Fork & Brewer, Wellington

 A guest post by Andy Evans.

After the previous month’s barrage of extreme weather events in Auckland (the city was hit by flash flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle two weeks apart), it was a welcome change to spend a weekend in notoriously windy Wellington.

The main attraction of the weekend was the cricket - the second match of the test series between New Zealand and England, held at the Basin Reserve.

Despite being placed in the middle of a roundabout, the ground is peaceful (with the exception of the Barmy Army trumpeter), and punters queue up with their deck chairs to get the best view on the grassy banks.

Sadly the day came to a premature conclusion, as the rain arrived and stole away a couple of hours from the evening session. Disappointing, but this did mean an earlier visit to the bars of the craft beer capital of New Zealand.

Particularly of note for me was Fork & Brewer, a brewpub with 42 beers on tap.

Once you reach the top of the number of stairs you meet on entry, you come across the brewing vessels proudly on display.

The bar itself forms a circle and splits the room into two, with a restaurant style setting on one side. On tap is a wide selection of Fork and Brewer’s own creations, while you can also purchase imported bottled beers from across the globe, including Old Speckled Hen and St Austell's Proper Job.

The first concoction of my choosing was Fork and Brewer’s 'The Twilight Zone', which was a black lager largely resembling the tmavé Czech dark style.

Secondly I couldn’t resist a taste of the 'Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa', also brewed in-house. This chocolate milk stout is rich and smooth, without being overpowered with novelty flavour.

On offer from the kitchen is a mixture of traditional pub grub, burgers and pizza. 

Wellington boasts some spectacular viewpoints to take in the whole city, and also look across the Cook Strait, the body of water that separates the North and South Islands. 

The climb to the top of Mount Victoria is an essential part of any visit.

Andy Evans is from Newbury, UK. In 2022 he began a work and travel year in New Zealand. 

He studied Politics at the University of Leeds. Andy reached the quarter finals of the Channel 4 TV programme Countdown (series 81) in 2019. He has travelled extensively in Europe to watch Wales play international football matches.

NZ Beer Collective in Berkshire - 1

Todd Nicholson (centre)

Todd Nicolson, Director of Beer at New Zealand Beer Collective visited Inn at Home, Newbury, on Friday 26 November 2021 to present a talk and beer tasting. This was his second visit to give a talk at the specialist beer retailer in Bartholomew Street.

Stu McKinlay & Todd Nicolson (2016 photo: Sam Williams)

Over five years previously, on 28 January 2016, Sam Williams was present at a previous New Zealand Beer Collective talk and beer tasting at Inn at Home with Todd Nicolson and Stu McKinlay, the Yeastie Boys co-founder. Sam wrote an article about this for Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine (Spring 2016, page 7).

On a damp Saturday 29 July 2017, Wild Weather Ales and The New Zealand Beer Collective held a Midsummer Christmas Party at the Wild Weather Ales brewery in Berkshire.

Paul Rayner wrote a post about this for his Fueled By Beer blog that includes photographs. Among the other CAMRA members who visited this event were Tim Thomas (author of this post), Steve Kelly, Jennie Rayner, Rich Milligan, Sam Williams, Andy Pinkard, Tony Girling and Mark Thompson.

Jolly Good Beer's open-sided yellow van supplied draught beers from brewers who were then part of the New Zealand Beer Collective including Yeastie Boys, Tuatara and 8 Wired. I rated my two NZ beers highly - Tuatara Pilsner and 8 Wired Semi Conductor (XPA). It looks like Wild Weather's Chris Lees-Price was about to enjoy a pint of 8 Wired Flat White!

Returning to the evening of Friday 26 November 2021, Inn at Home's David Marklew introduced Todd, mentioning that his previous visit was one of the first beer events held at the shop which opened in July 2015 and that this evening would be the first 'proper' beer event held there for a while.

Todd explained that the original basis of the New Zealand Beer Collective (NZBC) import and distribution business has been disrupted by logistics and cost pressures since 2020 when 'some things happened in the world'. 

This led to brewing collaborative beers with Fierce Beer in Aberdeen, the winner of Scottish Brewery of the Year 2021 in the Scottish Beer Awards. Co-founded in 2016 by (Big) David McHardy and (Wee) Dave Grant, Fierce Beer now has brewery bars in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Manchester.

Todd also mentioned in his introduction that there is a NZBC Taproom in Dundee - The Bach - 'which you're welcome to visit any time you want'. 

NZBC are also the creators of New Zealand Beer Month in February and Todd suggested going 'really big in February on New Zealand beer'.

[Antigoni, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons]

A native New Zealander from the North Island, Todd grew up in Stokes Valley, between Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt on State Highway 2 north of Wellington. He recalled that the town slogan for Stokes Valley was 'Better than you imagine' and raised a laugh when he warned his audience 'and it wasn't'! 

Todd has missed being able to visit his home country so when he commissioned artwork for Down in Splendour, he asked for something to remind him of New Zealand, even sheep (and sheep are just visible in the lush grass foreground of the finished label that also features the mountains of South Island). 

Todd explained that the New Zealand Pilsner beer style can be traced back to Steinlager, first brewed in 1957 and the one beer that was originally exported from New Zealand. Steinlager Classic is a 5% ABV lager with a distinctive flavour from New Zealand's Green Bullet hops.

New Zealand Pilsner is recognised internationally as a beer style by the Beer Judges Certification Program (BJCP). In 2021, the Brewers Association (BA), added New Zealand-Style Pale Ale and New Zealand-Style IPA as new beer styles to its extensive list.

An afficionado of both beer and music, Todd named the beer Down in Splendour, after a song by Straitjacket Fits, a Dunedin band, formed in 1986. 

Once everyone's glasses had been filled with Down in Splendour, a toast was raised to the first beer of the evening, a well hopped New Zealand Pilsner that was universally liked.

To be continued ...

NZ Beer Collective in Berkshire - 2

 

Continuing an account of Todd Nicolson's return visit to Inn at Home, Newbury, for a New Zealand Beer Collective (NZBC) beer talk and tasting on Friday 26 November, 2021.

In the photo, Inn at Home's David Marklew is on the right, Iain Clarke is central and Todd is on the left. In true Berkshire brewing style, Iain is wearing an Elusive Brewing shirt and a Wild Weather Ales beanie hat. Iain was head of Sales and Marketing at Wild Weather but referred to by colleagues as Head of Fun. In a blog post, Wild Weather's Head Brewer, Jamie JD Duffield, writes about Iain's farewell beer It's Knuckle Puck Time, Iain's new role as Internal sales co-ordinator for the EU with Baarth Haas X (formerly known as Simply Hops) and includes a Q & A section with Iain.

The three I's - Ingredients, Ingenuity and Isolation - were a theme that Todd referred to during his talk in connection with the things that make New Zealand beers special. 

The preceding post mentioned Green Bullet hops as an ingredient for a New Zealand-Style Pilsner. Todd mentioned other New Zealand hop varieties, often with Maori names like Motueka and a new hop Nectaron that is used as a hop oil in brewing Down by Splendour.

The second beer of the evening to be poured into our (now rinsed) glasses was another NZBC / Fierce Beer collaboration. It was named Stuff & Nonsense by Todd after the song by Split Enz, the NZ band formed by Tim Finn and Phil Judd in 1973.

The hazy NZ Pale is brewed with Motueka hops and Nectaron hop oil. This juicy beer is a favourite style and I would not leave Inn at Home until I had bought a can to take home with me!

It was now time to move on to beers imported by NZBC starting with a Beer Blender from Urbanaut Brewing based in Auckland. 

Urbanaut have championed the Beer Blender concept which is two small cans of different beers wrapped together with a double perforated label. Twisting the cans in opposite directions breaks the thin black part of the wrapper leaving two separate cans with beers that can be tasted individually and / or blended together to give a third flavour.

The Spicy Ginger Beer and the hazy Lime Juice Sour make a pale hazy blender beer when combined.

The Blender Beer is a good example of Kiwi Ingenuity!

No nibbles were provided for this event but Todd reassured anyone feeling hungry at this stage with the tip that 'there's a pie in every pint' and David offered to sell packets of nuts!

The next beer to try was served from a conventional 330ml can with distinctive artwork. Boneface Brewing are based in Upper Hutt. Todd knows Boneface's owner Matt Dainty, who developed the brand from a love of all things beer and sci-fi. Todd described Snaggle Tooth as a chewy 5.9% West Coast IPA with lots of NZ hops. As it has a slight haze, Iain Clarke suggested it could also be described as a No Coast IPA as it combines elements of West Coast and East Coast IPA styles.

Kelly Ryan is Boneface's head brewer who previously developed Jaipur IPA and Kipling South Pacific Pale Ale for Thornbridge Brewery. After returning to New Zealand, Kelly worked for Epic Brewing, Good George Brewing, Brew Mountain and Fork & Brewer before joining Boneface Brewing in January 2021.

Iain asked Todd how he picks the brewers that NZBC works with. Todd said 'I used to visit them for research purposes when I go back to visit family but for the last two years I've not been able to visit a brewery.' 

Todd said we're about to bring over beers from a really super exciting brewery called Duncan's Brewing in Paraparaumu (on the Kapiti coast, north of Wellington on State Highway 1). 'They are like the Omnipollo of New Zealand beer'. Todd said although breweries can send samples there is more of a leap of faith involved now when it is not possible to visit.

Todd said NZ breweries tend to think of export to Australia and maybe make the leap to Asia or China. NZBC made it possible to send beer 12,000 miles, which ordinarily takes up to six weeks (all refrigerated, so it should be in perfect condition when it arrives in the UK). Todd mentioned that NZ hops hold together over time much better than Australian hops. However, he said 'It's got so much harder to bring beer here from NZ now'. 

Todd said 'the UK beer scene now is amazing, it's phenemonal. It's so different to what it was seven years ago. You only import stuff into a country that can't do their own. Unlike wine, the UK can produce enough beer. It's now a much tougher proposition to import beer.'

In a competitive market, it makes sense for NZBC to emphasise the qualities of the Kiwi hop ingredients in their imported and locally produced beers, as in the above example.

NZ Beer Collective in Berkshire - 3

 

This post continues an account of the New Zealand Beer Collective event in Newbury's Inn at Home presented by Todd Nicolson.

After sampling Down in Splendour NZ Pilsner, Stuff & Nonsense NZ Pale Ale, Urbanaut Lime Juice Sour & Spicy Ginger Beer and Boneface Snaggle Tooth IPA, our glasses were filled with 8 Wired iStout Affogato Imperial Stout brewed with lactose, coffee and vanilla.

The 10% ABV iStout with coffee flavours was very smooth. After our first tastes, everyone was happy to have a scoop of vanilla ice cream dropped into their glass for an ice cream float. This was a great combination but left our glasses needing a thorough rinsing afterwards.

Having reached the end of the advertised event, Todd kindly offered us the chance to carry on and go 'off piste' with a bonus tasting of two sour beers from Deep Creek Brewing which Todd described as a brewery most like an Australian brewery. 

From Deep Creek's Wildwood Project, Roeselare is a sour red ale aged in Pinot Noir wine barrels with notes of cherry and redcurrant. Solera is a tank aged Lambic style golden sour ale aged for 15 months.

With the two bottles drunk dry, Inn at Home's David Marklew thanked Todd on behalf of the group who showed their appreciation with loud applause.

Ever the generous host, Todd would later end up footing the tab for pints of Double-Barrelled Parka and honey tequila shots for the dedicated drinkers who followed him to the Spare Wheel in Newbury's Market Place. 

With a train to catch he was unable to stay on there with his followers but will surely earned their sincere thanks.

New Zealand Beer Collective  newzealandbeer.co.uk

Inn at Home, 150-151 Bartholomew Street, Newbury RG14 5HB  Tel 01635 48945 innathome.co.uk 

@NewZealandBeer             @innathome

  @NZBeerCollective           @InnatHomeNewbury

Postscript:

Reader, I took advantage of the NZ Beer Collective Mystery Box offer from the Flash Sale area of their webshop and now have a further collection of New Zealand beers to enjoy at home!

Full disclosure - my expertly packed and professionally delivered purchase included several bonuses - stickers, pump clips, beer mats a NZBC badge and some 'vintage merch' - a 2020 New Zealand Beer Month t-shirt which I look forward to wearing in February 2021! 

Cheers! and Kia Ora!

Taupo - Crafty Trout Brewing Co

On 23 March 2017, after passing lush farmland and a geothermal power station, my bus from Rotorua gave a glimpse of Great Lake Taupo before arriving in Taupo. Pronounced toe-paw, the lake is in the caldera of the Taupo volcano and is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand.

Lake Taupo is drained by the Waikato River, New Zealand's longest, which starts at Taupo and a few miles downstream is channelled into a canyon to form the Huka falls. A riverside walk to the falls passes a cliff top bungee jumping point and a natural bathing pool where hot water runs into the river.

It is easy to find the Crafty Trout Brewing Co establishment, at 135 Tongariro Street, as it is on the same street and about 200 metres further from the lake than the main bus stop and i-SITE visitor information centre.

A brown 'Brewery' street sign points at the white-painted building across the dual carriageway and provides an excuse for a selfie!

My first visit to the Bier Kafe was in the evening after an afternoon walk on the Great Lake Walkway from Wharewaka Point back to Taupo. A NZ$ 15 tasting rack with four glasses is offered but I ordered a tall glass of Line / Taupo Pale Ale from the upstairs bar and found a seat on the balcony looking towards the park where the sun was setting.

The 4% ABV session ale is lightly hopped with a point of difference - it's seasoned with a hint of lemon and thyme. 'Ooompah' music on the sound system reinforces the Austrian feel of the Bier Kafe and cannot be avoided by sitting out on the balcony! The menu includes Austrian Pretzels (NZ$ 9), fresh fish with fries and salad (NZ$ 23) and beer garden pizza (NZ$ 17).

The balcony, with its vine covered front railings was a pleasant place to watch the evening sky turn pink as time passed and my glass emptied.

Inside, the Bier Kafe has whitewashed walls, some comfortable seating as well as rustic wooden furniture. A collection of decorative clocks adorn the walls.

There was a second chance to visit the Crafty Trout Brewing Co, before the departure of my bus to Auckland, two days later. (Booking in advance with NakedBus to get a seat for NZ$ 1 was a good idea even though the bus was delayed).

The ground floor shop area with beer and merchandise is at the front with the brewery at the back.

Brewmaster Anton Romirer was on hand so a photo opportunity with Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine, was not to be missed! Anton was grateful to keep this copy and asked for CAMRA to send more materials his way. Hopefully, CAMRA members visiting from the UK will bring him a copy of their local branch magazine in future.
Anton mentioned that Michael Hardman, one of CAMRA's founders, is a regular visitor to the Crafty Trout.
Anton was born in New Zealand but with an Austrian father and a mother from London, there is an explanation for his Austrian style brewery and bar which he runs with Rebecca 'chef and boss'.

The brewery incorporates some advanced New Zealand technology in brewing equipment supplied by SmartBrew based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Anton is confident with the brewing system which was capable of doing three brews in his absence.
When I mentioned that I was catching a bus to Auckland, Anton said 'Watch out, you're leaving New Zealand  and entering Auckland!'. 

Before departing, I was able to buy a bottle of Hook / Vienna Amber to take away. I shared this bottle with Cathy, my Auckland airbnb hostess, on my last night in New Zealand. The 5.5% ABV is smooth and malty. Crafty Trout Brewing Co notes on the beer - A complex mix of malt and hops using the traditional lagering method of the early 1800s. This style of beer traces its roots back to roughly the same time and location as the Romirer Family's brewpub in Kobenz, Steiermark, Austria.

Crafty Trout Brewing Co, 135 Tongariro Street, Taupo, NZ
10am to late (Closed Tuesday)
Brewery tours daily 11am & 1pm
Ph. 07 929 8570
www.craftytrout.co.nz