Cheers to a very beery future

With this being my final column, I thought it would be appropriate to look back to see just how far the Kiwi beer scene has come in the past 21 years.

When I started writing about beer in New Zealand, after migrating here in 1995, things were very different. In those days most things relating to beer seemed to be in twos.

First, the bulk of New Zealand beer came from a pair of giant brewers, Lion and DB. Secondly, for the most part, beer was sold in just two categories. Differentiated by alcoholic strength, price and colour, ‘‘mainstream’’ beers were always 4 per cent, while so-called ‘‘premium’’ beers were invariably 1 per cent stronger. With few exceptions, the liquid itself also came in just two styles. Both were fermented with lager yeasts and designed primarily for refreshment and drinkability.

Mainstream ‘‘draught’’ beers poured an amber to brownish hue and were sweet, estery, very gently hopped and designed for maximumquaffability. Marketed in two bottle sizes – 330ml ‘‘stubbies’’ (available in six, 12 and 24 packs) and 745ml ‘‘quarts’’ (in swappa crates) – Kiwi draughts were always packaged in brown glass bottles. Interestingly, the term ‘‘draught’’ was used regardless of whether the beer was in a keg (or cellar tank), bottle or can.

Identified vaguely as ‘‘premium lagers’’, these beers were golden in colour, usually slightly drier, with a moderate hop aroma and bitterness. The perception of ‘‘premium-ness’’ of these beers (and their European, Asian and Mexican inspirations) was always enhanced by their presentation. BEER They are rarely seen in anything other than 330ml bottles, in green or clear glass.

With the exception of a certain famous Irish stout, in the 1990s dark beers were rare in New Zealand. If you did come across one, chances are it would be a sweetish, thin, caramel-darkened lager at around 4 per cent. In those days the country’s two dominant brewers produced massive quantities of a few, pale-coloured base beers then created multiple brands by adding caramel to darken them to the desired hue. Interestingly, just last week I heard that Lion Breweries has taken the decision to phase out the use of caramel by early next year. That’s a timely and significant development.

While in terms of outright volume, draughts and premium lagers still dominate today’s market, in recent years many Kiwis have discovered for themselves some of the diversity of flavours and styles available within the world of beer.

Evidence of that came in the ANZ bank’s 2017 Craft Beer Report this month. The report calculates that New Zealand now has almost 200 brewing companies making around 1600 different beers. In Wellington a fortnight ago, 60 Kiwi breweries exhibited their beers at this year’s Beervana.

On their way back from Beervana, Lee-Ann Scotti and Michael O’Brien, of Oamaru’s Craftwork brewery, called in to see me and drop off a couple of samples of their beers.

Looking at those Craftwork samples – a Belgian-style quadrupel and Flanders-style soured red ale – it occurred to me that beers such as these are a great example of how far the Kiwi brewing industry and Kiwi beer drinkers have evolved.

There was a time when finding an imported Belgian quadrupel or Flanders red ale in New Zealand took considerable detective work, but now these styles and many others are widely available, even in some supermarkets.

Better still, today several Kiwi brewers are re-creating them on a regular basis, and in the case of Craftwork they form the main thrust of the business. It’s also heartening to hear that Kiwi beer lovers have developed a taste for these classic styles, to the point where Scotti and O’Brien can easily sell every bottle they make.

As for the future, the work of Craftwork and artisan brewers like them means New Zealand brewing is heading in the right direction. All that is required is yet more Kiwi consumers with open minds and inquiring palates. These are great times to be a beer drinker in New Zealand.

Finally, I’d like to thank those of you who have taken the time to read this column over the years. I hope my writing may have inspired you to think of beer in a different way; to sample different beer styles on different occasions, and to experiment with matching different beers and foods.

But most of all, I hope that by broadening your knowledge of this diverse and fascinating drink, you have enhanced your own enjoyment of it. Cheers!