Sup for the City - Beer events helping Christchurch

Here are the highlights of the latest press release:

This Friday evening (4 March), bars around the country will be holding a ‘Sup for the City’ in aid of the victims of the Christchurch earthquake.

The concept is simple: drop in to one of the bars listed below and first enjoy a drink with friends,. Some bars are sourcing donated beer, the profits from which will go directly to the Red Cross to help the people of Christchurch.

At 7pm a minutes silence will be held in memory of those who have lost their lives or are listed as missing.

At 7:01pm each of the bars will be holding an auction or a raffle to raise money for those suffering in Christchurch and you will, of course, be invited to dig deeply into your wallets.

Auckland, Manager Martin Bridges – Andrew Andrew, 201 Quay St, Viaduct from 5pm on, raffles begin 7pm

Hamilton, Manager  Greig McGill - House on Hood, 27 Hood St, Hamilton from 5pm on, raffles begin 7pm

Wellington, Manager Kieran Haslett-Moore – Bar Edward, 167 Riddiford Street, from 5pm on, raffles begin 7pm

Nelson, Manager Mic Dover – The Freehouse, 95 Collingwood St, Nelson, details to follow or ask Mic

Dunedin, Manager Bob King – The team at Emerson's are organising something right now we will have a venue tomorrow at latest same format as above is expected.

Blenheim, Manager Mike Pink – The Old Bank, Redwoodtown

David Cryer says:  "I think it is important for our group to gather and express our grief and feelings for the people of Canterbury and our brewing friends in the city. It is not a competition to see which bar can raise the most funds but a chance for our members to gather and do some good for Christchurch.  The earthquake in Christchurch has brought us closer together as a nation; we all want to do something to assist those suffering in the Garden City. For those who love craft beer now’s your chance."

The evening is still taking form, so check the SOBA website for up to date information.

I will be doing the auction duties at Bar Edward on Friday.

Cheers

Neil Miller

Beerly Tasting - IRD (July 2010)

Over the next few weeks, I will be looking to put up the menus and popular voting results from a number of beer tastings I conducted during the last half of 2010.  There are some really interesting results from a truly diverse selection of groups.

First up is the IRD "award winning beers" tasting in July.  For the 35 participants, I selected beers which had won medals in recent BrewNZ Beer Awards or Australian International Beer Awards.  The beer menu was:

Harrington’s Rogue Hop   
Emerson’s 1812                  
Kaimai Golden Rye            
Mike’s Organic Ale             
Tuatara Porter                      
Renaissance Elemental    

The popular votes saw first place go to Kaimai Golden Rye, second to Emerson's 1812 and third to Harrington's Rogue Hop.

Cheers

Neil Miller

Beer Haiku Friday - A matter of fact

Today's Beer Haiku is simply "a matter of fact":

That beer tasted great.
I think I’ll have another.
Maybe several.

I for one endorse that philosophy.

Glass Tip - Those determined froth-blowers at Beer Haiku Daily.

NZ Craft Beer TV - South Island Trailer

Luke Nicholas and Kelly Ryan of Epic Brewing Company have this summer embarked on a side project called NZ Craft Beer TV. The focus of the project is to interview all the craft brewers of NZ, capture their passion, background, get their history and what motivates them to craft beer. A series of episodes on the NZ breweries will be produced and likely available by the middle of the year.

But no need to wait till then, as the project is being updated live from the road as the content is being filmed. Check out the website http://www.nzcraftbeer.tv for photos, and live streaming video (where there is cell coverage), and then get the inside story with the blog posts.

At this stage the South Island has been filmed and Luke & Kelly hit the road again next week to visit and video the breweries around the North Island.

This is a trailer of the South Island breweries visited

Also an article from The Nelson Mail - On the road for an Epic trip

Beer News Network - Marchfest, Summerfest and Lots of Kegs

Marchfest - This popular Nelson beer festival has confirmed the date, location and a record number of festival beers.  The Marchfest release states:

Nelson’s MarchFest has tripled the number of participating breweries in just three years, with 12 new craft beers being offered to discerning beer lovers at the upcoming event on March 26th.

MarchFest is Nelson’s hip harvest hop festival, and is the country’s only beer festival to commission new craft beers especially for the event, to celebrate the top of the South Island’s status as New Zealand’s premier hop growing and craft beer brewing region.  This year, MarchFest will be held on March 26th from midday to 9pm, at Founders Heritage Park, Nelson.

Summerfest - Now in its second year, this family friendly Wellington event involves beer and food matching, drinks, more food and plenty of live music.  The Summerfest release reads:

Summerfest is a boutique, family-friendly food and beer festival with special guest New Zealand beer writer and raconteur *, Neil Miller. Supported by Tuatara Beer, it’s a relaxing afternoon celebration of great beer (as well as wine, cider and Foxton Fizz) and tempting food matches accompanied by hot summer jazz, gypsy folk, blues and laid-back Irish ballads.

3-6pm, Sunday 27th February, $5 entry, Worser Bay Boating Club, Marine Parade, Seatoun, Wellington

Kegco - Finally, news of a cool new company importing much needed kegs for craft and virtual breweries.  The Kegco (site under construction) release announces:

After a year researching demand, Andrew Sharpe and his wife Amanda bit the bullet, setting up Keg Co NZ and importing a mixed shipment of 50 and 30 litre kegs from Israel.  The keg hire company supports not just micro-breweries but the growing number of virtual breweries – those who own no plant or equipment but instead contract to get beer made to their specifications. 

 

“Many businesses are struggling, particularly in the current financial climate, to find money for capital expenditure – where-as a lease means they can just pay as they go. Kegs are immediately available, and if they become surplus they can be sent back,” he said.  Breweries have not been slow to see the benefits, with quarter of the shipment snapped up already.

* Their word, not mine!

Cheers

Neil Miller

Beer Haiku Friday - Bear Markets, Beer Markets

Today's Beer Haiku was written in January 2008 but is still valid today which is, in itself, a bit of a worry.  It is called "Bear Markets, Beer Markets":

Investing in beer
While the stock market crashes
Still brings high returns

Glass Tip - Those clever poets at Beer Haiku Daily

Beer Haiku Friday - World Cup Disaster

Today the Wellington Sevens kick off.  It is a tournament which will be watched by millions on television and virtually no-one at the Stadium.  I was not expecting much when I searched Beer Haiku Daily for "rugby".  To my surprise, there were two hits, though none since 2007.  It feels almost disloyal to post this in World Cup year but we do need to be aware of our continual shortcomings on every big stage since 1987.  Today's post is called "World Cup Disaster":

All Blacks lose to France
And Aussies lose to England
Chimay to forget

Glass Tip - Those Gridiron Obsessed Good Guys at Beer Haiku Daily