Cans the way of the future
BREWERIES are increasingly moving from bottles to cans now all but the diehard accepts there is no difference in taste or quality being poured out of aluminium.
The latest is Independent Liquor (home of Boundary Road Brewery), which has about 10% of the New Zealand market.
Beer in cans has been around since 1935 and more than half of the United States’ beer is now sold in them. At first, cans were tin, then just tin tops on aluminium since 1958. Now they are all aluminium.
For the ecodrinker: cans need more energy than bottles to make, but overall they are more environmentally friendly because 61% are recycled compared with 55% for glass; the energy used to recycle is
90% less than for glass; and they are 10 times lighter than glass (so about 20% less greenhouse gases are emitted in their transport).
Not hazy about dates
Most ‘‘best before’’ dates on beer bottles (usually on the neck) and cans (at the bottom) give a ninemonth life on the shelves.
Some highalcohol malty brews are given up to two years.
But hazy ales, which are unfiltered to leave yeast and hop particles, do not last long with all of that stuff in them. The local craft breweries which make them — Behemoth and Garage Project, for example — have therefore started putting threemonth ‘‘best before’’ dates on their cans.
The dates are relatively easy to follow these days — unlike a decade or two ago when only the brewery could figure them out — although some also have the time and day (24hour clock), day of the year (today is 289) and even a number for the country of origin (New Zealand is 554).
‘‘Best before’’ can be sold after the expiry date, but ‘‘best by’’ cannot.
Hidden gems
Quite a few breweries — for example the likes of Panhead — have more beer styles on offer than those regularly seen on supermarket shelves and the best way to keep track of them is to visit their websites.
Then there is Wellingtonbased Kereru (judged small brewery of the year at last year’s Australian International Beer Awards where it gained 18 medals from the 21 beers entered), which has a range of about a dozen styles, but also releases shortrun batches.
It has, over time, featured fruity numbers — such as apricot saison, blueberry stout, manuka (leaf) sahti, chocolate cherry porter, peach IPA and feijoa weisse ale. Then there are alcoholic brews up to 14% in strength, aged in whisky and red wine barrels, which cost up to $37 for a 500ml bottle.
The latest offering is Long Beak Hoppy Lager, which lives up to its name with subtle mandarin flavour and citrus bite from the hops. It has a bit of wheat in it and is quite rich in the mouth despite its relatively low strength (4.4%).
Kereru can be found at Liquorland in Dunedin, Fork and Tap and Coalfire in Arrowtown, Bottle O and The Gate in Wanaka and Fleurs at Moeraki. The best way to watch for limited releases is by joining the brewery’s Beer of the Month Club.
Homebrew competition
Home brewers have until November 22 to get their entries in for the Society of Beer Advocates’ annual national homebrew competition.
Judging will take place a few days later.
Last year there were 685 entries, with about a third winning medals, according to the society.
(Entry details: kirsty@sawmillbrewery.co.nz or nhc.soba.org.nz).