Thirteen hours of sleepless trans-Pacific flight; a Monday 11 November that, mind-bogglingly, didn’t exist; a lively early morning meet-up with some old Auckland friends, some of their kids, their parrot, their amiable chihuahua and not so friendly Staffy mutt; a pleasing discovery of how much the New Zealand artisan cheese scene has progressed in the half-decade or so since our last visit, and ensuing silly spend… and exhaustion caught us up; I had promised myself NO BEER today so I’d sleep better tonight and get in sync with the new time zone more swiftly but wandering a bottle shop, how could I resist these? Products that encapsulate three of my favourite things: real beer, NZ itself, and the apocalypse.
They’re from Epic Brewing Company, a brand currently contract brewed out of the Steam Brewing Company facilities, right here in Auckland. And not to be confused with the Utah brewery of the same name.
Currently drinking the Hop Zombie, while really feeling like a bit of a jetlagged zombie. It’s a serious hoppy hit with a scent that’s floral, fruity (grapefruit, passionfruit) and salty-sweaty (ok, even cheesy-feety) and a taste that’s bitterly crisp, sweetly dry and a little salty. It’s strong too, at 8.5%. And, as we’re back in the modern metricated world, it comes in 500ml bottles.
Delicious, but I’m not sure I’ll last much longer today with jetlag and such strong ale.
Bread, Cakes And Ale 