Double Vision's Schwarzenegger mentality

Christchurch loses cool craft bar. Major US brand retrenches. Two new shows featuring breweries — do they get it right? Auckland Beer Week's programme released. Brewdog's stinky collab & heaps more

Welcome to Friday beer friends,

We start with the decision to close the music-craft beer venue 12Bar in Christchurch. I went there only once but loved the place. Good grungy vibe, fantastic tap list, best food truck grub I’ve had. So it’s a shame that it’s closing its doors, with the last day of trading being July 1.

The reasons for the closure, co-owner Matt Kamstra told me, include the fact Covid hit just weeks after they opened and they never really got the traction they needed, plus, given the bar’s location, the new stadium being built in the city would have been a huge boost but Kamstra reckons that is still three years away at least … and “I don't see activation of that part of town accelerating for at least another 2 years”.

It’s a shame because great bars pouring good beer are few and far between.

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Double Vision’s Arnie routine

I spoke recently to Double Vision co-founder Warren Drahota about their Mouth Party Hazy Pale Ale that earned a spot in the New World Beer & Cider Awards and I found their approach intriguing, in terms of creating a beer they really didn’t want to make.

“We hated hazies,” Drahota admits. “That was our Achilles Heel, getting the haze stability right, the chemistry, the shelf life — hazies can oxidise so quickly and go that weird off-brown that looks like homebrew made in a bathtub.

“We were having so many problems with them. But we approached it like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s leg day.”

That analogy references the legendary bodybuilder’s attitude to his legs, which because of his height, had the potential to be his weakest link in bodybuilding competitions. His response: to work harder on his legs than everyone else.

I love the attitude and the result is a fantastic beer, winning over our resident hazy-hater Tim Newman, who raved:

There’s a clarity and purity to the aroma that makes the sharp lemon & lime citrus really chime, while the more subtle apricot draws in the nose with a tantalising ripeness.  There’s a tremendous lift and rapidity to the palate, which speeds along into the refreshing, moderately bitter finish without any chance of becoming overly sweet or cloying. In many ways (including visually) Mouth Party is more akin to a hoppy pale than a hazy, forgoing the weighty sweetness for a clean and snappy focus that I am 100% here for.

Double Vision’s Arnie routine

Which brings us to …

Beer of the Week No 1

Mouth Party is an excellent beer and you should try it for the light and breezy way it delivers flavour … but it’s winter now and I think I’ve found close to the perfect winter beer. Double Vision’s Red Rascal is just outstanding. It’s dank and lush, quite viscous, in the sense of toffee. Feels lush in your mouth and the pine resin hop notes are offset nicely by the sweet malt.

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Auckland Beer Week programme launched

Auckland Beer Week and the Auckland Pale Ale Challenge were launched today and the events for ABW (July 29-August 6) are among the best I’ ve seen.

Just as a teaser, so you can seal off July 29 alone, there’s:

Galbraith’s x McLeod’s — As is now tradition, beer week kicks off with Galbraith’s pouring seven taps of McLeod’s and probably some other special bottles too. Plus a menu of Scottish delicacies to match

From Scottish to Irish, Garage Project are holding a Snug Fest: a celebration their Snug Irish Stout, with nitro-pours and other dark beers including some exclusive new releases. And food will be courtesty of cult carnivore restaurant Cazador.

And the Beer Jerk team have a mini-festival of music, food and beer.

Other highlights for me, include 8 Wired hosting a beer-food matching with Malaysian cuisine courtesty of Mulan restaurant. The beers will include some barrel-aged rarities and a dram of their most excellent whisky.

And the Auckland Pale Ale Challenge People’s Choice prizegiving and microfest at Fantail & Turtle on August 5 sounds amazing. The People’s Choice Champion for the Auckland Pale Ale Challenge will be crowned plus a mini-fest featuring 8 Wired, Alibi, Black Sands, Deep Creek, Epic, Hallertau, Liberty, Sawmill, and Urbanaut Breweries. A $49 ticket gets you a tasting glass from every brewery, a bottomless pizza station, good vibes from DJ Bevan Keys.