URBANAUT’S THIRSTY KIRSTY

Kirsten married Bruce Turner in his Auckland brewery and tasting room in February this year. To celebrate, Bruce brewed a champagne pilsner he called Thirsty Kirsty. “We went through quite a number of kegs at the wedding,” Bruce says. Urbanaut, which Bruce owns with two schoolmates, Simon Watson and Thomas Rowe, has six core beers with a new offering every month to feed consumers’ taste for something new. “Summer is pilsner and sour beer season, and because the champagne pilsner did so well at our wedding, I thought I’d re-brew it for release in November,” Bruce says. “It’s a stronger-than-usual pilsner with champagne yeast added at the end to finish off the remaining sugar. The champagne yeast imparts a white wine-like flavour in a dry, highly carbonated, champagne-like beer,” he says. This time Kirsten doesn’t get naming rights – the beer’s sold as Le Marais Champagne Pilsner. For more about Urbanaut and its Kingsland tasting room, see thisnzlife.co.nz LOMBARD LANE The latest in the move to jazz up Wellington’s streets, Lombard Lane has been transformed from a slightly seedy side street to a chic shopping destination. Lombard Lane — which runs between Bond and Manners Streets — features the New York-style deli, Pickle and Pie, café Lamason, fashion designer Deryn Schmidt, gin bar and distillery Denzien, St Fabiola and other retailers yet to come. “There’s always the issue of getting foot traffic through, but it’s going to be a cool little community that will develop over time,” says Kirsten.