#6 Harrington's Brewery - Finest Lager - 5% ABV

Brewed in Christchurch, South Island NZ. Harrington's Brewery was established in 1991 and has grown to be one of NZ's most-awarded micros with over 20 brews in their range.

Finest Gold pours an energetically bubbly pale straw with a lovely billowy head that stayed to the end. It's crisp and clean on the nose, with a little yeasty bite.

It's lively, light and clean on the palate with a nice hop bitterness at the end. A refreshingly good lager. 6/10.

#5 - McCashin's Brewery - Stoke Dark. 4.5% ABV

From Nelson, South Island - the heart of craft brewing in NZ. Stoke Dark pours a deep red/black with a soft espresso like head and plenty of effervescence in the glass. The nose is sweet and caramelly with a hint of bitter coffee bean.

It's velvety and roasty with a lovely bitterness at the end. The body is nicely contrasted with the bite of the effervescence.

And to finish off there's just a touch of raisiny sweetness.

Probably best to let it sit in the glass for 1/2 an hour to let the bubbles mellow and the flavours develop even more. Just take it out of the fridge for a while before serving. A nice easy-drinking dark beer. It'd be easy to put a few of these away on a crisp autumn evening. Almost as good as their Amber. 6/10

#4 - Valley Brewing Co. Muster Red Ale. 4.4% ABV

I imbibed this delicious drop on December 30. Here's what my notes say.

Muster Red Ale hails from Geraldine - it's in the South Island... never been there. Its website says this about the small town of 3000.

"Surrounded by majestic mountains and nestled in the heart of Canterbury, Geraldine is a must visit for the whole family."


Muster Red Ale lives up to its name with an incredible ruby-red colour. It's head disappeared in a blink but I could smell its warm, healthy maltiness while I was lining the bottle up for a photo. Muster's maltiness coats the mouth beautifully, and leaves a warm, medium roastiness that's perfectly balanced with a little sweetness that fades to a touch hoppiness - everything a good red ale should do.

Muster is a lovely beer. I'd definitely go again. Valley Brewing also do a Pale Ale - now I have a good reason to visit Geraldine. 7/10

Lost signal.

I started off with every intention to post a new adventure in beer everyday. After three days I failed. You'll be happy to know though that I have kept notes about the beers I've been drinking (most of them). So I'll begin posting the notes as soon as I can.