Miller Chill, from United States brewer SAB Miller, arrived on New World's shelves about three years ago, and then disappeared.
After much searching, I have found it again.
My Louise, who does not like malty brews, found this brew, with its lime flavour, a refreshing summer drink.
After a summer without it, I was ordered to find it. Yes, dear. . .
Miller Chill is called a chelada style, after Mexican-inspired drinks using lime and salt or a range of sauces.
It is a 4.2% brew with a refreshing tart lime flavour.
It was imported and distributed by Foodstuffs (New World, Pak'nSave and Four Square) soon after Miller and fellow American label Budweiser introduced this style about three years ago, to share in the popular drinking habit of shoving a wedge of lime or lemon down the neck of an otherwise bland Corona beer.
It is now being brought in by Pacific Beverages, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Amatil, which also distributes the Italian lager Peroni.
(Amatil has about 75% of the fizzy drink market in New Zealand with such labels as Coke, Schweppes, Sprite, Fanta, L&P, as well as other drinks like Keri juice, Pump and Powerade.)Armed with this information, Louise asked our local Henry's liquor outlet, which found some for her.
It is about $26 for a dozen of the larger-than-usual 355ml stubbies.
Harrington's pair
Christchurch brewer Harrington's produces more than 20 beers and you have to keep an eye out for anything other than its Razorback, Wobbly Boot and The Rogue Hop, which are widely available.
On New World's Cromwell shelves the other day were Strongman and East Indian Lager.
The latter (5%) has a nice balance of malt and hop aroma and flavour with a touch of malt sweetness and bitterness.
Well chilled it is refreshing on a hot day; at garage temperature more malt flavour comes through for winter warming.
Strongman is one of Harrington's brewer Mark White's favourites.
If you like hop, this one is for you.
The aroma warns of the hop, which delivers a pleasant, rather than harsh, bitterness to refresh in summer.
Its 6.5% alcohol makes it rich and warming at garage temperature in cooler months.
Free beer
Japanese brewer Kirin introduced a non-alcoholic beer, Kirin Free, about the middle of last year and sales in the first five months were six times higher than expected.
From reports, it is a malty brew and surprisingly rich for an alcohol-free brew.
It confused Japanese supermarkets, though, which put it in the soft drink department rather than in with the beer.
Lion Breweries (owned by Kirin) has no plans to bring Kirin Free into New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the nearest equivalent widely available here is the German-made Clausthaler, with 0.4% alcohol content (although the label says 0.5%).
By Ric Oram - lojo.rico@xtra.co.nz
