/evening/night (choose at your discretion) dear readers, and welcome to another edition of Beer Friday!, the only bit of writing that is keeping this blog above water. I realize the last three posts have been Beer Friday! in nature, and I do sincerely apologize for this. I was thinking today that, when I started this blog, perhaps I overestimated the amount of interesting stuff I would be doing, and that I should have stretched out my recap posts a little longer. But, alas, I didn't do that, and here we are. I will say, however, that hopefully things will turn around soon. After all, the All Blacks v South Africa rugby test is a mere two weeks away, and I depart for an Australian adventure in under a month. So things might be getting spicier in the near future (I also understand that I've been saying that for a few weeks now. Bear with me).

Beer Friday! - Yeastie Boys Brewery

Hello folks, and welcome to another edition of Beer Friday!. This week, I'd first like to share a fantastic discovery I made. Here, in Dunedin, there is a CRAFT BEER STORE. Yeah. A place where I can go to pick up all sorts of NZ (and international) microbrews, as well as delicious scotch (if I could afford it) and fantastic wines (if I was Peter Dinklage). SO, I raise my literal and metaphorical glass to Castle MacAdam Wine. May we have a wonderful, alcohol based friendship over the next 100 or so (is that a hint as to my return date? MAYBE?) days.

As for the beer(s) this week, I went with two selections, purchased from the aforementioned Castle MacAdam, from Yeastie Boys Brewery. Based out of Miramar in Wellington, YB was founded by Stu McKinlay and Sam Posseniskie. They exploded onto the craft brewing scene in 2009 with their fantastically named Pot Kettle Black porter (winning two trophies at BrewNZ 2009), and have since been putting out top quality brown pops and making it rain, PACMAN JONES STYLE, international beer awards. Everything I've heard and read about these guys had been overwhelmingly positive, so I'm very excited to review TWO of their beers for you, as always, after the jump.

Beer Friday! - Renaissance Brewing Co.

Hello again folks, and welcome to another edition of Beer Friday! Jumping straight into it, this week I elected to purchase the Craftsman Chocolate Oatmeal Stout from Renaissance Brewing Company. Based out of Blenheim, the heart of New Zealand's wine-producing region, Renaissance is actually the only brewery (that I am aware of) that had product in the LCBO at the time of my departure. As such, this particular beer is not the first Renaissance offering I've had, but it is certainly the first that I remember.

The brewery, being located in a world-renowned wine producing region, certainly has a lot to live up to in terms of the quality its neighbours put out. Renaissance takes on this challenge with zeal, with their website stating "We produce top end, ultra premium ales that enlighten the palate and thrill the senses. Our beers are made from the pure waters that flow from the southern alps and we only use locally grown hops from our own backyard." This mantra and committment to producing top quality product has led them to being nominated for a number of awards, including winning an Australasian Brewery of the Year for 2012. Renaissance are is a great example of a New Zealand craft brewery that puts out top quality product.

Beer Friday! - EPIC Pale Ale

Good morning/afternoon/evening my international friends, and welcome to another edition of Beer Friday! As I'm sure you've noticed (UpsideDownDave readers being noted for their incredible powers of observation), once again, this post is not appearing on a Friday, no matter where on the globe you are. I'm just going to say it: Beer Friday! is pretty much a Friday post in name only at this point. I did drink a beer this Friday, but general apathy has resulted in me putting off the writing of this post for a few days. Thus, henceforth, Beer Friday! will become more of a weekend post. I will still drink the beer on Friday, but the post could appear at any point during the weekend. This has a double benefit: you, the reader, are kept on your toes, constantly refreshing your browser as you await my meaningless and meandering review, and I have a justification for my laziness. THAT IS A WIN-WIN SCENARIO IN MY BOOKS. So, without further ado, I present...

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!

Beer Friday! - Stoke Brewery

After a one-week hiatus, this week Beer Friday! returns with a vengeance. Well, not really a vengeance, but it is returning, and that is the important bit that we all need to focus on. I forgot to mention this in last week's explanation of the missing Beer Friday!, but because I deprived you all of what I'm sure was developing into a weekly tradition (where you gathered your children around the warm glow of the computer screen to read about whatever beer I chose to get pissed up with that week), I've decided to, in the near future, give you a special Beer Friday! treat. Whenever it is financially responsible for me to do so (hopefully in August), I will be LIVE-BLOGGING a super special, super sexy edition of Beer Friday!. Get your popcorn ready Terrell.

Anyway, on to THIS week's beer, Stoke Gold, which comes to us from Stoke Brewery, located in a suburb of Nelson called, fittingly enough, Stoke (I may have just set the record for most uses of the word "Stoke" in a sentence). I selected this beer not only because I had never tried it, but also because I spent some time in Nelson on my most recent break, so it ties in nicely with what I've been doing lately. Read on for the review, as always, after the jump.

Ferg Babies, BNO, Sunny and Shredding Gnar - Queenstown Boarding Trip (Feat. Ping)

Hello again dearest readers, I've missed you all greatly over the past few weeks. I feel like I haven't been giving you enough attention lately (just one post in July? Unacceptable!), but I'm back now to rectify that situation.

For loyal followers of the blog, you'll likely be wondering "Where is Beer Friday!? I need that post to get me geared for the weekend!" Unfortunately, there will be no Beer Friday! this week, for two reasons. Firstly, I haven't really had a new type of beer lately (I could review some of the Monteith's range, which I am quite familiar with, but I'd like to have it fresher on the palette to do it justice) and secondly, I don't want to have back-to-back Beer Friday! posts - this is, after all, primarily a travel blog.

So with that out of the way, what follows will be a thrilling recap of what went down in Queenstown, where I spent the first part of my school holiday snowboarding, nerding it up and generally causing a ruckus. Read on my intrepid friends, and figure out what that blog title means!

Beer Friday! - Tui

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 Tui.

When I moved to New Zealand and began my quest to sample as many beers as this wonderful nation could deign to offer me, one simple question kept floating into my brain. "Which beer," my brain asked, "is the Kiwi equivalent to Pabst Blue Ribbon, aka PBR, aka the official cheap beer choice of 80 Dorset (my former residence for the uninitiated)?" Not that PBR is particularly delicious (it's decidedly average, and the "Blue Ribbon" in the name is a prize from the 1800's or something), but I felt it was critical to find the NZ equivalent, in the event I needed to acquire an above average amount of an average beer for a below average price. And I did. And it is Tui. Read on for my review, I promise it's not too mainstream for all the hipsters following along at home.

Beer Friday! - Boundary Road Brewery

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 selections from Boundary Road Brewery.

My original thought for the post today was a recap of my last weekend - the Flight of the Conchords came to Dunedin to play the Regent Theatre, and I was privileged enough to get tickets. But then I thought to myself, "What's the point in attempting to be funny when writing a review of a comedy show, you're nor nearly as funny as they are anyway. And your pictures are shit." So that's that, not going to write about the FotC show beyond saying they were hilarious and were everything I ever imagined and more.

Anyway, back to the topic "du jour", another addition of Beer Friday!. This week I'm taking a look at two selections from Boundary Road Brewery, a smaller operation based in the Hunua Hills south of Auckland. What flavours you ask? What half-assed rating scheme are you using this week you ponder? More flaming furniture perhaps? Read on to find out good people, the answers lie forwards, not backwards, upwards, not forwards and always twirling, twirling, twirling...Ahem. Read on then.

Beer Friday! - Speight's, Pride of the South

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 the range of beers produced by Dunedin-based Speight's Brewery.

Billing it self as the "Pride of the South", Speight's Brewery offers a range of eight beers, ranging from their flagship, Speight's Gold Medal Ale, all the way to Speight's Distinction, a darker, heavier style. I have had the privilege, thanks to the wonderful Speight's Brewery Tour, of sampling six of these brews, and below I will attempt to review them for you.

March of the Penguins (not really)

As I've said, the first few posts will attempt to provide you, the intrepid reader, with a summary of what's been going on in the first few months of my New Zealand adventure. Next up, March, a much sunnier experience on the whole.

No, I did not see any penguins in March. Or April. Or at all. Do not expect to see any pictures of penguins in this post, or any post, for a while now.

Now that both of my readers have abandoned this blog due to the lack of penguin-related news, I'll go ahead and proceed with my recap of the wonderful month of March, my second here in NZ. February, as discussed earlier, was a rather dull month, I didn't get up to much beyond settling in to a new routine in Dunners (another nickname for this wonderful city that seems to have more names than P-Diddy and Aragorn combined).