Stronger beer sales on the up and up
SALES of beer over 5% have trebled in the past five years, rising by 21% in the past year alone.
The strongest beers are usually stouts or Belgianstyle beers. Probably the strongest produced locally is 8 Wired Bumaye imperial stout (16%), which was last produced in 2017.
Among the strongest are Epic’s recently released XXL Triple IPA (14%), which is malty with a hint of orange in the aroma and flavour, sweet and bitter — and delicious. It costs $15 for 500ml.
Epic also has Intolerant and Epicly Fiercely Intolerant stouts (12%). They follow Thirteen IPA (15%) which last year marked Epic’s 13th anniversary.
Then there is Garage Project’s Twilight of the
Gods (13.6%) barrelaged riesling juice and strong blonde ale and Kereru’s New Zealand Whisky Barrelaged Paloma Barley Wine Style Ale (14%) — the latter awarded a silver medal at this month’s New Zealand Beer Awards.
But for goodness’ sake share them — they are equal to about four 4% stubbies at the one time. Beer labels state how many ‘‘standard drinks’’ (10g of pure alcohol, which is equal to a 4% stubbie) are contained — and your body can get rid of only one standard drink an hour.
A range of beers, mainly stouts, are part of some breweries’ higherstrength range, including the lovely 8.5% Czar imperial stout by Christchurch brewer Wigram (bronze in the New Zealand beer awards).
Just arrived is Emerson’s 7.1% Colloidal Haze IPA ($5.50 for 330ml can). Its orange zest/grapefruitlike aroma and flavour makes it dangerously drinkable. A colloid is a solution containing particles that remain suspended rather than settling at the bottom, and this one has wheat and oats in it to help produce a beer the consistency of orange juice (without the sweetness).