Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis, “the man” Cooper has your guide to cracking Christmas beer gifts! We have plenty to choose from at Fresh Choice Nelson.

We’ve had Guy Fawkes, Singles Day, Halloween, Black Friday, Thanksgiving Day and there’s just one more to go. Of course, it’s definitely the most special… Christmas! It’s a magical time of year when all your money just seems to suddenly disappear. Christmas shopping is never an easy task. But, at Fresh Choice Nelson you can relieve all your shopping stresses and get a relaxant to boot with Christmas beer gifts.

A guide to cracking Christmas Beer Gifts:

Here are a couple of Christmas beer gift ideas to put under your best buddy’s tree.

Urbanaut Brewing:

Start the day with some beer cocktails from Urbannaut Brewing, with Beer Blender in a can. Urbanaut Brewing’s dictum is ‘every sip will give you a taste of the culture, no matter where you are in the world’. These guys are from Auckland, so I guess the sipping is pretty slow up there, huh?

The Beer Blender can is a unique idea where it looks like you’re getting one big can of beer. But… Rip the zip tag around the middle, and you reveal two cans with two different flavour profiles. You can either drink each can individually or mix to create your own personalised cocktail. A fun idea and it doesn’t need batteries.

Verbotene Früchte:

After the beer cocktails, what about some Verbotene Früchte (forbidden fruit) from Garage Project? Verbotene Früchte is a rich black dessert lager inspired by the cakey goodness of the black forest gateau. It’s the Garage Project, after all. It totally works and tastes like a cherry vanilla chocolate cake with lashings of cream and icing. It is as complex as a man trying to wrap a Christmas present.

Burger Beer Mix Six:

Finally, for the person who has everything how about this Christmas beer gift? The Burger Beer Mix Six, also from Garage Project. Assembled from Wellington’s recent ‘Burger on a Plate’ month. Six beers from Garage Project’s repertoire were chosen specifically for their ability to accompany a burger. The perfect prezzy for a Christmas barby.

So, come all ye faithful, down to your festive Fresh Choice Nelson. Here you will find a salubrious selection of Christmas beer gifts.

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis, “the man” Cooper writes about Hazy IPA! We have plenty of this style of beers to choose from at Fresh Choice Nelson.

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In the topsy-turbid world of beer styles, yet another IPA has emerged from the brewer’s brew kettle. It’s the hazy IPA. Although this style has been around for a couple of years, some partakers are a bit hazed and confused over what exactly a hazy IPA is.

Finding the Hazy IPA:

Thirstly, if you’ve been frantically searching the Fresh Choice Nelson fridge for hazy beers and only found a few, then you’re in for a thrill… The Hazy IPA can also be called a Cloudy IPA, Juicy IPA, Milkshake IPA or a New England IPA (NEIPA).

The difference between a normal IPA and a hazy is huge. Did I say normal? There’s nothing normal when you’ve got at least eleven different styles of IPA. Bot the clear and the hazy are still very hop forward. But, the hazy style is way less bitter and has extra ingredients of different combinations of oats, wheat, lactose and fruit puree which gives it both the thick, juicy mouthfeel and the haze. Being low in bitterness is the game-changer as it has the potential to appeal to the ‘no-I-don’t-like-beer’ proponents.

Choose your Hazy:

Perhaps the best example of a hazy is Garage Project’s, Trillium X. It’s ranked 48th on Ratebeer’s top-ranked Hazy beers. That’s a helluva achievement since there are currently over 7000 craft breweries in America where the style was first invented. It pours a beautiful hazy apricot colour with slippery notes of stone fruits and pink marshmallows on the tongue. It’s a beautiful thing. Be sure to roll the can on the bar before opening to redistribute all the murky goodness.

Another epic hazy is ‘Epic Hayz’ from Epic Brewing. It’s got orange-yellowy cloudiness with the aroma and flavour of passionfruit and peaches, a wheat-zing and is crazy easy to drink.

Finally, ‘Hazed and Confused’ is Emmerson’s take on a cloudy IPA. It’s a luscious storm of tropical fruit flavours that leave you in no doubt about the hazy beer craze.

Laze on down to Fresh Choice Nelson where the beer choice is… Chooiicce!

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis, “the man” Cooper writes about the Tournament Tasters you need when you settle down to watch Rugby World Cup 2019! We have plenty to choose from at Fresh Choice Nelson.

Woo hoo! Rugby World Cup 2019 has officially kicked off! Here’s my prediction. The All Blacks will win the tournament. The only way anybody else is going to get their hands on the cup is when they are engraving it All Blacks!

Did you know that the same whistle has been blown for the opening game of every Rugby World Cup tournament? It was first used in 1905 during a game between England and New Zealand. Whew, must be some saliva built up after all those years!

Check out this RWC (really wonderful craft) beers to build up your saliva while watching Rugby World Cup 2019.

The Game Changer:

The brewery with the most totally apt name for the ABs in an RWC is Sprig & Fern. They have the Game Changer. It’s a 6.7% strong pale ale and is a brew of two halves. One half is hoppy as hell, and the other is equally strong with malts. Grapefruity hops come forward one moment and then – in a flash – biscuity malts will dominate. It’s up to your taste buds to decide the game-changer.

Dirty Boots:

You can’t have rugby and not get Dirty Boots. Dirty Boots from Garage Project is a big, bold, hop-forward American Pale Ale that will push your taste buds to their limit. Lots of resinous pine and grapefruit flavours dominating… It’s hard to put them down.

Velvet Boot:

The All Blacks have the velvet boot of Beauden Barrett. Or should that be Blueden Barrett, now that he’s with the Blues? Kereru Brewing also has a velvet boot, in the form of an 8% strong Belgian Ale. Velvet describes the smoothness, while the boot is an accurate indication of the power!

Sprint down to Fresh Choice Nelson and ruck out something different to try for Rugby World Cup 2019.

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis, “the man” Cooper writes about Sensational Dark Sessionables. Yes, we’re talking Stout! We have plenty to choose from at Fresh Choice Nelson.

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All the great sport going on at the moment has given me this uncontrollable urge to get gardening. Yep, I want to plant myself firmly on the couch in front of the TV and then watch it happen. And as every good gardener knows, things can get a little thirsty. I’m not thinking about water here, but beer! The beer needs to be sessionable – relatively low in alcohol content and therefore suitable for drinking over an extended period. That way, I can watch until the end (sometimes the bitter end!). These light beers are not necessarily light in colour. They can be dark and flavoursome. With these colder nights, a warming and sessionable stout is the way to go.

Here are three new stouts from the Fresh Choice Nelson fridge that you can plant in your taste buds.

Townshend Keystone Milk Stout

This is a tweaked version of Townie’s former 5.5% Keystone stout, with this one being even more sessionable at 5.1%. Milk stout is named after lactose sugars. These can’t be fermented by the yeast so leave a residual sweetness. Like the previous version, this milk stout still retains that smooth, velvety mouthfeel with loads of chocolaty goodness upfront then roasty malts and delicate sweetness.

Emerson’s Bluffie

A bluffie is someone who lives in the oyster capital of Bluff. Bluff is where Richard Emerson from Dunedin personally collects oysters from the sea bed to infuse into this stout. Unlike a sweetish milk stout, Emerson’s Bluffie Stout has briny notes along with dark roasted malts and some salt around the fringes, resulting in a richness well beyond its low 4.2%. This brew finishes with a satisfying bitterness.

Epic Fat Shady

Yes, that is shady, not shandy; and no, it’s not the characteristic Epic hop bomb. This beer is an extra stout ale, classic and dry. This brew tastes of well-roasted malts and coffee that result in an opulence belying it’s 4.8% with a smooth-as finish.

Now, hoe on down to Fresh Choice Nelson and dig up some low-down couch stouts!

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis “the man” Cooper writes about ‘Duncan’s Brewery’ beers, that you can find on the shelves at Fresh Choice Nelson.

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We all know that Fresh Choice Nelson has the best craft beer selection anywhere in Nelson. It’s amazing the number of new brewers that keep appearing, producing a seemingly endless number of beer styles. Well, if you think the selection at Fresh Choice is huge, it’s actually just the tip of the iceberg. There are currently around 38 different brewers in the Fresh Choice beer fridge, out of 161 craft brewers in New Zealand. But, the Fresh Choice beer fridge keeps on growing. The latest arrival is Duncan’s Brewery from Paraparaumu.

Duncan’s Brewery – A brief history:

Oddly enough, George Duncan had an unintentional start to brewing as he never really liked beer. But, while at university, his chemistry teacher, an avid homebrewer, ignited his spark. With some mentorship from Tuatara Brewery’s founder Carl Vasta, (Tuatara is just down the road from him), Duncan went from contract brewing to building his own brewery.

The Beers:

Duncan’s Pale Ale was the beer that launched Duncan’s success. A beer with a fabulous, fruity aroma that tastes as it smells. It has oranges and mandarin to the forefront and just a touch of pine at the finish. This beer starred in a recent national top 30 beer competition.

Duncan’s Umbra Imperial stout is a seasonal addition and is perfect for the winter season. An umbra is the dark part of the shadow cast by the earth and is a very fitting name, as there ain’t no light shining out of this brew! It delivers the normal chocolate-coffee flavours that you’d expect from a stout. But, there are also notes from dates and prunes with the heat of an 8.5% ABV combining everything to a taste like liquid fudge.

Duncan’s Pilsner is pilsner with citrus, herbal aroma. It tastes of citrus, honey and fried rice malts. Finishing off with a soft bitterness. Very satisfying.

Duncan’s Brewery Juniper IPA has a piney aroma with a distinctive juniper gin taste that combines well with the grapefruit hops, making for a tantalising tang.

For the best beer choice, dunk on down to Fresh Choice Nelson and grab yourself something doozy from Duncan’s Brewery.

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis “the man” Cooper writes about ‘Three Sisters Brewery’ beers, that you can find on the shelves at Fresh Choice Nelson.

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The recent drop in temperature and rain has been a slap in the face and reminder that it is actually winter. However, it was rain in the face that launched a coastal Taranaki brewery called Three Sisters Brewery into commercial success.

Going by the name you’d expect the owners to be three female siblings. But, Three Sisters Brewery is actually a husband and wife team (Joe and Sarah) who named the brewery after their three daughters… As well as remembering family excursions from their home town of Oakura up the coast to the Three Sisters rock formation at Tongaporutu.

Three Sisters Brewery has been brewing commercially since April 2017 after winning the first Taranaki SOBA Homebrew Competition in 2015 with their American Pale Ale, ‘Rain in the Face’.

Fresh Choice Nelson has three Three Sisters Brewery beers residing in the beer fridge:

Rain in the Face American Pale ale – 5.6% ABV:

Smells like hop flowers. It carries all the berry flavours including strawberry, blueberries and raspberries, with a sweet malt finish. This berry bowl of fruit packs a mountainous amount of flavour for the modest alcohol content.

Oakura Blonde:

This beer pays homage to the three blonde daughters. Tastes of hop flowers and it’s nicely balanced with a good amount of pilsner malt shining through. Although it’s an ale, it’s like a strongish pilsner (5.8% ABV). Using Pacific Jade hops (also used in Steinlager) and water from Oakura’s aquifer it makes a delicious pilsner-like beer, clean, crisp and very satisfying.

Zesk East Coast XPA – 5% ABV:

Zesk is the first in the series of street art beers, and the artist is called Zesk, hence the name. Three Sisters Brewery give caution to this beer pronouncing it extremely drinkable, and that’s very good advice. For a 5-percenter this beer has prolific flavour. It smells of freshly squeezed pawpaw with big flavours of pawpaw, melon and all those other juicy tropical fruits. The mouthfeel is very clean and satisfying, and all you want to do is keep on sip sip sipping.

Drop on down to Fresh Choice and pick up a beer

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis “the man” Cooper writes about ‘Eddyline’ beers, that you can find on the shelves at Fresh Choice Nelson.

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Eddyline Brewery and Pizzeria is situated between the busy Nelson deviation and the quiet oasis of residential Richmond. It’s a great place to stop and partake of a couple of craft beer chill pills.

An eddyline separates the fast-flowing current in a river from the place where the water slows down allowing kayakers to stop, rest, and chill out… Hence the name of this brewery.

Eddyline’s owners Mic and Molly Heynekamp are originally from Colorado, USA, where the Eddyline Brewery was first established. After a campervan tour of NZ, they realised some readjustment was in order. Both keen kayakers and outdoorsy people, they quickly became smitten with the NZ way of life. They re-established themselves in Richmond where the latest Eddyline Brewery was created.

The Eddyline brews are hop focused but well-balanced beers that ride the flavour profile eddyline between over the top and not quite enough. Production of Eddyline beers has maxed out due to popularity. So a new brewery has been established in the former Pic’s Peanut Butter building. So far, all the beers are distributed in riggers. But that is all about to change with the planned manufacturing of 440ml canned six packs and 500ml canned ‘one-offs’. Both perfectly suitable for your drink bottle holder.

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Here are all the Eddyline beers currently on sale at Fresh Choice Nelson.

Kaiteriteri Golden Lager

Very good pilsner-like qualities with crusty bread and sharp limes result in a crisp, clean and refreshing beer.

Trail Carver Pale Ale

Smells like autumn, tastes like autumn, with earthy blackcurrant hop flavours, caramel malts and a lingering grape skin finish. A great beer to get down.

Summer in the Citra IPA

Tastes of fresh orange fruits with the odd grass clipping thrown in. Very refreshing especially if the back of your neck is getting dirty and gritty.

Crank Yanker IPA

Not an angry American, although it is slightly hazy. It has a fruity aroma and tastes of peaches and grapefruits. Soft bitterness makes this easy drinking and Eddyline’s best seller.

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Go with the flow and cruise on down to Fresh Choice Nelson for some Eddyline chill pills!

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis “the man” Cooper writes about ‘Good George Brewing’ beers, that you can find on the shelves at Fresh Choice Nelson.

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Easter is beering down on us quickly. It’s a time of guilt-free chocolate and that crazy day called Good Friday, when nothing is open…. This is supposed to be good?! Thankfully, there is one thing that will make your Good Friday good, and that’s Good George Brewing.

Good George is named after the place where the brewing actually occurs; in the former St George church in Frankton. Yes, they are still keeping the tradition of making miracles.

Good George is obsessed with fresh tasting beers and has a custom beer bottle, made for purpose, called a ‘squealer’. It’s designed to lock in the aromas and flavours, so, it tastes exactly like it does when it leaves the fermenter. It’s like the brewery comes to you.

If you’re after more hops than the Easter bunny after a coffee, try these IPAs from Good George.

The Brut IPA is another style of IPA crafted from the craft brewers’ breweries. Not because it’s a big, strong, over-the-top hoppy, burn your mouth with alcohol brute (but it could be), but because its character is in its drtyness. Brewed to be as dry as possible and carbonated to the point of sparkling, it’s more like the champagne of IPAs. The Good George brut has pilsner-like qualities, being crisp, clean, refreshing and tastes of crusty bread malts and grape-flavoured hops. It’s thin-bodied with satisfying bitterness and is as dry as the Nelson summer.

Good George APA has a thicker mouthfeel but softer bitterness than the Brut and tastes of orange, pineapple and pine, backed up with caramelly malts. This is a well-balanced summer sipper.

Tropical IPA carries a fruity, resinous palate with passionfruit and mango dominating. It’s purported to have mango puree in it for an uplifting fruitiness and is perfect for Nelson’s tropical summer nights.

Good George also brew a number of other styles of beer and several seasonal ciders, their latest being a unique pineapple cider.

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Don’t forget to hop on down to Fresh Choice Nelson before Good Friday to make it a Good George day!

Thanks to our Guest Blogger and beer aficionado… In this week’s article Denis “the man” Cooper writes about ‘Epic’ beer that you can find on the shelves at Fresh Choice Nelson.

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What an epic summer so far! You know it’s hot when the chickens start laying hard-boiled eggs, the trees are whistling for dogs and Meatloaf is singing ‘hot summer night, and the beach was burning’ in your brain.

Fortunately, Epic Brewing from Auckland has three new ales to help dampen down the hot spots.

The thing with these brewskis is that they are not Epic’s traditional bitter hop bombs, but more easy-drinking, well-balanced thirst quenchers.

First up, Epic Hop Heavy Scottish IPA. What makes it Scottish? Och, to be sure, special Scottish ale yeast of course! You’d think, as the name suggests, that it would be heavy on hopes. But, nope, this Epic Beer is an evenly spread hot-malt brew with mild hop strength and fruity flavours. The name ‘Hop Heavy’ is just a play on the Scottish beer style ‘Wee Heavy’ and at 6.3% ABV is a little bit stronger.

Epic delves into some of NZ’s early history by naming a pale ale ‘Edwin Fox’. The EF was a merchant sailing vessel operating between 1858 and 1872 and was used between England and India. Carrying pale ale earned her the nickname of the ‘Booze Barge’. Her last sailing carried immigrants to New Zealand, and she now resides, peacefully retired, in Picton Harbour as a tourist attraction.

Yeah, yeah, enough history… What’s it taste like? Restrained but still hop forward, with citrus fruit flavours equally balanced by caramel malts and mild bitterness.

Epic Hop Taco. I know what you’re thinking, a beer made with tacos! Well read it and weep. Epic has apparently used all the ingredients that go into making a taco, including the shells; thankfully, however, the taste is mainly orangey, peachy hop notes with a mild peppery finish.

A special thanks:

Hats off to all the people involved with extinguishing the Tasman fires, and thanks for saving the hop farms around Wakefield and wai-iti.

When the heat is on, fire on down to the Fresh Choice Nelson fridge for some of the coolest Epic beer around!