Never go back ...

England 307 all out
v New Zealand 278 all out
England 352-9 declared
New Zealand 258-8
Match Drawn
New Zealand win the Series One Nil

2nd Test, played at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Tuesday 3 April 2018

69 New Zealand Beer Ticks (and counting …)

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Entirely gratuitous & stereotypical assessment of New Zealand Beers. There is a negative. Some of the smaller, independent, micros, particularly those which are basically Brewpubs, can seem very safe, samey & identikit. You'd be hard pushed to pick the Golden from the NZ Draught from the Lager from the Pale. My tasting notes are littered with “oversweet” & “underpowered”. With such a great range of readily available home grown Hops, that's disappointing.

And, in other news, never, ever go back. I've Blogged before about Gateway Beers. The beers you remember the first time you had them. They made you sit up. And think, Oh Hello. Orval, Sierra Nevada, Camden Pale, Brooklyn Lager, Punk IPA, Cask Jaipur, Fat Yak.

Emerson's Pilsner & Tuatara Aotearoa Pale Ale were just such beers for me. I'll maintain, in 2013, just five years ago, that Tuatara APA was the best beer I'd EVER tasted. Mad isn't it? Now, oversweet, underpowered, narrow bitterness. Taste buds change. Recipes change. Ownership changes. A Beer Becomes A Brand. Never go back.

But, there is plenty of good news. I've had some superb, straight ahead, Old Skool Pales. Like Mamma used to make. A little bit of sugar sweetness & good hit of Hoppy goodness. Nothing harsh. All in sync. No need to fuck about unduly.

I'm giving mentions to;
Hop Federation, Pale Ale
Mount Brewing, Mermaid's Mirth APA

But, Pale of the Trip goes to that Urbanaut, Brixton Pale at 4.4%.

I've been very, very pleasantly surprised by some lovely dirty & chewy Bohemian style Pilsners. Even the pissed around with Champagne Yeast ones.

I'm giving mentions to;
Urbanaut, Le Marais Champagne Pilsner
Garage Project, Hops on Pointe Champagne Pilsner.

But, Pilsner of the Trip goes to that Baylands Brewery, The Directa, European Lager at 4.7%.

We are the Carrier Bag Firm & we are Hop Heads. I've giving mentions to;

Behemoth Brewing Co, 6 Foot 5 IPA
Garage Project, Los Lobos, West Coast IPA

But, Hop Bombing IPA of the Trip & therefore Beer Of The Trip can go to

Urbanaut, Williamsburg IPA at 7.2%. (By winning both Pale & IPA, and being mentioned in Pilsner, Urbanaut are clearly Brewery of the Trip).

There are some great pubs. Too many to give mentions to. So, I'm giving Pub of the Trip to;
The Brewers Co-Operative in Auckland.
Get to it if you can, and soon.

Well, after that somewhat disappointing, couldn't get it over the line, draw, we convened for the debrief in the excellent Volstead Trading Co in Christchurch.

Liberty Brewing, Yakima Monster at 6%
Some icing sugar into a rich & intense & long bitter finish. Lovely.
Baylands Brewery Hazy Hop Bomb at 5.5%
Some grapefruit. But, otherwise straight into some nice hop stew bitter action. Lasts a long long time. Not too New England gloopy. Nice beer.
Parrotdog Forget Me Not, American IPA ay 6.8%
Great Old Skool American IPA. Merest hint of tropical fruit. Into growing, growing bitterness. Excellent.
Eagle Brewing Dry Hopped Pilsner at 5.2%
Nice & crisp. Quite a lot of Tate & Lyle sugar - but not sickly sweet. Needs a bit more hop action if I'm honest.

The day started well. With Broad taking two in two. Including Williamson. It's a mark of a great player when they feature as individuals in Deal Or No Deal Cricket. “I'd take just three down at the Close. So long as one of them is Williamson/Smith/Kohli”.

But, the Black Caps tailenders did what you can't see (indeed haven't seen) England's lower order doing. They just cut back on their shots. Hung around and hung in. Eight down at the death makes it look a little closer than it actually was. Root took a wicket after the minimum overs, near the end of the last hour on the clock. And, the ball before they went off for the light.

There's not too much to say. It's either do the obvious or take the hit. Putting aside Cook, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Anderson (and maybe Broad). The “trying to cement a place” batters & bowlers need to play more red ball cricket, on decent wickets, in games that matter, at times of the year that will develop a range of skills. Proper seamers & swingers. Not medium pace dibbler dobbers nibbling it around in April. Proper batters, who can deal with pace & compose an innings. Proper lower order, who can hang around. Proper spinners, who can defend & attack on wet, dry, any pitch. That requires a May to September, 4 day, red (and occasionally pink) ball season. Fewer Tests & players laiking in the Champo more.

That. Lot. Ain't. Happening. We won't do the obvious. We'll continue to take the hit. Winter Ends.

638/1323