Think local – Drink local

At Wineseeker we pride ourselves in stocking local producers, both beer and wine. For me, the best of Wellington beer lies in the careful and passionate production of Yeastie Boys. Stu McKinlay and Sam “The Grandmaster” Possenniskie, two beer lovers with phenomenal talent,  researched beer through  tasting over 2,000 different beers, over 70 different styles from over 50 countries. Now that deserves a high distinction! The result of this in depth analysis is unique, well crafted and damn tasty beers of varying styles.

Currently in stock we have one of my go to beers, ‘Pot Kettle Black’. This multi-award winning black IPA is rich, dark, smooth and concentrated with ground coffee, a hoppy kick with hints of orange. A beautiful drop with a full mouth feel, it simply is a fantastic beer.

Another stunner from Yeastie Boys would be their 100% peated malt beer – Rex Attitude. This beer was inspired by French techno and the whisky of Scotland’s west coast. For beer enthusiasts this is one to try as it is possible the world’s first beer made from 100% heavy peated distilling malt. It is defiantly one of the most interesting things I have ever had to drink – if you are a fan of Scotch Whisky and beer then you have met your match!

Come in to test out the range  – Yeastie Boys beer are great value and are a little bit of love in a bottle.

Beer palate – Start by falling in love.

From my experience, there seems to be a trend that runs a river of consistency through all craft beer lovers. That first “I fell in love with beer by drinking x” beer. This beer varies, each dependent on ones self – as varied as the people that drink it. For me it would have to be the 8 Wired “The Big Smoke”.Made with Bamberg Rachmalz malt (beechwood smoked malt) the intensity of flavour, smoothness of palate and sheer richness of Big Smoke sparked a flame inside me that had lay dormant for many years.

As soon as I was whipped up in the whirlwind of passion, I realized that I had limited vocabulary to be able to describe exactly what it was that I liked. Well used to plucking the words out of my repository where trusty wine adjectives are stored – I suddenly was bankrupt. Alas!

Like a toddler I stumbled through descriptors in my mind to apply to beer, and slowly, fueled by the passion that had reignited from my early wine tasting days I began to gain ground. Rich, smooth caramel malt, dark bitter coffee, zingy passion fruit, fresh cut Nelson grass, the list is endless and I am only beginning.

The key to beer (and wine) palate development in my mind is: find a well produced product – and like any other art – start practicing! You must love what you drink.

Go to beers for me are: Yeastie Boys Digital IPA, Tuatara APA, Yeastie Boys PKB, Stone and Wood Pacific Ale, Moa Five Hop and of course 8 Wired The Big Smoke.

Sláinte!