Beer

A world of knowledge (and over five thousand years experience) goes into beer making, but rather than blind you with science and bore you with tasting profiles here’s the low down on our favourite drink. Yet again credit goes to farmers – those good people who first started farming the land and planted grain. Most civilisations throughout history have farmed grains for brewing along with other less notable activities like making bread.

The Short Version

We are spoilt for choice when it comes to beer. With so many origins and styles it can be hard to choose!

Europe has been typically considered the powerhouse of brewing, blessed (or is that cursed?) with the cooler climate, soil and access to water that great beer making relies on. But we love a beer or two here in NZ and now brewing expertise has spread across the globe to us. NZ is small but perfectly populated with brewing establishments of all sizes and specialities. Whilst we’re always ready to try new brews, Kiwis remain huge supporters and consumers of lager. It’s probably something to do with our warmer climate, and the sessionable style of lagers. And our tendancy to like them cold. Really cold.

At Liquorland we don’t discriminate. We just love the amber brew and are inviting you to join us in celebrating all beers – from New Zealand and around the world. Come in and give your taste buds a workout. To keep it simple, there are two basic beer styles: Lagers are beers made at lower brewing temperatures using bottom fermenting yeasts. Pilsner, Bock and Steam Beers are all lagers. Everything else can be classed as an Ale, brewed at higher temperatures using top fermenting yeasts. Ales include Bitter, Amber, Pale Ales, Indian Pale Ales, Stout, Porter and Wheat Beers.

Styles of Beer

PILSNER

Light in character and delicately hopped, with a bitterness that is not aggressive, but lingers on the taste buds.

BOCK

Dark lagers, usually high in alcohol content at 6% or above.

STOUT

A dark, almost black, ale with roasted barley which gives it a sharpness and dark colour. Generally not high in alcohol.

PORTER

Also dark, and generally not too high in alcohol, these are made with dark malt rather than roasted barley like the Stout.

WHEAT

Brewed with a portion of malted wheat in the mash. Technically there are two types: Hefeweizen (light, unfi ltered wheat beer), and Dunkelweizen (dark, unfi ltered wheat beer).

INDIA PALE ALE (IPA)

Typical of a style enjoyed by the troops during colonial times, this is pale ale higher in hop content which helped the beer survive the long trip to India.

LAGERS

Match with more subdued flavours of fish or chicken or contrast with spicy foods. The classic curry partner.

BITTERS AND PILSNERS

Great with herbs or smoky flavours. Pilsners can also work well with spicy food.

MALTY BEERS

Taste just like the name suggests. Pair with meat, meat or meat!

DARK BEERS

Great with red meats and thick wintery sauces.

Tips for Food Matches

We’ve all got our favourite beer and food matches whether it’s a cold lager with a curry or a stout with a steak pie. But every now and again its good to broaden your horizons and try something new. There’s really only two rules to follow when branching out, and lots of laughs to be had while you experiment. The Compare approach is looking for similar flavours, ie dark beers can often present a chocolate flavour so match these with a deep rich chocolate dish. Or take the Total Contrast approach, for example a nice hot curry is best served with a light and refreshing Lager.

Beer Festival

At Liquorland there’s only one thing we love more than a beer and that’s sharing a beer with mates, lots of mates. So every year we host the Liquorland New Zealand Beer Festival. A chance for Kiwis to sample, taste, admire, discover and celebrate beer. Sadly its all over for 2010 but we’ll keep you posted on next year’s festival.

It’s against the law to sell liquor to customers under 18 years old. It’s our policy in store to ask customers who appear to be 25 or under to show ID so please don’t be offended if we ask you.