Cool Nelson bar up for sale

Boneface Brewing win label design award. Kiwis pour $4.5m into breweries this year. Doco claims drinking beer can help save the planet. A flying visit to Oamaru. An "abusively bitter" beer.

Hello and welcome to Friday Night Beers on a night New Zealand are playing Ireland in the T20 cricket world cup, starting at 5pm, hence the slightly early release of this email … so I can sit in front of the telly!

That said, I’ll hook straight into it faster than Glenn Phillips…

A bit sad to hear the news today that The Workshop bar in Nelson is up for sale.

I loved the vibe of the place when I visited last year. It’s just around the corner from The Free House and made a good yin to that bar’s yang. It’s a cool industrial space.

So if you want to move to Nelson and run a bar … The Workshop is listed on Ray White with an asking price of $120,000.

Departing owners Jackie Aislabie and Nigel Jerard are moving to Christchurch, where Jerard started brewing in the 1990s, and they will continue to produce Test Lab beer under contract.

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Hot off the press: Boneface Brewing’s The Wolf Bites Back Cold IPA took the top prize in the 2022 GABS Label Design Awards announced this afternoon.

Waitoa Gone Bush and Heyday Mind Cat were the others on the podium, which makes it three years in a row Heyday has been in the top-3 without winning so kudos to co-owner and designer Hannah Blackwood.

For the record, the winner was also my top pick ahead of Small Gods Galahad (5th) and Rhyme X Reason’s Calm Down Karen, for which I was obviouly out of step with the others because that came 9th!

Here’s a sample of what the judges said:

Winner Boneface

“This label gives the feels of cold, cold, cold! The tones and imagery immediately reflect the product while being 100% true to the brand.”

“Colour palette is excellent, art is fantastic, information is clearly displayed. The fonts are super as well. What's not to love?”

2nd place Waitoa

“It hits the mark. The brand essence of Liquid Bold is summed up in this one can. It's bold, it's green, it's Kiwi-as and stylish all in one go.”

“Lovely lush and enticing label.”

3rd place Heyday

“Truly unique!”

“The simplicity of colour in this design almost hides the genius! I love that the mind-bending artwork is not immediately obvious, and it makes me want to experience the magic inside.”

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Money, money, money

With Behemoth hauling in $3,158,257 in their capital raise, it got me thinking about how much Kiwis have invested in beer. This year it’s over $4.5 million spread across Behemoth, Two Thumb ($900,000) and Three Sisters ($520,000). Historically that means New Zealanders have invested around $13 million in breweries over the past decade dating back to Renaissance ($700,000), Yeastie Boys* ($500,000), Parrotdog ($1m & $2m), Behemoth ($1.8m & $2m) and lest we forget, Eagle Brewing ($300,000), plus other small offers such as the original Three Sisters raise of around $45,000 and the $30,000 raised by Froth Technologies.

If you wanted to throw in beer-adjacent Zeffer Cider ($2.4 million) then we’re talking over $15 million invested in the sector during the craft beer boom.

Of those Renaissance went bust and was bought by Brandhouse with that investment vanishing, while Eagle changed its name to Five Peaks after original owner David Gaughan’s racist tirade last year, and while it continues to trade in Kaiapoi there’s no doubt the brand has been damaged.

Meanwhile, Two Thumb said some of their $900,000 capital raise will go an e-sports gaming venue. E-Sports doesn’t really make any connection with me but I know its hugely popular so good luck to them.

*Disclosure: I invested in Yeastie Boys on that frenzied day when raising half a mil seemed gigantic!

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Favourite beers?

I’m always getting asked to name my top beers and after this tweet (and responses) from football aficionado and sports broadcaster Jason Pine last week, I now have a raft of answers to get creative with.

Jason Pine @pineynz

My top five beers… 5 Airport beer 4 Wedding beer 3 Post MC-job beer 2 Reunion beer 1 Post-match, changing room beer

FWIW my alternative fave beer list is 1) the one I’m having now; 2) the next one. But I also have a special spot for post-golf beer.

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Beer of the week No 1

I had to include this in the recommendations after I saw an Instagram post from Hoppiness writer Tim Newman describing this beer as “abusively bitter” (in a good way!). Here’s his more considered opinion:

Once Epic has a version of something out then you know it’s official, so I guess Cold IPA is here to stay (for the time being at least).  This 6.3% IPA is American-hopped in the typical Epic fashion, this time using the tried and true duo of Simcoe and Amarillo, with some Mosaic for some extra tropical spin. Extra sharp lemon and lime citrus jumps out on the nose, while a complex but gentle current of juicy malt, pineapple and undefinable ripeness runs underneath.  On the tongue, however, that’s where things get real….  An immediate and absolutely commanding bitterness explodes onto the palate, projecting a shockwave of citrus and tropical fruit in front of it.  It isn’t a hugely long or complex palate hit, but its sheer force and focus leaves the taste buds in hushed reverie. This is an IPA you drink with a scowl, and bitterness that you taste with your TEETH, and I’ve never been happier to say that it won’t be for everyone.  But if you like to truly ride the IBU express then this is an unmissable release from Epic.