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The lads were a bit worried last Friday night. We were heading into Nelson for the beer fete at Founders to try some really cool brews. The first one had been a blast so we'd rounded up a posse to give it another crack. But we were concerned that the organisers had made a mistake ... a big mistake. They'd invited all the candidates for the local body elections along so we could discuss politics over a beer. Yeah right! What were they thinking? The last thing we wanted while we were trying to enjoy a decent beer was an ear bashing from some dodgy politician trying to win votes. Not that I'm against a good bit of conversation. It's just that I can't get excited about politics or politicians, except Helen Clark of course, man is she hot! Besides there were far more pressing issues to discuss. Like the beer we were drinking, the Warriors, the World Cup, mountainbiking and how much trouble we were in with our wives and how Chris's pig dogs Ralph and Nugget were performing. Thankfully not too many of the candidates turned up, which the lads reckoned was another reason not to vote for them. And the ones that did front were pretty decent. In fact, I'm glad one of them was there because she did a great job pouring beers. Good on yer Ali. So, we weren't distracted from the task in hand which was to taste all the beers on the list. It was an impressive line-up with two slashing pale ales, Emerson's 1812 and Founders Fair Maiden, providing a real highlight. The Emerson's 1812 is a wonderful golden-brown India Pale Ale. It has a fresh, grassy aroma, a hint of malt sweetness followed by a big hit of hops at the finish. Fair Maiden is similar but just a little hoppier in the finish. The Captain Cooker Manuka was as good as ever while Tasman Brewing's Winter Ale generated a lot of favourable comment. We even had a yarn with its creator, Chris Stathers, which was great. It's not surprising Chris came up with a good one because he learned his trade from two top-class brewers - Mac's Tracy Banner and Colin Paige. I also enjoyed the Hallertau Copper Tart although a few of the lads reckoned it had too much going on. It's an Irish Red Ale with a chocolaty aroma and caramel and chocolate malt flavours and a rich, smooth, hoppy finish. The Twisted Ankle - a strong dark, malty English bitter with a full creamy head - was highly drinkable and the Twisted Hop Challenger was pretty smart too. It's a coppery-gold full-bodied bitter with a big hop aroma and even bigger finish. We also had
a crack at the Three Boys Pilsner and Invercargill Stanley Green,
a pale bronze colour with fruity flavours and a dry, hoppy finish.
And we went back and tried the Emerson's 1812 and Captain Cooker
again just to make sure the second ones were as good as the first
and despite our deteriorating taste buds and judgment, they still
tasted pretty damn great.
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