Thursday 17 November through Sunday 20 November the Moutere Inn will be having another one of its showcase events. To kick off the summer season they will have hops, hops and more hops.
Hop monsters such as Epic Armageddon and 8 Wired Hopwired, and others offering a more subtle experience. Twisted Hop IPA, Sprig & Fern Belgian Pale Ale will also be making an appearance along with a new beer from Townshend Brewery being created especially for the weekend.
The Nelson A&P Show is less than a month away. Liz Harvey & Annette Robinson have been working hard to grow the beer section and it should be better than ever this year.
Craft brewers and homebrewers will both have the opportunity to enter their proud creations into separately judged competitions.
Homebrew entries must be submitted by Wednesday 16 November 2011 to the Richmond Showgrounds. Don’t miss out – the top prize is $50 Richmond Mall Voucher for Overall Beer Champion! Visit Nelson A&P Show Wine and Beer page for more information. You can download the category information and an entry form.
The entries and prizes will be on display during the show in the Waimea Lounge (under the grandstand) on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November.
Epic Brewing in Auckland is releasing a commemorative brew for Flying Nun Records for the month of “Nunvember.” Flying Nun approached them as fans of Epic beers who have commissioned commemorative brews in the past.
Called Flying Nun 30 Year Ale, it’s a 5.5% abv Pale Ale, sort of based on Epic Pale Ale, but with new hops and malts and a double dry hopping.
There is only one batch of this beer, and they expect the majority will be sold in the month of November. Watch for it at Flying Nun gigs and select supermarkets around the country.
Founder’s Brewery in Nelson has just released their Smoke on the Porter, which is somewhat obviously a smoked porter. We are happy to see that the Duncans are still experimenting, given the current precariousness of having the business on the market.
According to owner John Duncan, this seasonal beer falls under the JR Duncan and Sons line, taking advantage of the wider range of ingredients available outside of the purely organic Founder’s range. This allowed them to bring in the Weyermann rauch malt, a subtly flavoured pale smoked German grain.
Matt Duncan developed the recipe and is happy with the results, though he would have preferred it a touch drier. His dad, John, argued that “If it had been much drier it could have been a bit too intense” for most of their clientele. We found the beer to be quite pleasant and complex, with a very subtle smokiness in a mild brown porter. With Arts Fest on in Founder’s Park, we will have an excuse to go back and try it on hand-pump on Friday.
Check out the Seminar Programme for Beervana! Our own Fritz and Maria will be hosting a rousing debate: Malt vs Hops with David Cryer of Cryer Malt and Doug Donelan of NZ Hops. Who wants to bet the result will be a vote for more of both?
Beervana is introducing Live Brewing this year, and two of the four will be renowned top of the south beers. Andrew Dixon of The Mussel Inn will be brewing Captain Cooker in front of the masses during the Friday night session. Andy Deuchars of Renaissance will make Craftsman Oatmeal Chocolate Stout on Saturday night.