BEER REVIEW
By: Kristine Aitchison
With the Rugby World Cup fast approaching, I thought it might be a good idea to catch up how the All Blacks are looking. Saturday, the ABs played South Africa and apart from looking mighty fine in those tight fitting uniforms, I thought they played a pretty tidy game, apart from Dan Carter missing a few conversion, we still kicked butt with a score of 40-7. Now, if all the Heineken and Steinlageradvertising is correct, it seems that where there’s rugby there must be a beer drinker, so I thought perhaps a beer tasting would be appropriate during the game. The men folk in my family have simple tastes, so it’s fair to say the beers I chose were probably a little “boutique” for their palates, but we still enjoyed getting boozed on the higher alcohol content.
This weekend I tried The First Four range of beers from the Hallertau Brewery. The restaurant and brewery is situated on the outskirts of Auckland in Riverhead and according toStephen Plowman, brewer and owner, his passion comes from making beer that he himself likes to drink.
So naturally the first of the fouriscallednumber“1”,LuxeKolsch Beer. Kolsch is a German style Lager, bright and golden in color, displaying sweet and citrus aromas. To taste I imagined it would be much like a MontiethsRadler, but it was surprisingly dry and bitter.The bitter taste comes from adding “Hops” to the beer to balance the malt and give it flavor, so if you’re sick of weak tasting lagers you’ll enjoy this one. It’s also slightly higher in alcohol volume at 4.5%.The second beer is obviously named number “2”, otherwise known at the Statesman Pale Ale. The highest in alcohol at 5.3%, it’s thecolor of honey, tastes and smells like honey, however ends with a hoppy finish.
I have to admit, I preferred the “3”and “4”, because they werea smoother swill. “3”is named the Copper Tart and is a Red Ale. It’s the lowest in alcohol volume at 4.2%, caramel in color, fruity and dry, but withoutthe bitter aftertaste. Finally, we come to number “4” Deception Schwarzbier(5.1%).I can understand why they call this one deception as it’s a dark beer (like Guinness), but very easy to drink (unlike Guinness). It displays aromas of coffee and chocolate which gives it a slight sweetness and I found it surprisingly smooth, easy to consume and probably my favorite of the four.
Now at $4.50 a bottle, these may not be your most budget conscious purchase, but to be honest after four I was feeling pretty merry. Apart from one bar in Wellington, Stephen only distributes the beer in Auckland to maintain its freshness, so check out their website for distributors. Otherwise why not grab yourself a sober driver and take a trip out to the Brewery. They have hops hanging from the roof and a pretty crisp apple cider on tap that’s not available in stores.