Hopful Thinking

I do love writing about beer, but it doesn’t exactly pay the bills.  Not so far anyway.  And so, like most beer enthusiasts, I have a day job. It just so happens that my day job is at the very awesome Orcon.

And it just so happens that Richard, a like-minded team mate, suggested that Orcon should do an Awesome beer; with none other than our local hop-head, Luke Nicholas of Epic.

I guess the powers-that-be liked the idea because the next minute we were hanging out with Luke at Steam, laying down a mash, designing a killer label, and making a youtube video about it. I gotta say, we had a great time, and I reckon we’ve done a pretty good job on the beer too.

Epic Orcon Pale Ale pours a bright golden hue and just a little white head.  The subtle aroma of passionfruit greets you and from the first sip, caramel malt characters fade out to a bitter hop finish.  The mouthfeel is velvety with just a hint of effervescence to remind you it’s there.

At 5.6%, Epic Orcon ale makes for a refreshing session beer, perfect for a late night gaming session or just a quiet afternoon, you know, checking Facebook.

Epic Orcon Ale wants to be your friend – you should totally accept this request.

epicorcon.co.nz

Nestled in the natural beauty that is the Coromandel Peninsula, just a few short hours drive from Auckland, there is a brewery known simply as the Coromandel Brewing Company. Neil Vowles has been brewing beer since his student days.  In the 80’s good beer in the UK was hard to come by; this combined with a student budget made brewing his own an attractive option.  His passion for brewing carried on as a hobby until moving to the Coromandel in 2008, and finding a lack of craft beers in the area.  The solution was obvious – start a small brewery and fill the void!

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So a few short weeks ago, Chris and I were having an idle chat, on the internet, whilst at work. The subject usually strays onto beer at some point or another, and we’d been talking about the Flying Nun, a most excellent beer, and some of our other faves from Epic.

Epic - It Just Tastes Bigger

I get back into my work and a few minutes later google chat pips.. and it’s Chris. “Should I email Luke, and ask if we can visit Epic HQ?” – funny enough I’d just been thinking the same thing. And there was only one correct response… “Do it!!”

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In case you don’t live in New Zealand, Flying Nun Records is one of the most influential Punk-Rock record labels in the country.  Starting out in 1981 in Christchurch, it was the decision to start giving Dunedin bands an outlet that launched the label into history.  Recently bought back from Warner Music by the founder and a few good mates (one of whom happens to be a top NZ muso), Flying Nun is back, working through their back-catalogue and seeking out fresh talent in our shaky isles.

Enough about the label, this one’s more about what’s on the inside of the bottle…

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It’s been a while since we did any reviews; however tonight we have a selection of beers from Renaissance Brewing Company of Malborough, and it’s high time we wrote them up.

Renaissance are the producers of one of our all time favourites, the Craftsman Chocolate Oatmeal Stout.  But first up we have the Perfection Pale Ale.

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