Throughout Otago, people with a love of food and fresh produce are turning out amazing products. For some it is just a hobby, for others it has turned into their livelihood. Rebecca Fox finds out their story.
As New Zealanders' palates become more sophisticated, food matching with beer is becoming more popular, Green Man Brewery sales manager Kelly Lindsay says.
Beer could also be a key ingredient in many great dishes. His favourite was was their alcoholic ginger beer used to cook silverside, a classic Kiwi favourite.
''It gets absorbed into it, leaving a gingery sweetness.''
He also recommended their ginger beer with a mild curry.
''Beer goes very nicely with food, just like wine has for years.''
The general rule was the lighter the food such as fish or chicken, the lighter the beer. So stout-type beers were good for hearty casseroles or paired with a chocolate dessert to bring out the chocolate notes in the beer.
''You can use your imagination - beer is great with cheese, too.''
Beer styles had changed over the years - so much so that the three beer styles Green Man first made were no longer produced.
''We've evolved. We've done short runs of something that's turned out to be popular and now make it all year round.''
All their beer is made at their Grange St brewery and produced from four ingredients - barley, 90% from North Canterbury, water, hops from Nelson, and yeast.
About 50,000 litres of beer was produced last year, including some unusual flavours, such as a lime and tequila lager, ''because we can and it sells very well''.
Women were also drinking more beer.
Lower-alcohol shandy-type beers and ginger beer appealed to them, he said.
Corned silverside
Ingredients
500-600g piece of silverside placed in slow cooker.
Pour in 1 x 500ml Green Man ginger beer, zest and juice from one orange, two teaspoons of honey.
Method
Cook for approx 6-8 hours.
