Last week's big annual beer competition, BrewNZ, drew 360 entries from several countries and (as reported in the news pages) Dunedin's Emerson's Brewery, with three of the best beers, was declared champion brewery.
It won trophies for its Pilsner (long regarded by many as the best in the land), beWITched and JP 2009 and medals for Dunkelweiss, Weizenbock (golds), Southern Clam Stout and Bookbinder (silvers).
A fortnight ago I rated the recently-released 8% Weizenbock my beer of the year to date, but the 8.6% beWITched might have knocked it off the perch. Both are wheat beers, although quite different. The bock is a dark, malty, spicy winter warmer. The name BeWITched gives a clue to its style: in Belgium, a wheat beer is a witbier (white beer).
Although beWITched's high alcohol produces a warm glow in winter, it will be refreshing chilled in summer. It is unfiltered and therefore clouded by yeast particles, and has a lovely balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness overlaid by coriander that has been infused into the brew.
This one was made especially for BrewNZ, and should be available from this week from the Wickliffe St brewery only in 1.25l plastic bottles for just over $10. (Remember, though, $2.66 of that goes to the Government in liquor excise as a health tax.)
Emerson's beers are not cheap - between $6 and $7 a 500ml bottle - but the quality is superb, and you do not have to buy a six- or 12-pack: pick up a bottle each of their trophy-winners as a treat.
Among the other small southern producers, Invercargill Brewery's manuka-smoked malty Smokin' Bishop gained a bronze medal and Dux de Lux (Queenstown) won bronzes for its Souwester Stout, Norwester Strong Ale and Ginger Tom.
Harrington's Pig and Whistle (a draught on tap at its Christchurch city bars until now, but soon to be bottled) won the trophy for best European-style beer. The Christchurch brewery's Clydesdale Stout won a silver medal and its Classy Red won bronze.
The small but growing craft brewing industry (which excludes DB, Lion and Independent Liquor) now accounts for about 2% of New Zealand's beer production.
A survey of the country's more than 40 small breweries showed their sales grew by 2.5% between January 2008 and June 2009.
Those smaller breweries, with their hands-on approach and ability to experiment with small batches, have an advantage over giants Lion and DB which produce large quantities of consistent good quality brews.
However, Speight's Distinction Ale won the trophy for the best international lager style and Tui was judged the best New Zealand draught (4% tap beer).
DB's Export 33, released in June, won the trophy for the best reduced-carbohydrate beer.
Monteith's Crushed Apple Cider, which is about to land on retail shelves, gained silver and Celtic Red a bronze.
- Ric Oram
