Twisted Hop ‘Sauvin’ Pilsner

Twisted Hop 'Sauvin' Pilsner
Twisted Hop 'Sauvin' Pilsner

Brother and stable-mate of the previous IPA, and further magic out of the usually-all-bad city of Christchurch. It’s a very different sort of a pilsner, and as such might not be liked by people who are regulars to a pint of the (perfectly good) Tuatara Pilsner or whatnot. But I loved it to bits. It’s got a hugely grapey opening, which (I am reliably informed) is a signature of the Nelson Sauvin hops — them that showed up as the golden-kiwifruitiness of the (utterly adorable) Three Boys Golden Ale. It’s long and complex, and totally refreshing at the same time. With that white-winey-ness, it strikes me as being like a gruntified Emerson’s Pilsner.

Twisted Hop 'Sauvin' Pils
Diary entry #68, Twisted Hop 'Sauvin' Pils

Verbatim: Twisted Hop Sauvin Pilsner. 29/12/08 $8 @ work 5%. The brother of the IPA above. And further magic. Hugely grapey opening, which Olly says is a Sauvin trait. It’s long and complex, but still totally refreshing. Like a gruntified Emerson’s Pils, brewed with foot firm on the gas.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: This really would come close, if the data were ever examined, to being the all-time, all-round, all-staff Malthouse favourite. We positively zip through this stuff when we’ve managed to wrangle a keg or two; and probably half the sales are directly to the staff. It’s just so delicious, so different, and so refreshing.

Twisted Hop IPA

Twisted Hop IPA
Twisted Hop IPA

A reward-to-self for knocking my Christmas shopping off in one go (and with a whole day to spare). It’s awesome. A big apricotty, hop-filled nose to start off, and a similarly big, nicely bitter and full-on taste, faultlessly done. It also very much suits being on the hand-pulls, being flatter and that little bit warmer. It delivers in areas where things like Pink Elephant Golden Tusk and Epic Pale Ale prove to be only all talk, much to my recent annoyance. This makes for seriously-good medicine and reassurance, after those.

Verbatim: Twisted Hop IPA. 23/12/08 $8 @ Malty 6.4%. Shopping done. And this is on handpull. Awesome. Apricotty hop-filled nose, and big, nicely bitter feel. What Golden Tusk should’ve been. Goes very nicely flat + slightly warmer. Big full-on taste, but faultlessly done. Nice and rounded, unlike an Epic or summat.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: I should admit that two days later, on Christmas Day, I also had an astonishing hangover brought on by overindulgence in this stuff. I don’t mean to blame it, or anything / anyone other than myself, I’m just saying that it was that delicious; you kept going when you knew you shouldn’t.

Twisted Hop IPA part 1
Diary entry 67.1, Twisted Hop IPA
Twisted Hop IPA part 2
Diary entry #67.2, Twisted Hop IPA

Emerson’s ‘Bookbinder’, again

Emerson's 'Bookbinder'
Emerson's 'Bookbinder'

Verbatim: Emerson’s ‘Bookbinder’. Again. The previously-promised photo in “proper” glassware. Actually, I cheated a bit and upgraded my after-work glass to the ever-so-slightly-bigger version than what I was strictly-speaking supposed to. All in pursuit of a wee bit more Bookbinder, so totally justified. The Booky-book — or Wookie-book, if you’re Amelia — is always worth another visit, and has long-since had a place on the All Time Favourites list.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: A year later, it was one of two beers I wrote about for the Malthouse blog, and so it was still happily on that Favourites List. And now, a year after that, it still is. We need some kind of Lifetime Achievement Award around here.