DB Breweries believes it has created a world first for a major brewery by producing a beer made from barley from just one farm and hops from just one garden, rather than using a combination of malted barley and hops from a variety of sources.
It is Single Source, a 5%, which replaces Monteith's New Zealand lager, which disappeared from bars and retail shelves a couple of months ago.
Unfortunately, single on alcoholic beverage labels means it costs a lot more - like a single-malt whisky (made at one distillery from one malted barley) or single-vineyard wines.
Single Source, at the moment, costs between $8 and $10 a bottle over the bar or up to $35 a dozen.
But everything about Single Source is expensive: a premium paid for a new variety of barley; a dedicated hopper at Timaru brewery to store it; and the bottle, which is so dark it appears black, with a stylish baked-on white label.
The barley comes from a farm at Rakaia. This charmay variety is still being evaluated by the industry. It has a herbaceous character and promises to keep a beer fresh for longer. The Southern Cross hop, which has a lemon character, comes from one of only two growers near Moutere.
They combine to produce a lovely beer with a full white head (easily restored with a swirl of the glass) and a perfect balance of malt and hop flavours.
There is not enough of it yet for widespread release, so it is available only at Monteith's bars (Craft Bar in Dunedin, The Kiln in Invercargill, Monty's in Queenstown and Monteith's Brewery Bar in Alexandra).
It is, however, available online (www.singlesource.co.nz) for $35 a dozen, plus $5 freight, until it reaches retail shelves for about $32 a dozen in March.
• Emerson's latest
Dunedin brewer Emerson's has released the second of its brewers' reserve series named after recording company Flying Nun, which has promoted Dunedin artists.
Rolling Moon (after the first single the Chills recorded with Flying Nun in 1982) is a refreshing 5.6% wheat beer with a hint of lemon flavour and hop bitterness instead of the sweetish banana flavour of the brewery's bottled Weissbier. It is available only on tap at a few city bars or for $8.95 in 1.25-litre plastic at the Wickliffe St brewery.
• Still peddling
Emerson's neighbour, Green Man, has introduced a new label for its 2.4% summer shandy, Radler. It depicts the historic bridge over the Manuherikia River at Ophir near the Otago Central Rail Trail.
Like the old label, this has a cyclist label stuck over Radler (German for cyclist) on the main label because DB (which brews Monteith's Radler) claims copyright of radler.
The Society of Beer Advocates is contesting DB's claim on behalf of Green Man, and an Intellectual Property Office hearing is likely in the new year.
