New Zealand’s Best Ales Available in UK

“Antipodean ales are on the up, with more and more becoming available this side of the equator. These are the [New Zealand] breweries you need to know about,” brewer and author Nick Moyle writes for the Independent.

“Until recently, British beer drinkers have been poorly served by Antipodean ales. New Zealand and Australia grow some of the most sought after hops in the world so it’s unfortunate that most folk are only familiar with bland Aussie lagers.

“Thankfully things have been changing of late, and it’s mostly New Zealand breweries that are leading the export charge. Yeastie Boys’ popularity has led them to brew a range of beers in the UK, making them widely available, and they’re also part of a New Zealand Beer Collective – along with the Tuatara, 8 Wired, Renaissance, and Three Boys breweries – that has good distribution throughout the Europe.”

“The first thing to notice” about 8 Wired’s Tall Poppy, a Red IPA, which gets Moyle’s ‘Best Buy’ gong, “is its glorious perfume: a sweet bouquet of orange blossom and tropical fruit tells you it’s going to be a great beer.

“It has a soft body with an invigorating fizz and there’s a delicious tang to the luscious caramel malts. The hops stir up a medley of fruit notes with that sweet orange essence continuing to shine through an imposing pithy bitterness.”

Original article by Nick Moyle, The Independent, August 30, 2017.