It’s a rap

The unexpected pairing of a rapper and a brewer is incredibly successful.

From the brewery that gave us Beastwars IPA in honour of the Hamilton heavy-metallers of the same name, we now have something decidedly different . . . a beer made for a rapper.

MC Slave’s Logg Cabin Ale by Hallertau is not only a mighty beer but it has one of those ‘‘only in New Zealand’’ stories of provenance.

David Johnston, a staff member at Hallertau whose Twitter profile suggests he has the dream job (Organises piss-ups in a brewery. True story), had a connection with rapper MC Slave (real name: Mark Williams).

They got talking about craft beer and Johnston suggested Williams meet Hallertau’s ‘‘Captain of Beer’’, Steve Plowman. That chat turned into a suggestion from Plowman that he and Williams make a beer together.

Williams does a show on George FM on Sunday afternoons called Logg Cabin — so the name was a given — but the question of style became an interesting one. What beer do you associate with a legend of the New Zealand hip hop and rap scene? After all, Williams’ pedigree goes back to 1990 when he and Otis Frizzell, as MC OJ & Rhythm Slave, recorded the highly successful ‘‘That’s The Way (Positivity)’’. The pair also had their own TV show and more recently, Williams has been a member of Fat Freddy’s Drop while Frizzell has forged an art career.

But instead of brewing a beer to suit a musical style, Plowman and Williams went for one, to quote Plowman ‘‘that looked and smelled like a log’’. And yeah, they kind of did that, as long as you’re thinking pine log — they’ve got the dark bark colour down pat and the aroma is definitely pine and earthiness.

Made with New Zealand malt and American hops, the beer is also an acknowledgement of Williams’ life story — born in America and raised in New Zealand. And Frizzell came back into the partnership by designing the label, which comes in three colour sets — red, gold and green — which can be a tad confusing: I stood at the bottle store fridge reading the green and red labels trying to figure out if they were slightly different beers, but they’re exactly the same.

Which is perfect — the more of this beer, the better. It’s so spot-on and so drinkable and, for me, rates alongside the immensely pleasurable Sutton Hoo from Townshend’s as one of the best American amber ales available in New Zealand.

And according to MC Slave himself, it’s a beer for every occasion: ‘‘Perfect for any situation. Sup whilst watching the Warriors or tuned to The Logg Cabin Radio Show (Sundays 12-2pm George 966 FM). Enjoy whilst tearing up the dance floor or locked in a heated poker game at three in the morning. Savour post swim or as a refreshing accompaniment to a roaring barbeque at sunset.’’