New Zealand beer drinkers seem to be well served by local producers, according to results from last month's Brewers Guild awards, with most well-known labels being awarded medals.
The gold-medal winners were McCashin's Stoke Amber (trophy), Tiger (the Singaporean brew made here by DB), Speight's Distinction Ale, Speight's Summit Lager (trophy), Export Gold Export Dry and Mac's Gold. Tui East India Pale Ale won a gold and trophy.
Silver medals went to Monteith's Golden and Single Source and to Tui Blond; bronze to Steinlager Pure and Classic and Speight's Traverse.
DB's Johnny Arrow apple cider and Monteith's pear cider won bronze medals. The best cider, though, was Camla Farm (gold and trophy). Camla Farm is near Dunsandel (halfway between Christchurch and Ashburton), and its cider is my favourite. Stop for a bottle at the old store/cafe at Dunsandel.
• No shandy
The small Moutere Brewing Company based at the Moutere Inn, near Nelson, has failed to trademark "shandy" - and is pleased by the failure.
It applied to the Intellectual Property Office (as mentioned in my previous column) for the trademark to show how silly the office was to turn down a recent appeal against its registration to DB Breweries several years ago of "radler".
That registration forced Dunedin brewer Green Man to stop labelling its shandy as Radler.
The office declined to give the brewing company exclusive use of "shandy" because the word was commonly used.
"We agree with the Iponz decision because beer styles should not be trademarked. The trade marking of 'radler' is good for DB, but bad for the industry," the company says.
• New 'bible'
Many home brewers think their creations are better than anyone else's. If you do not agree with them, a subtle way of getting the message across might be to give them The Brewer's Bible (New Holland Publishers).
This comprehensive manual by American writer Brian Kunath is invaluable for someone setting out, or who needs to improve their brewing. It covers the equipment needed, how to use it and offers some proven recipes and is particularly user-friendly with imperial measurements converted to metrics throughout.
• More of less
The previous column featured a range of alcohol-free (up to 0.5%) beers, most of which are available online (beerstore), the best of which was Weihenstephaner Original.
Auckland-based DeVine Health (devinehealth) offers several more, ranging in price from about $2 to $3 a bottle. The best of its offerings is Beck's, from Germany - the little brother of Beck's 5.5% lager made under licence here by Lion Breweries. It retains good malt and hop flavours and bitterness.
Schlossgold has nice fruity malt flavour and light hop bitterness.
It also has Clausthaler and Coopers Birell which can also be found in supermarkets.
Bitburger Drive (which is also available via Beer Force, or try Meenan's, New World Centre City or Castle MacAdam in Dunedin, Wanaka Fine Wines or Liquorland in Invercargill) is full-strength reduced by heat but, frankly, smells and tastes like boiled veges.
