Thursday, March 31, 2011

March 31, 2011

Funds Raised... Canned Beer... Events... On Tap... Fishhead Magazine... Finally...

Funds Raised

Another round of fundraising has finished for now, with our Japanese Craft Beer Tasting, raffle and contributions from the sale of some beers adding up to $1,828 in funds raised.

Thanks are due to everyone who contributed one way or another, especially those who tried to buy so many raffle tickets they had to win but still didn't. And congratulations to Aimee for having her ticket butt come out of the jar.

Above all we need to thank Rei Murakami. She is now back safe and sound in Tokyo, but contributed enormously to last Thursday's tasting by personally bringing a number of beers with her and entertaining everyone with her enthusiastic championing of ji biru.

For those at the tasting who were wondering, Rei's blog is at http://craftbeerevents.wordpress.com/.

Canned Beer

Probably the second Japanese Craft Brewery to reach New Zealand is here. Echigo Brewery is from skiing country in Niigata Prefecture and were the first company to be granted a licence to brew beer after Japan legalised small breweries in 1994. After tasting their whole range with the help of Tokyo Foods, their local importer, we decided that their Red Ale deserved to be in our lineup. Interestingly it comes in a can, making it our first canned beer. (Unless you count kegs.)

Events

Our Beer and Food Night on April 12 remains fully booked. Sorry. But bookings for our Sour Beer Tasting on April 19 have inexplicably slowed. Perhaps some people out there simply aren't macho enough. Details are at http://www.cultbeerstore.co.nz/products/sour-beers.

Wellington SOBA members may have read about what we're planning on May 2nd. We're to host the monthly SOBA social and it's the night before the legal hearing at which a certain foreign owned corporation learn not to try and subvert intellectual property law. Or to put it another way, it's the final chapter of the Radler dispute. Now our friends at SOBA are trying to be diplomatic about the whole thing, but we don't feel the same obligation. We're looking forward to gloating about the humiliation that DB have coming (barring some legal travesty). So put it in your diary.

And if anyone can think of a suitably celebratory name for such an event please let us know. A couple of suggestions are Breaking the Cycle (get it?) and We're Gonna Show You Your Own Withered, Black Heart, DB.

On Tap

The big news this week is the return of Sprig and Fern Harvest Pilsner - the pilsner so packed with fresh hop flavours that last year's was still tasting great in September. We made a big order of kegs of Harvest Pilsner with the Sprig and Fern and while we were at it we picked up kegs of their IPA, Dopplebock and Three Berry Cider.

Look out too for Golden Eagle's Ah Reet, more Black Emperor and lots from the Brew Moon Cafe.

And Liberty Brewing is back, this time with another variation on Joe's West Coast Blond - this one hopped with Citra, and his American Landlord. Joe promises that Sexual Chocolate is a few weeks away.

Fishhead Magazine

Fishhead is a year old today. Congratulations to Ben, Richard, Hadyn and all involved.

Finally

Did we mention that 8 Wired iStout is back in stock?

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