Hopping mad?

In the first of an occasional series of ‘‘guest taps’’, Stu McKinlay says no to hops.

Stu McKinlay is a brewing maestro, and one half of Yeastie Boys, who make some of the most interesting beers you can find in New Zealand (Rex Attitude, Gunnamatta, Pot Kettle Black). When he agreed to write a guest column about the danger of craft beer’s ongoing love of hops, I couldn’t say no. So without further ado, here it is:

You can trace the rise of craft beer in New Zealand, and the current hop frenzy, to the first batch of Emerson’s Pilsner in May 1995.

Firmly bitter and bright golden, it paid tribute to the classic Pilsners of Germany, but turned the local beer scene on its head by showcasing a virtually unknown hop named Saaz D (now called Riwaka). The flavour and aroma of Emerson’s Pilsner – more Marlborough sauvignon blanc than beer – captured the public’s imagination and catapulted New Zealand hops onto the world scene.

A recent article on NZ-brewed pale ales, in the beer-friendly Dish magazine, showed how in vogue hops are right now. But it also left me disconcerted at the single-minded way we’ve progressed since Richard Emerson’s Pilsner, and wondering if we’re heading in one direction and forgetting a large proportion of potential beer lovers.

The New Zealand pale ale category seems to have shrugged off the traditional English, German and Belgian influences – with all of the nuances of malt and fermentation characteristics – and headed down a path already worn bare by brewers on the west coast of the United States.

Our brewing industry, as good as it is, is succeeding in one very narrow area and failing to showcase the wide spectrum of what pale ale (or beer, for that matter) can be.

The brewers who created the top three ‘‘hop bombs’’ on the excellent Dish podium – Soren Eriksen (8-Wired), Mike Neilson (Tuatara) and Joseph Wood (Liberty) – are three of the most talented young alesmiths our country has seen. They are making their names on intense, heavily hopped, strong, pale ales, but their brewing pedigree is rich and we’ll see some very interesting things from them (and many others) in the next decade.

The hop juggernaut, which has captured the imagination of many, will not be stopped – and nor should it.

But, as our eyes adjust to the brightness with which it currently shines, I’m positive we’ll see a bunch of lesser-known styles rising up.

The current progression of beer, a far cry from the bland stuff we had put up with for so long, seems to have taken an eternity for those of us who have been on the bus.

The coming diversification of the industry, and the dizzying array of styles that it brings, will require an entire book rather than this short column. Until then, let us enjoy the amazing array of beers but keep expanding our view.

Three unique beers for those looking beyond the ‘‘hop bomb’’:

Mussel Inn Captain Cooker (4%) – delicate, sessionable, manuka-infused amber ale.

Golden Bear Pirate Peach Saison (6.3%) – Belgian farmhouse-style made with black boy peaches; hints of spice and a tart finish.

Townshend’s Flemish Stout (7.5%) – my standout 2012 beer, a roasty dark ale with gorgeous layers of sweet and sour fruit.