By Benjamin Quigan
Fact: Kiwis love beer.
In 2009, 65 percent of the 471 million litres of alcohol available for consumption was beer.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve grown tiresome of seeing the same old boring beers on offer, with no character to them.
Like wine, New Zealand has many beers to choose from. Some are ok, some are good, others – outstanding.
There are two major players in the New Zealand beer game; Lion Nathan and DB Breweries.
However there are microbreweries popping up all over New Zealand who are doing things a little differently – and making some exceptional beer.
If you’re into beer and want to sample something different, why not try one of these:
Epic
Probably one of the more recognized locally micro brewed beers, is Epic.
Brewed in Auckland, Epic has a range of five beers – Pale Ale, Lager, Mayhem, Armageddon and Thorbridge Stout. Each beer has one thing in common – hops, lots of them.
If you’re trying to remember whether you have tasted Epic – you probably haven’t. The first sip is unforgettable.
Epic Pale Ale has 23 different kinds of hops crammed into the bottle.
If this is a characteristic you like, you should try Armageddon – seriously hoppy and one of the most unique tasting beers I have tried.
Tuatara
Moving down the country to Wellington comes another great microbrewery - Tuatara.
My favorites from this range would be the pilsner that gives traditional hop bitterness and the porter that has a dark chocolate and malt style.
Moa
Marlborough’s Moa brewery produces the only beer to be fermented in the bottle, like champagne.
The brew comes from Josh Scott, winemaker for Allan Scott family wines, who wanted to see what he could come up with if he used his winemaking experience to create beer.
Moa boasts many different brews – a personal favourite is the Weka Native Lager, an easy drinking beer with a hop aroma and finish.
The Moa Original has a great deal more hops and a sweet, fruity finish.
Green Man
If you are after a true organic brew you can’t go past Green Man.
Brewed in Dunedin, Green Man is a natural as it gets.
The brew boasts ten varieties, ranging from organic lagers, bitters, pilsners, and wheat beers to stouts.
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