Stouts are a hearty and warming "meal" during winter.
These dark beers with roasted malt flavour became popular in England in the 1700s (when they were known as porters) and were a hit with Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, during his visits to London.
He ordered some to be sent back home, but it spoiled during the long journey. So the brewery increased the alcohol and hops and later assured the imperial court the brew would keep for seven years.
A couple of these big-alcohol versions are about at the moment.
They are quite antisocial drinks - not because of their strength, but because they are too nice to share.
Wigram's The Czar Imperial Russian Stout is 8.5%. It is rich and smooth with hints of coffee aroma and flavour and the traditional burnt bitterness.
Moa's Imperial Stout is a bottle-fermented whopping 10.2% - quite elegant for a stout, with a big fluffy head, nice balance of hop and malt flavours, smooth, almost fruity and just a touch of that burnt bitterness that puts some people off stout.
This duo is around only for winter, and might take some finding.
Moa's website helps, but try Riverstone Kitchen north of Oamaru, Castle MacAdam (Dunedin), New World (Alexandra), Super Liquor (Cromwell), Wanaka Fine Wines and Spirits and Invercargill Brewery.
Wigram's range is not so widely available down here, but try Super Liquor in Cromwell or Oamaru.
However, a dozen 500ml bottles of The Czar (about $95) and Moa's four-pack of 375m bottles (about $25) are available direct from the respective breweries.
• For cross-dressers?
Invercargill Brewery has a drop to warm anyone silly enough to get around in a kilt at this time of year.
Mennskurrt's Strong Scotch Ale (7%) is a tribute to the city's Scottish forefathers and one of its three malts (called peat reek) with a touch of peat smoke.
Just a touch, though (unlike the annual heavier Smokin' Bishop due out in a couple of weeks).
The aroma has a hint of hop and smoke, followed by malty flavour with hints of hop and that smoke.
This one (available from the brewery for $5 a 330ml bottle) is too nice to share, too.
The labels of these three might recommend chilling, but I prefer garage temperature (8-10degC) at this time of year.
• Colour change
Lion is producing Steinlager Classic in black bottles and white cans for the next three or four months to celebrate the Rugby World Cup.
The tournament, starting in September, marks the 25th anniversary of the brewery's sponsorship of the All Blacks.
The bottles and cans will be available only in bars or restaurants. It will not be sold in packs to take away and you will not see the beer at World Cup games either, because Heineken (brewed here by rival DB) is the tournament's official beer.
Lion introduced Steinlager in green cans in 1971 and changed to white cans in 1981, reverting to green in 1992 because lower-alcohol beers in its developing overseas export markets were usually in white cans.
