Wānaka Beerworks is about to be resurrected. Well, one of its beers, anyway. The brewery closed late last year but its beer is about to return, being made in the resort by b.effect brewery. b.effect owner James Hay last week bought the brewery name from the previous owners and intends to reproduce its first beer, Brewski Pilsner. Wānaka Beerworks was the first of four now in the resort. It was started at Wānaka airport in 1989 by American Dave Gillies and over the years the recipe and the label changed. But Hay has got the original recipe from Gillies and intends producing it late next month, complete with an old label. Brewski was “a Pilsner of Bohemian tendencies”, according to its old label, and the top seller throughout the brewery’s lifetime. It was supreme champion at the New Zealand Beer Awards in 2000. It will be in kegs, initially anyway, and will be seen first in the resort’s Kai Whaka Pai cafe which poured it for years. Other labels, like its cider and Tall Blacks stout, might follow. OTAGO IMAGES/OTAGO DAILY TIMESRichard Emerson with his winning Pride of the Plains Pilsener organic beer in 2007 — his recreation of this beer won gold, a trophy and was judged the champion beer at the weekend. Photo: Allied Media files Top beers A couple of Emerson’s oldies won gold medals at the New Zealand Brewers Guild annual awards at the weekend. His first beer in 1993, London Porter, won gold, and last year’s recreation of his first Pilsner, Pride of the Plains, in 1995, won gold, a trophy and was judged the champion beer. SUPPLIEDEmerson's crisp Pride of the Plains — Riwaka Pilsner. Gold medals also went to brews made in memory of brewery founder Richard Emerson’s parents — Taireri George spiced ale (first made in 2002, the year George Emerson died) and Ingrid Weizenbock wheat beer (released last year following the death of his mother, Ingrid, in 2014). Emerson’s recently released Rock and Pillar stout and Chasing Trains barley wine also won golds. Three other Otago breweries won golds: Wānaka’s b.effect Stinky Deluxe IPA; Queenstown’s Altitude Ruaille Buaille (the name of an Irish band) Irish stout made for St Patrick’s Day and neighbour Canyon Brewing’s Heat 4 IPA. Size does matter The purse strings are tight. But we do not have to sacrifice quality by looking for cheaper brews. Take, for example, Cooper’s from Australia: unlike the 330ml here, the standard-sized bottle/can in Australia is 375ml (“stubbie”). That is 13% more beer than in our standard 330ml — or a 13% price saving. Although it makes more than a dozen styles in Australia, the mainstays here are Original Pale Ale (4.5%), Sparkling Ale (5.8%) and Best Extra stout (6.3%). Six-packs of the ales are about $20 (effectively $2.40 worth of extra beer). The ales and stout are bottle conditioned: just before sealing, a bit of yeast and sugar is added to create secondary fermentation (just like champagne) which adds flavour and body and more fizz. The beer also ages longer, reaching its best by the time other brews are reaching their “best before”. In fact, the bottles and cans have a “best after” on the label instead. Unlike champagne, where yeast and protein sediment from the secondary fermentation is removed, it settles to the bottom of beer. Which means there is a trick to drinking it: the Cooper’s label says to gently roll the bottle or can on its side to distribute the bits through the beer before opening.
