O’Hara’s ‘Celebration’ Stout

January 10, 2009 Phil Leave a comment

I’d been meaning to have this for ages, and the occasion of KT’s birthday — her being a good friend and fellow stout drinker — provided the perfect excuse, since it’s one of those beers that the brewery made for their own birthday. As if I really need an excuse. But it is awesome, this. Superbly big and smooth, tilting more towards the coffee-ish notes than the chocolatey ones, unless the chocolate you’ve got in mind is the savagely dark bitter yumminess that kinda blurs the difference right out.

Verbatim: O’Hara’s Celebration Stout. 10/1/09 750ml 28$ @ work 6%. Belated birthday drink with KT. And it’s awesome. Super big and smooth. More coffee-ish than chocolate, very nice sideline of yummy dark bitterness. Perfect for the occasion.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: I do like to drink occasion-appropriate beers when I can, and I’d had this in mind for KT’s birthday for weeks after seeing we had this in the fridge. KT is one of those wonderful women I cite as a counter-example when I’m grumping about how people talk about “girly” beers, and seem to have something irrelevantly particular in mind.

Actual Diary entries

Twisted Hop ‘Sauvin’ Pilsner

December 29, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

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.

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.

Actual Diary entries

Twisted Hop IPA

December 23, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

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

Actual Diary entries

Emerson’s ‘Bookbinder’, again

December 5, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

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.

Actual Diary entries

Three Boys Golden Ale

November 25, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

Pure summer gorgeousness. A very pale straw, and slightly hazy here since the small amount of sediment was a wee bit agitated-in. As Scott (the Bar Manager) puts it “it’s fruity, it’s flirty, it’s fantastic”. Absurdly refreshing, and apparently a “single malt” beer (which is fairly cute), it’s got an appropriate little golden-kiwifruit hint to it, and is the early frontrunner for Beer Of The Summer.

Verbatim: Three Boys Golden Ale. 23/11/08 $11 @ Malthaus 4.7% Very pale straw, a wee bit hazy. It’s gorgeous. As Scotty says, it’s fruity, it’s flirty, it’s fantastic. Very light, simple flavour. Absurdly refreshing. “Single malt” apparently. Amelia says it should have breasts — the only thing that’d make it better. “It looks like a beautiful Swedish girl.” A bit of golden kiwifruityness.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: And there’s Amelia’s Diary debut, in fine form. She’s also in the very idiosyncratic school of beer-describing, obviously. We both worked during the day at one pub down the far end of town (her starting early mornings, me on for lunch), so she was a frequent accomplice for a pre-work cup of tea or a not-working afternoon beer (or, occasionally, a pre-work beer, let’s be honest). Our flat-hunting would later on spur a few more excellent beer discoveries, and then (a year and a half after that), it was her that bought me Diary II and so helped provoke the online existence of this thing.

I should really buy her a(nother) beer.

And yeah, this was totally Beer Of The Summer, if you ask me. Which you kinda did.

Actual Diary entries

Three Boys IPA

November 15, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

Verbatim: Three Boys IPA. 15/11/08 $8.50 @ Malthouse, 5.2% Had it lots, but it warrants an entry. Gorgeousness personified. Slightly less traditional than a Tuatara IPA, but proudly so. Wonderfully balanced (cf Epic…), slight grapefruity hint, not hoppy for the sake of it. Full damn marks.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: I’d probably run my little camera out of battery — the 15th does have both the Tuatara ‘Ardennes’ and the Pink Elephant ‘Golden Tusk’ noted down already. It does take a beating, that thing; probably 90% of its work is done under appallingly low light conditions. It’d be pretty tiring.

And here’s the first mention, I think, of the anti-Epic strain that definitely runs as an undercurrent through my early days at the Malthouse. For the record, though we’ll get into more detail later, I think their beers have vastly improved — but there was a whole bunch of Emperor’s New Clothesy carry-on around when I first encountered them.

Actual Diary entries

Pink Elephant ‘Golden Tusk’

November 15, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

I should’ve been all over this. It’s from a pokey little operation in Blenheim where his bit seems to be making overstrong brews. This one clocks in at 7.1% and is the lowest-booze of the three we have in stock. It’s pitched as a ‘special bitter’, and starts with a nice big nose full of apricots and other orange-coloured stonefruity things. On your first sip, it’s got a pleasantly bitter punch and then… pretty much nothing. Alarmingly thin for a seven-percenter, one wonders how they managed that. You can keep going back for the aroma and the punch-upon-sipping, but your brain just keeps asking why that’s all there is.

Verbatim: Pink Elephant Golden Tusk Special. 15/11/08 $8 @ Malthouse 7.1% 330ml. A special bitter, with punch. Very big nose full of apricots and orangey stonefruits. Taste is pleasantly bitter, but very short. Surprisingly thin for a 7%-er.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: Weirdly, this entry and #63 seem backwards, in the book. There’s all sorts of funny little time-loops going on with the uploading of this Diary thing. It’s beginning to do my head in.

Actual Diary entries

Duchy Originals Ale

November 14, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

I’ve already said how utterly indifferent I am to the organic fad, so when Prince Charles’ outfit present me with a ‘classic ruby ale’ to try, I’m flooded with conflicting emotions: apathy, curiousness, anti-Monarchism (but I always have that), a desire to not give money to Prince Charles but still to have his beer, and — above all, thirst. My conflict was solved when a customer bought one for me, out of the blue. Nice.

Which is a good word for the beer: nice. It won’t change your life, but it’s solid. Not overly ‘ruby’ for a ‘ruby’ ale, you’d have to say, but it’s a good little quaffer.

Verbatim: Duchy Originals Organic Ale. 14/11/08 $12.5 @ Malthouse. 5.0% 500ml. Shouted by a customer, so my republican cred is intact. An organic ruby ale. Classic English. Don’t give a toss about organic-ness, of course, but this is very pleasant. Quite accessible, I think. Some reviews say its hardcore. Maybe my taste is skewed.

Actual Diary entries

Emerson’s ‘Bookbinder’

November 9, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

Verbatim: Emerson’s ‘Bookbinder’. With a book to read, naturally. Easily one of my favourites, again. (And I’ll have to get another one to photograph, since we’ve just recently gotten in some neat branded Emerson’s glassware. The sacrifices I make.) A classic English-style bitter ale, at session strength. When people come to our bar and are disappointed to learn we don’t have Sassy Red, they leave having met the Bookbinder, and being Better People for it. It’s got assertive, but still mild, hoppiness and maltiness and is just the sort of all-around beery awesomeness that a person could drink until the Universe goes pfft. And I intend to.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: The beer is still a favourite. And so is that book, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. That was George’s copy, which I borrowed and absolutely adored. It’s purest genius. And rather oddly and coincidentally, I just finally bought my own copy the day before posting this entry and writing this note. Peculiar.

Actual Diary entries

Tuatara ‘Ardennes’

November 8, 2008 Phil Leave a comment

Verbatim: Tuatara ‘Ardennes’. A belgian-style strong golden ale from local favourites Tuatara. Just recently back on tap at work, and thereby eligible for staff drinks. Huzzah. One of our regulars (a formidable Beer Nerd) rates it as the #2 All-Around Best Value Beer Buy on the Planet, which isn’t a bad nod. It’s a lovely bright gold, slightly heftier than usual (at 6.5%, so not as full-on as the Belgian-Belgians often get), and with a nice smooth, slightly warming, peachy kind of yumminess to it.

Afterthoughts, November 2010: #1 on the Best Buy list mentioned above was Schneider Aventinus, if memory serves. But it often doesn’t, so don’t quote me on that.

It also occurs to me that I’m posting this, and writing these Afterthoughts, almost exactly two years since I took that photo. Two more years of backlog before I catch up with the steadily-marching-on ‘present’. Sheesh.

And then — mysteriously, a few weeks later — an actual Diary entry for this same beer pops up. But I didn’t take a photo at the time, so I’ve put the entry here, in the spirit of consolidation.

Beer Diary

O’Hara’s ‘Celebration’ Stout

Twisted Hop ‘Sauvin’ Pilsner

Twisted Hop IPA

Emerson’s ‘Bookbinder’, again

Three Boys Golden Ale

Three Boys IPA

Pink Elephant ‘Golden Tusk’

Duchy Originals Ale

Emerson’s ‘Bookbinder’

Tuatara ‘Ardennes’

Tastings and ramblings and whatnot