At Beer Club this week we’re drinking a Dry Stout from Scotland’s oldest brewery 🏴🖤
BREWERY // A few hundred metres from the North Sea, on Brewery Lane, sits the iconic red brick Belhaven Brewery. Brewing has been uninterrupted on the same site at Scotland’s oldest working brewery for over three centuries - since 1719. Brewing on the land likely dates back to the 1100s, when Benedictine monks at nearby Belhaven Church used the same spring that still feeds the brewhouse today. Belhaven was an early adopter of steam power in the 1800s and exported heavily to the colonies in the days before refrigeration. During WWII, it was one of few Scottish breweries exempt from closure due to its strategic importance and proximity to military sites. Despite being surrounded by industry consolidation, it stayed rooted in Dunbar, brewing malt-forward ales with Scottish-grown barley and a house yeast that’s been in use for generations.
BEER // Belhaven Black is a modern take on the classic dry stout, brewed in Dunbar with Scottish water, roasted barley, and a nitrogenated body. Launched in 2013 as a response to drinkers looking for a homegrown alternative to imported stouts, it's poured with a smooth, tight head thanks to the nitro widget in the can—a pressurised capsule that releases nitrogen when opened, replicating the effect of a draught pour. The beer itself is lean and roasty, with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and a faint smokiness. It finishes dry, with low bitterness and a soft mouthfeel from the nitrogen. At 4.2% it's far more sessionable than fuller-bodied export stouts or sweet milk stouts and the light body combined with smooth nitro bubbles makes for exceptionally easy drinking.
BREWERY // Belhaven
BEER // Black
STYLE // Dry Stout
ABV // 4.2%
ORIGIN // Dunbar, Scotland
TEMP // From the fridge
FOOD MATCH // Oysters. Smoked sausages. Treacle pudding
VESSEL // Nonic Pint
Last week our Beer Club members drank a beautiful NZ Pilsner from the good folks at Kererū. You can catch the whole drink-along video on our Facebook or the ‘Tube 🍻
BREWERY // Back in 2011 we were in the aftermath of the last Global Financial Crisis which meant Chris Mills and his wife, Natasha Dahlberg, weren’t getting much work for their movie visual effects business. Fortunately for us, Chris was able to crank up his home-brewing hobby and start supplying a local Lower Hutt market with beer he brewed in a tiny 50L kit in their rumpus room. He figured that, while the demand for pixel polishers may fluctuate, the thirst for beer would ride out any recession. Demand for Kererū beer quickly grew and they custom-built a brewery in a former linoleum factory where you can now visit for a tour and try beer fresh from the tank at the cellar door in Upper Hutt’s BrewTown.
BEER // The NZ Pilsner is one of the newest to be classified by the Beer Judge Certification Program after it was popularised by Emerson’s in the 90’s. Basically, it’s a pale, dry, cleanly fermented beer with a neutral malt base that is all a out showcasing our incredible and unique NZ hop varieties. It’s probably most similar to a Kölsch or a British Golden Ale but with a supercharged hop profile. Big Pigeon is a brilliant example of the style - crisp, refreshing and cold conditioned for six weeks for a clean bright finish. The we have the magnificent hops - Wakatu, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka. The trio of hops bring a vibrant mix of citrus, tropical fruit, and floral notes, with Wakatu adding soft lime zest, Motueka bringing bright lemon-lime and herbal spice, and Nelson Sauvin delivering bold white grape and passionfruit aromas, all balanced by a crisp, clean bitterness. These hops are some of the most sought-after by brewers across the world so don’t take them for granted.
BREWERY // @kererubrewing
BEER // Big Pigeon
STYLE // NZ Pilsner
ABV // 5%
ORIGIN // Upper Hutt
TEMP //
This week Beer Club members drank a beautiful NZ Pilsner, catch our drink-along video here…
BREWERY // Back in 2011 we were in the aftermath of the last Global Financial Crisis which meant Chris Mills and his wife, Natasha Dahlberg, weren't getting much work for their movie visual effects business. Fortunately for us, Chris was able to crank up his home-brewing hobby and start supplying a local Lower Hutt market with beer he brewed in a tiny 50L kit in their rumpus room. He figured that, while the demand for pixel polishers may fluctuate, the thirst for beer would ride out any recession. Demand for Kererū beer quickly grew and they custom-built a brewery in a former linoleum factory where you can now visit for a tour and try beer fresh from the tank at the cellar door in Upper Hutt's BrewTown.
BEER // The NZ Pilsner is one of the newest to be classified by the Beer Judge Certification Program after it was popularised by Emerson's in the 90's. Basically, it's a pale, dry, cleanly fermented beer with a neutral malt base that is all a out showcasing our incredible and unique NZ hop varieties. It's probably most similar to a Kölsch or a British Golden Ale but with a supercharged hop profile. Big Pigeon is a brilliant example of the style - crisp, refreshing and cold conditioned for six weeks for a clean bright finish. The we have the magnificent hops - Wakatu, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka. The trio of hops bring a vibrant mix of citrus, tropical fruit, and floral notes, with Wakatu adding soft lime zest, Motueka bringing bright lemon-lime and herbal spice, and Nelson Sauvin delivering bold white grape and passionfruit aromas, all balanced by a crisp, clean bitterness. These hops are some of the most sought-after by brewers across the world so don't take them for granted.
BREWERY // Kereru Brewing - NZ Craft Beer
BEER // Big Pigeon
STYLE // NZ Pilsner
ABV // 5%
ORIGIN // Upper Hutt
TEMP // From the fridge
FOOD MATCH // Marmite and cheese scrolls. Green-lipped musse
BEER CLUB!
This week we’re drinking a fantastically authentic Ordinary Bitter from the legends at @threesistersbrewery that was brewed with delicious traditional English ingredients including Maris Otter, Bramling Cross and East Kent Goldings.
Catch the whole drink-along video on our Facebook or the ‘Tube
It’s rare to see an Ordinary Bitter in New Zealand (or anywhere for that matter) so we are very excited to be sharing this excellent example of the style with you wonderful Beer Club members this week 🍻
BREWERY // It all began in Joe and Sarah Emans' Taranaki garage. Taking a nostalgic connection to UK pubs, a creative ethos and a lot of precision engineering know how, they took a leap of faith into a brewing business. What started as Bellend Brewery in a garage, transformed into a crowdfunded gem in New Plymouth's beautiful old TSB building. The hard work has paid off as they won Champion Micro Brewery followed by Champion Small Brewery in successive years as they grew. Last year they scaled up their kit and installed a canning line meaning their beers are a little more available around the country. They have just completed another successful crowdfund campaign so we're looking forward to seeing even more growth. Be sure to pay them a visit next time you're in New Plymouth.
BEER // Ernie’s Bitter No. 6 is as classic as they come, brewed to a proper 3.0% ABV, and made for serious session drinking without giving up on flavour. The malt bill is anchored by Maris Otter, arguably the king of British malts, prized for its ability to bring a nutty, biscuity depth to even the simplest of beers the kind of backbone that makes or breaks a good bitter. Here, it’s layered with Rye and Brown Malt for a bit of dryness and toast, plus Simpsons Double Roasted Crystal to sneak in a rich, dark sugar note. Hops are gloriously traditional: Bramling Cross and East Kent Goldings, lending an earthy bitterness and a touch of English hedgerow. Rudeboy is the locally raised English strain from NZ yeast heroes FrothTech, here it adds just enough estery lift to keep the beer from being too dry or too flat with a hint of fruitcake character. According to BJCP guidelines, an Ordinary Bitter should be low in alcohol, balanced, and built for repeat pints and this one fits the bill bea
BEER CLUB! This week members are drinking…
BREWERY // Established in 2017 by brewer Matt Dainty, Boneface quickly gained a reputation with their excellent hop-forward beers and cool sci-fi-inspired branding featuring comic book characters. Their brewery is in Upper Hutt's 'BrewTown' alongside Kereru, Te Aro & Panhead (Lion/Kirin) which is also home to their taproom and restaurant. Last year the business went into liquidation and was acquired by Mike Neilson, founder of Panhead Custom Ales, and his wife Anna who bring a wealth of experience, expertise and enthusiasm. The rebrand has seen the comic book characters retired in place of a clean retro Californian aesthetic of rubber hose skeletal illustrations on bone coloured cans. We're happy to see the brand live on and excited to see there they will take it.
BEER // We're allll about novelty at Beer Jerk - that's why you Beer Club members have discovered over 500 different weekly beers since we launched a decade ago. As great as one-off seasonal brews are, we also love core range bangers. Brews that have been tweaked and honed to perfection over countless iterations. Snaggletooth was introduced in 2019 and has been a consistently great NZ IPA. It is the only beer from the Boneface lineup to make it through to the other side of the brewery sale and rebrand and we're happy about that. It is a brilliant example of the sort of IPA we love in Aotearoa - a light, pale malt body dosed up with loads and loads of aromatic hops and a decent amount of bitterness too. There's citussy grapefruit, pine needles and white grape flavour and aroma atop a crisp and awfully more-ish body.
BREWERY // Boneface
BEER // Snaggletooth
STYLE // IPA
ABV // 6%
ORIGIN // Upper Hutt
TEMP // 7-10°C
FOOD MATCH // Nasu Dengaku (miso-glazed aubergine). Prawn and coconut ceviche. Lemon and basil sorbet with crushed black pepper
VESSEL // IPA Glass
This week Beer Club members are drinking…
BREWERY // The aptly named Sunshine Brewery is based in Gisborne and is the first in New Zealand to see the Sun. When surfers Geoff Logan and Gerry Maude started brewing in 1989, virtually all of the beer being drunk in New Zealand came from the duopoly of Lion and DB. Gisborne Gold was their flagship beer, a 4% lager with Saaz and Green Bullet hops, and it quickly acquired a legion of fans launching a "craft beer revolution in Wellington" in the 1990s according to Michael Donaldson. Geoff & Gerry sold the brewery in 2013 to an enthusiastic bunch of wine folk who have brought the brewery bang up to date. The past few years have seen lots of changes with new branding, a new state of the art brewhouse and plenty of interesting seasonal releases alongside their tried and tested core range. Their brewery, bar and taproom is just a couple of blocks from Waikanae Beach, be sure to stop in when you pass through on your next road trip.
BEER // OK we'll get the style debate out of the way first. Recent years have seen a delicious wave of highly hopped, aromatic, bitter beers with a light malt base and crisp finish - a mash-up of the drinkability of a great lager and the big flavour of a classic IPA. There are variations between styles such as India Pale Lager, Cold IPA, Hoppy Pilsner, West Coast Lager etc. but much of what people discuss is opinion and semantics. What matters is the liquid in the glass. This hoppy wonder from Sunshine is a pale straw colour, beautifully effervescent with a light body and a crisp dry finish. A 4-week cold lagering period gives it a clean-ness and great clarity of flavour. Then there are the hops. The trio of headliner hops make for a bright, tropical, and citrus-forward profile with resinous undertones and solid bitterness. Citra brings lime and grapefruit citrus with some juicy gooseberry. Mosaic has some pine character with yet more tropical fruit. Rounding things out is local favourite, Riwaka,
This week at Beer Club we are drinking…
BREWERY // The aptly named Sunshine Brewery is based in Gisborne and is the first in New Zealand to see the Sun. When surfers Geoff Logan and Gerry Maude started brewing in 1989, virtually all of the beer being drunk in New Zealand came from the duopoly of Lion and DB. Gisborne Gold was their flagship beer, a 4% lager with Saaz and Green Bullet hops, and it quickly acquired a legion of fans launching a "craft beer revolution in Wellington" in the 1990s according to Michael Donaldson. Geoff & Gerry sold the brewery in 2013 to an enthusiastic bunch of wine folk who have brought the brewery bang up to date. The past few years have seen lots of changes with new branding, a new state of the art brewhouse and plenty of interesting seasonal releases alongside their tried and tested core range. Their brewery, bar and taproom is just a couple of blocks from Waikanae Beach, be sure to stop in when you pass through on your next road trip.
BEER // This is a proper robust porter, delivering the deep malt complexity, moderate bitterness, and easy drinkability that define the style. Porters originated in 18th-century London as a heartier alternative to thin, weak ales, brewed for the city’s working class and especially the porters who were the lifeblood of London. Sunshine’s version was first brewed over a decade ago and is relatively traditional with a malt bill of brown, Carafa, and chocolate malts, bringing notes of roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and a hint of burnt sugar. The body is full without being heavy, and the finish is dry, making it moreish rather than cloying. This example takes inspiration from modern American versions with beefed-up abv and hop profile. The American Cascade hops provide a touch of bitterness without overpowering the classic lightly roasted character. Porter nearly faded into obscurity in the mid-20th century, but its revival has shown why the style endures—when done right, as it is here, it’s com
This week at Beer Club we drank…
BREWERY // Small Gods set the tone for the sort of thing they are into with their very first release. After reading about an extinct beer style, Mumme, in a diary entry from Samuel Peyps in 1661 they decided to piece together a recipe from the few scraps they could find about the style in history books. The resultant beer, Black Narcissus brewed in collaboration with Double Vision, was a viscous black 12.5% beast made with blessed thistle and cardamon pods and boiled for 8 hours and it won Gold at the Brewer's Guild awards. A more recent collaborative brew, Desperate Glory with 8 Wired, was a barrel aged Old Bruin that honoured the men who gave their lives the Flanders trenches of the Great War that was awarded Supreme Champion at the New World Beer & Cider Awards. The Small Gods, Luke & Matt, simply love a good story and are always working on the next thing, finding endless inspiration in history, mythology and theology. You can visit the Small Gods Taproom in Auckland which is also the home of Beer Jerk.
BEER // Rooted in the farmhouse brewing traditions of northern France, Bière de Printemps is a lighter, fresher cousin of Bière de Garde. Historically, it was the last batch made before the summer heat made brewing risky, brewed with the final stores of malt from the previous harvest. Unlike saisons, which leaned drier and funkier, this style favours balance and subtle sweetness, a nod to its festive, celebratory nature. Traditionally released in March, its golden effervescence signals the arrival of longer days, blooming meadows, and the first stretch of beer gardens. Brewed in spring and designed for dreamy summer days, this Bière de Printemps balances a soft malt base with the floral sweetness of meadowsweet. Expect delicate honeyed undertones, a subtle almond-like aroma, and a hint of cut grass herbal spice. Queen Of The Meadow is brightly sparkling, refreshing and very more-ish.
BREWERY // Small Gods Brewing
BEER // Q
At Beer Club this week we are drinking…
BREWERY // Snowboarder Austin Hobson knew his hometown of Bristol would never satisfy his powder dreams so he travelled the world chasing the snow in an endless winter. Until he finally came across the magical Alpine town of Ohakune and decided to settle down. His love of beer was instilled by his home-brewing father and his mother's Belgian family who introduced him to the good stuff from the start. Austin's home brews quickly gained a reputation with his friends and it wasn't long before he took a small space in Ohakune's railway station to try brewing tiny batches commercially. An entire batch only yeilded a single keg which would sell out in a day at local King's bar meaning another 2 or 3 week wait for another brew. It was clear Ruapehu Brewing needed to scale up so a larger home was found nearby, the brewkit was drastically enlarged and the rest is history. Be sure to pop into their taproom for some takeaways next time you're in the area.
BEER // The Pale Ale is a marvellous style but all too often they can be insipid- a tragic missed opportunity to celebrate the joie de vivre of glorious hops and malt. That is certainly not the case here. This week's beer is absolutely stacked with gorgeous aromatic NZ hops. Riwaka lends a punchy hit of grapefruit and passionfruit, Motueka adds a zing of lime and lemon zest, and Nelson Sauvin rounds things off with a hint of tropical gooseberry. It is immaculately crafted with a lingering bitterness that has us dreaming that all Pale Ales could be this good.
BREWERY // Ruapehu Brewing
BEER // Everyday I'm Shufflin'
STYLE // NZ Pale Ale
ABV // 4.8%
ORIGIN // Ohakune
TEMP // 6-8°C
FOOD MATCH // Grilled fish tacos with lime crema. Charred asparagus with miso butter. Tropical fruit pavlova.
VESSEL // IPA Glass
This week Beer Club members are drinking…
BREWERY // Back in 2015 Oli & Julian decided they were sick of their jobs in industrial rope access so pooled their life savings to set up a 100L brewery and workshop. Coming from a background of climbing and mountaineering, they were no strangers to challenges and calculated risk. Before they knew it, they were racking up awards and brewing 18,000L in a year. Which is a lot of brewing on a 100L kit. Their cult following in Wanaka demanded more beer than they could brew so, a couple of years ago Neil (Julian's dad) joined the team as they scaled up their capacity. They bought a brewery kit from Dunedin which had previously belonged to the late, great Terry McCashin and cranked up production. While Oli has since stepped away to work on other projects, the Ground Up team continues to thrive, pouring from 22 taps at their bustling taproom where there's always something going on.
BEER // Brewers in the Senne Valley near Brussels have been adding sour cherries to their beers since at least the 1500s because they are delicious. Here in New Zealand, we're lucky that cherries are the flavour of our summertime Christmases, so we thought this tart treat would be a perfect pairing for festive relaxation. Acid Raindrops Cherry Sour is the latest in Ground Up’s ever-evolving series of kettle sours, following previous iterations featuring blueberries, mangoes, and holy basil. It has a bright, tangy acidity balanced by the natural sweetness of Central Otago cherries, with a clean, refreshing finish that keeps the tartness approachable without overwhelming the palate.
BREWERY // Ground Up
BEER // Acid Raindrops Cherry
STYLE // Sour
ABV // 4%
ORIGIN // Wanaka
TEMP // Cold
FOOD MATCH // Watermelon, feta, and mint salad. BBQ lamb chops with cherry and thyme glaze. Seared tuna with a citrus and cherry salsa
VESSEL // Tulip
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