Stella Artois is truly a Christmas beer: "Stella" being Latin for "star" - and, specifically, the brightly shining Christmas star.
It was first made by the Belgian Artois Brewery in 1926 as a Christmas beer just for Canada and quickly became so popular it was exported there year-round and, from 1930, distributed around Europe.
(Why Canada? It might be that Canadian breweries were not back up to full production after wartime prohibition that ended in 1919. Or, if they were, plenty of it was flowing across the border into the United States, which was dry from 1920 until 1933.)
For a second Christmas, Stella Artois is being sold in packaging with festive livery: a printed red ribbon and a greeting card. This year, the dozen pack is accompanied by a free 570ml bottle (worth about $5.50) in specialist liquor outlets, but not in supermarkets.
Beery presents
Dunedin brewer Green Man has a Christmas pack of two branded glasses and two bottles of beer (Keller lager and Krystal Weiss wheat beer) which is available from its Grange St brewery for $28.
Fruit beer back
Invercargill Brewery has released its summer Boysenbeery beer that consistently gets the attention of competition judges (gold and best in class at the 2008 BrewNZ awards and a bronze medal this year at the Australian International Beers Awards).
It is a 6.5% burgundy-coloured wheat beer with two types of malted barley and two varieties of hop which produce a fruit aroma, richness and distinct berry flavour. The boysenberries make up 15% of the volume of the beer - a greater proportion of fruit than in most fruit drinks on retail shelves.
This beer will be around until February. If you cannot find it locally, order ($6.50 a 330ml bottle) online through www.invercargillbrewery.co.nz
No longer organic
New Zealand's first organic beer is coming off the shelves because Dunedin brewer Emerson's can no longer find sufficient organically-grown riwaka hops for its Pilsner.
Only three varieties of hops grown in New Zealand are certified organic (although most of this country's production is not sprayed) and there has never been much riwaka.
The brewery was therefore faced with staying organic, but with a different hop (and therefore different taste) or retaining the beer's character without organic status.
Yak, not yuk
Australia's Matilda Bay Brewing Company names its brews after animals. First there was Dogbolter, then Redback (spider), Beez Neez (because of the honey in it) and Sebastian (a duck).
Now there is Fat Yak Pale Ale (4.7%) the label of which warns of "a truckload of hops".
Yes, it is hoppy, but a fruity character takes the edge off the hop bitterness to produce a rich drop.
It costs a relatively high $17 for a six-pack, but is in the bigger 345ml bottle. If you cannot find it, try 0508Treasury for your nearest outlet.
A beery Christmas and a hoppy New Year.
