We're drinking less – 5.1% less

Our beer consumption last year was down nearly 50 million stubbies (or 16 million litres).

Statistics New Zealand reports that alcoholic beverages made here or imported in 2009 fell by 3.1%, in the first annual decline in eight years.

Beer, down 5.1%, was the main contributor.

Most of beer's fall was in 2.5%-4.35%-strength brews.

Beer up to 5% strength rose slightly by about 600,000 stubbies, but stronger stuff fell by more than 6 million stubbies.

Beer's share of the alcoholic beverages market continued to fall, down to 66.3% compared with 84.2% in 1992.

Wine was up 1.1% to 95.3 million litres for a 20.2% share of the market and spirits-based drinks were down 0.1% to 59.1 million litres.

Annual beauty

Dunedin brewer Emerson's has just released its seasonal Taieri George.

This 6.8% brew is named after brewer Richard Emerson's father, George, who helped to found the tourist rail service from Dunedin to the Taieri Gorge.

It is released each year on March 5, the anniversary of George's death.

There is never enough of this award-winning beer: if you see it on the shelves, grab it, because there will not be any left at the brewery by the end of this week.

Keep it a month for an Easter treat because the spices (including cinnamon and nutmeg) and Central Otago clover honey make it like liquid hot cross buns.

Or keep it for winter warmth, or longer, because Taieri George is drinkable (when stored in a cool dark place) for three or four years, unlike most beers, which are never better than the day they are bottled.

Autumn brew

Emerson's has also released its second Brewer's Reserve of the year, Cellar Dog Keller Bier, which is available on tap only from the brewery ($8.50 per 1.25-litre plastic bottle).

A keller brew is either unfiltered or, like this one, lightly filtered.

This 4.7% one is subtly hopped, which produces a lingering soft bitterness to follow the yeasty malty flavour.

This one should be available until mid-April.

Not for sale

Wanaka Beerworks at Wanaka airfield near the Wanaka Transport Museum is not, after all, for sale.

It recently went to tender, but owner Dave Gillies has decided to stay.

He established the small brewery in 1998.

It produces three brews - Brewski (a pilsner), Tall Black (malty style) and Cadrona Gold (lager) and now recycles about half of the bottles.

The beers are available around Otago, including a three-pack sampler of the trio.

Not biblical

Beer has been made for about 8000 years, yet does not rate a mention in the Bible, even though it was brewed in Egypt when the Israelites were enslaved there between about 1650BC and 1250BC.

Wine features often, and the only other biblical reference to alcoholic beverages is "strong drink", which was probably beer because distillation was not widespread.