Friday Craft Beer Review: Harrington Breweries’ The Rogue Hop NZ Pilsner

Started in 1991, John Harrington, of Harrington’s Breweries (Christchurch NZ), set out to brew affordable and tasty beers as an alternative to the overpriced brown ales dominant in New Zealand. At least that’s the story on their website. At the very least, Harrington’s tends to be a slightly more affordable craft beer and is available at most supermarkets. Today I thought I’d tackle their pilsner.

What is a pilsner? As mentioned in our previous discussion of IPAs and APAs, beer was traditionally brewed dark. With clean burning coal allowing for lightly roasted malts and a paler ale, all sorts of brewing possibilities opened up. In the early 1800’s England started producing pale ales and then especially the “Indian Pale Ale” which was exported to India with extra hops preserving the beer for the duration of the voyage. At the same time pale ales were also being brewed throughout Europe. Pilsner is a style of pale ale that takes its name from the Bohemian city of Pilsen, which at the time was a part of the Austrian Empire. While Indian Pale Ale took off in England and India, Pilsners were increasingly the rage in Europe. The clear golden beer was a welcome alternative to darker European Ales.

How is it different to something like an IPA?  What should one expect from a pilsner?

IPA’s tend to try and balance malt and hops. Strong hops are added to strong malts and the result is a reasonably big beer full of flavor and complexity. Pilsners on the other hand tend to be lighter beers. The lighter malts used in a pilsner aren’t as strong as in an IPA and thus the bitterness of hops comes through without the brewer needing to be so heavy handed with the hops. A pilsner is still a hoppy beer but it is more easy going. One should therefore expect the bitterness of hops, but also more pleasant (but subtle) flavor profiles are given a chance to come through. This Harrington’s pilsner is promising gooseberry aromas and peachy/apricot flavors. We’ll see. Pilsners also tend to have a dry finish, which basically means a crisp finish rather than a sweet lingering finish. Let’s see if this is the case.

Price: $4.99 500mils

Alcohol content: 5%

Colour: A lovely bright golden colour. A lot more pale than an IPA which tends towards a browny/orangy gold. This is very pale. Slightly cloudy. Not much bubbles.

Aroma: Sweet to smell. Honey and peaches.  

Palate: It’s fizzy. Feels light and refreshing in the mouth. You pick up the bitterness and grassy flavour of the hops straight away and then lovely hints of tropical fruit. 

Finish: The contrast when it comes to the finish between this pilsner and the Epic Pale Ale from last week is quite remarkable. While the flavors of the Epic Pale Ale linger, with the pilsner the bitterness drops off straight away, closely followed by the sweetness of fruit. And then it’s gone. It is a clean and dry finish and a part of what makes a pilsner such a refreshing beer.

On the Chart: On the chart we’re in the hoppy and simple quadrant. Here the continuum between hops and malt on the chart doesn’t quite work. The Epic Pale Ale from last week was more hoppy than this pilsner but also had unmistakable caramel malt flavors in the mix. And so, while the pilsner is placed on the chart as being less hoppy than the Epic Pale Ale, it is not more malty. You don’t pick up any malt flavors in this pilsner. This of course make it less complex but also potentially more of a refreshing beer.

Conclusion: I’ve not drunk a lot of Harrington’s but I have most of their premium range at one stage or another. They genuinely are a more affordable craft beer but, at least in regards to this Rogue Hop NZ Pilsner, that doesn’t mean you are getting a second rate beer. This pilsner is on point; delicious and refreshing with the sweetness coming from the fruitiness of the hops rather than the caramel sugars of malt. I’d happily recommend this to anyone looking to sample a pilsner, especially after a great days fishing and with a plate of fresh Snapper. 

Friday Craft Beer Review: Epic’s Pale Ale

Epic is a well-regarded Auckland based NZ brewery. Their most awarded beer is there Pale Ale. Essentially it is brewed in the style of an American Pale Ale, but they refer to it as their Epic Pale Ale. It’s their signature beer and for many enthusiasts is the standard “go-to” when it comes to craft beers. If this is an American Pale Ale though, what about an Indian Pale Ale? What’s the difference between APAs and IPAs? What even is an IPA?

So firstly, what is an IPA? Throughout history beer has mainly been brewed dark; brown through to black basically. Malts were dried over wood burning ovens and the result was nearly always smoky, roasty and toasty. About 300 years ago this changed. Clean burning coal allowed roasters a far greater degree of control when it came to roasting malts. Lightly roasted malts meant pale through to golden beers could be brewed, each with slightly different flavors. A whole would of delicious possibilities opened up. The Pale Ale took of in England and not content to drink this only on the mainland, England set about shipping this around her Empire. Especially to India. That’s always been England’s way, importing and exporting, shipping things around the world. Well at least up until Brexit. Now they’re building a wall.

While stouts and porters, the more traditional dark beers, survived the trip to India, pale ales didn’t travel so well and were prone to age horribly. In order to help the pale ale make the trip, extra hops were added to stabilize and preserve the beer, and the alcohol content upped a little. And there you have it; India Pale Ales or IPAs. They’re a deep golden color and have plenty of hops, but also the malt flavor comes through nicely. They also tend to have a slightly higher alcohol content. Tuatara’s Indian Pale Ale is a fantastic example of the traditional IPA (and quite different to the Double Trouble from a couple of weeks ago).

With craft beer brewing taking off throughout the States in the 1980’s, brewers started to play around with the standard IPA. Different types of hops and malts and different combinations meant no shortage of possibilities. With all sorts of variations also came a more standard form of American Pale Ale. While you’ll still pick up the malt in an APA, the hop factor has been turned up a notch. This means more floral flavors and more fruitiness; stone fruit, citrus, lychee etc. This is what we should expect in Epic’s Pale Ale, a more hoppy version of a standard IPA. If you put the Epic Pale Ale alongside Tuatara's IPA one time you'll notice the difference.

In saying all of that though, there are so many IPAs and APAs out there now that it isn’t always possible to tell them apart as brewers have different interpretations of each. It can be a pretty mixed bag. You’ve also got people brewing Pacific Pale Ales and even TPPAs (Trans-Pacific Pale Ale). So best of luck.

Ok, the Epic...

Price: $7.99 500mls

Alcohol content: 5.4%

Colour: It’s golden for sure, but it is dark.

Aroma: Fruity and also herbaceous, burnt raisins and grass.

Palate: Refreshing, sweet, fruity. Maybe passion-fruit and nectarine and lime. Raisins for sure.

Finish: Great finish. Sweet fruit gives way to bitter flavors of lemon grass and pine. Sits in your mouth long afterwards. 

On the Chart: The hops certainly overpower the malts in Epic’s Pale Ale. But the malt still comes through nicely. There is plenty of complexity with different flavors on display. The fruit and herbs of the hops as well as the sweet raisin like toffy of the malts. We end up landing towards the hop end with a good amount of complexity.

Conclusion: Epic’s Pale Ale is a great example of craft beer. As you work your way through the bottle you can taste both the hops and the malt coming through, each giving way to the other at times. This means all sorts of secondary flavors and the chance to ponder whether they are coming from the hops or the malt.

Next week we'll have a look at a pilsner.   

Friday Craft Beer Review: Garage Project’s Aro Noir

My intention this week was to review a beer that was extreme when it came to malts and with no hoppiness. I’m not sure the Aro Noir will be that, but it looked to interesting to pass by. Its a beer brewed by Garage Project, another Wellington based brewery, and I always find it hard to pass by a Garage Project beer once I read the label. GP started small but is now one of New Zealand’s favourite craft breweries. They make some of the most interesting and unusual beers I’ve tasted. We'll still have a chat about malts though and then see what happens. 

What are malts? Malts are the end product of processed cereal grains. Cereal grains, most commonly barley, are allowed to start germinating (through soaking in water) but then have the germination process halted when the grain is removed from water and oven dried or roasted. Malting the grains turns the cereal starch into sugar, which in the fermentation process then becomes alcohol.

Most of the colour in beer comes from the malts. Lightly roasted malts produce a beer that is more pale in colour, while malts that have been roasted longer produce darker beers. We'll look more at this next Friday. Many beers are brewed with multiple malts, each varying in colour and flavour profile which influences the final product. Most beers seek to balance the sweetness of malt with the bitterness of hops. Obviously though, there are no shortage of possible combinations, and this no shortage of beer possibilities. As you move from light beers (lightly roasted malts) to dark beers (more heavily roasted malts) its normal to note flavours such as caramel, toffy, marmite, chocolate, coffee, burnt sugar, and even blackberry begin to take over. 

Dark beers tend to be a hearty drink that is savoured while golden beers tend to be lighter and more thirst quenching. Traditionally then, dark beers like stouts and porters, tend to appeal more on cold winter nights than they do in the middle of summer around the BBQ. Each to their own though. There are no rules.

Ok, so Garage Projects Aro Nor.

Price: $4.99 330mls

Alcohol content: 7%

Colour: Deep black with a macchiato like head. More bubbles than I was expecting too.

Aroma: Smells delicious, a lot like the burnt chewy pieces of beef roast that end up stuck to the bottom of the roasting dish. Hints of coffee and plums.  

Palate: It’s yum. Tastes like a shot of espresso, a juicy bite of rib roast and golden syrup. There is some fizz to it as well.

Finish: The finish is lovely. At first there is a hoppy bitterness, you can't mistake it, and then a kind of roasting dish toffee kicks in. It’s a nice combination.

On the Chart: I was meaning to review a beer that was big on malt and light on hops. This is malty alright, but not light on hops. It is a malty black beer but the combination of Columbus and Summit hops make it something more. It’s a really good example of a dark beer made more complex because of the hops used. So while it is still in the malty quadrant it isn't extreme, more to the middle as the hops come through. I need to also acknowledge the complexity of the hops and also the coffee/toffee/burnt beef flavors that come through.

Conclusion: It is delicious even though not what I'm normally looking for in a stout. If  I’m drinking a dark beer I’m normally looking for a full blown malts, chocolate and coffee, almost a milkshake. I don’t need any hops. However, the Aro Noir achieves the brief on the can and brings hops into a stout really well. This makes it really interesting. It's not a black IPA but you get that sense It would be perfect if you are looking for a black beer that is more balanced with interesting bitterness rather than being a full on chocolate or treacle thick shake. 

Next week we'll have a look at an IPA. Or is it an APA? What's the difference anyway?

Friday Craft Beer Review: Tuatara's Double Trouble

I thought it would be cool to review a craft beer once a week.

Mainly just for my own records. There are so many different crafts beers to choose from. This will help me remember which one’s I’ve had, which one’s I liked and which ones I didn’t.

At the same time, you might find something you’d like and you might be able to recommend something worth trying.

So here is a bit of an introduction.

I’m a reader. If I’m into something, I’ll often take the time to find a couple of good articles or even a book I can read on; “current subject of interest.” I like to give myself a bit of a heads-up. The theory helps me better understanding what’s happening in practice, and of course, what is happening in practice helps make sense of the theory. This means I’ve read all sorts of books, books on; golf, marathon running, weight training, stray lining for snapper, bonsai trees, coffee, pipe tobacco, vegetable gardens, wine, and so on. Taking the time to do a little research makes a big difference when it comes to understanding, enjoyment and participation. You don’t have to be an expert, it’s just nice not to be clueless. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way. This is certainly the case when it comes to craft beer. 

While I can’t claim to be a fountain of craft-beer-knowledge, I’m not hopeless. I used to be. I used to wonder why anyone would want to wreck beer and make it “crafty.” Now though, I can’t work out why anyone would bother to pop-the-top on a regular beer?

It seems that craft beer is pretty “in vogue” at the moment, more truthfully, beer has mostly always been “craft beer.” Throughout history beer has always been brewed locally, in small batches, with local varieties of hops and barley, and according to flavour profiles appealing to local consumers. Travelling from town to town, or even from tavern to tavern, you’d discover beer varied immensely. It was a “cottage” industry and all beer was literally “craft beer.” With the dawn of the industrial age most of this changed. Beer could now be mass produced. Factories and machinery took over and the “art” of brewing lost out to the “business” of brewing. The corporation decided to tell us what we were to like when it came to beer and most people were none-the-wiser. What’s in vogue at the moment is really a craft-beer-come-back. While it started in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, now it is a phenomenon. People are discovering that less is more. Which is my motto when it comes to beer; don’t drink a lot, just drink something awesome! It seems at the moment, that if it can be brewed then someone is brewing it; everything from deep dark curry stouts, to golden pale ales withmango, mint and chilli. Now we’re talking!

Each time I review a beer I’ll try and do a few things…

1. I’ll try and place it on a chart that offers a sense of where it fits next to other beers. It will end up being a flawed system as there are so many different types of beers and trying to relate them all to each other may be impossible. I think it could be helpful though. My chart will set hops against malt, and also complexity against simplicity.

2. With each review I’ll try and explain a particular feature of beer. I.e. in this first review I’ll try and explain hops. At least as I understand it. With this in mind, I’ll also try in the first reviews to look at beers that sit out on the extremes of the chart, malt, complexity and also simplicity. 

3. If I’m not explaining an aspect of the beer flavor, I’ll try and explain a type of beer. What is a stout, a red, an IPA, an APA, a pilsner?

4. I’ll try and post each review on a Friday so that you can get your hands on a bottle and give it a try over the weekend. This one is a day early.

5. I’ll try and actually do the above!

So up first, Tuatara’s Double Trouble; Extra Dimensional American Pale Ale.

Tuatara is a Wellington based brewery and one of the most well-known brewers of craft beer in New Zealand. Even their bottles are easily identified. Their bottle neck features a depiction of the scales and spine of New Zealand's famous native lizard, the Tuatara.

I’ve chosen to review the Double Trouble for two reasons. Firstly, it was my favourite craft beer for a while and secondly because when it comes to hops, few beers are as “hoppy” as the Double Trouble.

What are hops? The “hops” used in beer are the flowers (or seed cones) of the hop plant. They are used to stabilize and preserve beer and also to balance the sweetness of the malt in beer. Hops are what makes a beer bitter and also provide the different flavour and aroma profiles at times described as grassy, zesty, spicy, lemony, citrus like, or floral. It all depends on the type(s) of hops used in the brewing process.

In craft beer world a scale is used to measure the bitterness of a beer. It’s called the International Bittering Units scale (IBU). The Tuatara Double Trouble is rated a 167! To put it in perspective a standard IPA is just over 40 and yet a beer where you would expect some bitter tasting notes to come through. So when it comes to the Double Trouble expect it to be bitter! 167 is mental, but that’s why I’m starting with this beer, to highlight the “hops” factor. I’ll try and explain an IPA and an APA another time. Now it’s time to pop-the-top and have a taste.

Price: $11.99 for 500mls (This makes it one of the more expensive NZ craft beers).

Alcohol content: 9% (IPA’s and APA’s traditionally have a higher alcohol content. In the case of the Double Trouble I think Tuatara just wanted to make it an all-round big beer. So use common sense please. 500mls is 3.6 standard drinks).

Colour: Golden but off set with a touch of cloudiness that gives it a slightly brown hue.

Aroma: Sweet and floral. Not floral in the sense of flowers or perfume though, rather more like floral in the sense of having just weed-wacked everything that might even be a little bit over grown in the back yard.

Palate: A very sweet beer with lovely citrus / herb like notes. Sweet and savoury. Lovely to swirl around in your mouth.

Finish: The finish is what makes this beer. When it comes to IBU, 167 is massive and the swallow and aftertaste of bitterness in this beer is off the charts! The bitterness of the aftertaste sticks around for ages and you’re left with no doubt as to the “hoppy” side of craft beer. There is a slightly sweet malty taste left in your mouth but it is incredibly subtle. There is also know hiding the high alcohol content, it is kind of obvious. 

On the Chart: The Double Trouble is a fine example of a very hoppy beer. What subtle malt flavours you might pick up don't tone it down in the slightest. At the same time it is certainly not watery in any way. There is depth and flavour all the way though. The complexity of this beer is the hops though rather than hints of tropical fruit, spice, etc. With that in mind, I'll place it all the way out to the left but right on the line. 

Conclusion: Tuatara has nailed it, but in nailing it they’ve likely created a beer that is pretty polarizing. If you aren’t used to hops, you’ll find the finish overwhelming and it’ll potentially put you off ever trying a craft beer. What you have to appreciate is that this beer sits out at one end of the scale, the hop scale. Others, we’ll find, are a little more balanced. So while it used to be a favourite, ultimately I found it too expensive and too bitter. But still awesome!

Top 5 Books of 2015

I don't get to the blog very often these days. I've plans to get it going, every once-upon-a-time blogger does. Most of the content I produce ends up as sermons or assignments though. Yep still studying. 18 months to go hopefully. But surely I could turn some of that content into blog posts... We'll see.

Anyway, I noticed I posted my top 5 books of 2014 and figured that since we are halfway through 2016 that I should at least post my top 5 books for 2015. Here we go, and in no particular order...

The Pastor as Public Theologian - Kevin J Vanhoozer; This would easily be the best book I read in 2015. Vanhoozer's central idea is essentially that the primary role of the pastor is to serve as a "public theologian." A theologian who with the biblical text in one hand and TIME magazine in the other, seeks to help a congregation to know the heart of God in the trenches of life. Or in other words, "The church needs pastors who can contextualize the Word of God to help their congregations think theologically about about all aspects of their lives, such as work, end-of-life decisions, political involvement, and entertainment choices." It resonated with me so much as it is certainly the pastoral lane that I feel called to, the Eugene Peterson lane, rather than of pastor as CEO, business manager, event-coordinator, motivator or visionary leader.

The Plausibility Problem - Ed Shaw; Ed Shaw is a pastor in the UK whose sexual desire is exclusively for members of the same sex. Despite this, Shaw believes that to act on these desires is outside of God's acceptable context for sexual relations. With this in mind Shaw shares his story and addresses common missteps that the church makes in attempting to help those with same-sex desire navigate their sexuality. It really is a must read (one of a number of "must reads") for those trying to sort through a biblical understanding of sexuality, a pastoral response in regard to sexuality and practical steps in thinking through and working out one's sexuality in a 21st Century context.

Sabbath as Resistance - Walter Brueggemann; Pretty much everything Brueggemann writes is gold and this little book is no different. In it, Brueggemann points out that Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about developing rhythms and realigning one's thinking in order to become whole; as a person and as a society. He speaks to a 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. More and more and more. Own more, use more, eat more, drink more, consume more. Keeping Sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important; God, people and life.

Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament - Christopher Wright; in order to properly understand Jesus we need to know the story that Jesus claimed for himself, the story that Jesus takes as his own personal back story. That story is of course the story of Israel. In this book Wright traces the life of Christ as it is illuminated by the Old Testament. This isn't about finding Jesus under every stone that can be turned in the Old Testament, i.e. typography on top of typography. Rather it is a fantastic help in understanding the BIG Story of the Bible as Christ understood the BIG Story of the Bible.

Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament - Ellen F. Davis; Davis' concern is what she calls a "shallow reading" of scripture; a reading of what we already know instead of an attempt to dig deeper for new insights and revelations. Davis demonstrates that preaching and biblical interpretation are essentially related to one another in that it is essential for preachers to engage in thorough reading and interpretation of scripture from the pulpit and encourage their congregations to read the Bible with depth and sensitivity.

Here are my other reads from 2015...

Magician's End - Raymond E Feist

Rides a Dread Legion - Raymond E Fiest

At the Gates of Darkness - Raymond E Fiest

Wondrous Depth, Preaching the Old Testament - Ellen F. Davis

The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narritive - Steven D. Mathewson

Kingdom Conspiracy - Scot McKnight

Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament - Christopher Wright

Daily Life in Biblical Times - Oded Borowski

Models for Interpretation of Scripture - John Goldingay

Sabbath as Resistance - Walter Brueggemann

Cloud of Sparrows - Takashi Matsuoka

Apporaches to Old Testament Interpretation - John Goldingay

Do We Need the New Testament - John Goldingay

James (NICNT Commentary) - Scot McKNight

The Plausibility Problem - Ed Shaw

Into God's Presence; Prayer in the NT - Richard N. Longenecker (editor)

Welcoming by Not Affirming - Stanley Grenz

The Pastor as Public-Theologian - Kevin J Vanhoozer

The Next Christendom - Philip Jenkins

The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh - Amos Yong